In 1846, the unique planet Neptune was officially discovered. It can rightfully be attributed to the most distant planet in the solar system. Through the elongated shape of the orbit, Neptune in some cases can approach the Sun very close, so it is very hot on its surface, and life is impossible for living beings. Today, Neptune is no longer considered a planet, but a gaseous blue mass in the solar system. Next, we suggest reading more exciting and interesting facts about the planet Neptune.
1. Planet Neptune was discovered by French scientists Johan C. Halle and Urban Le Verrier.
2. The opening took place in 1846.
3. Scientists managed to discover the planet through mathematical calculations.
4. This is the only planet that was discovered by a mathematical method. Prior to that, scientists could not calculate the presence of a celestial body from some data.
5. Scientists observed deviations in the movement of Uranus, which were explained only by the influence of some other huge body, which became Neptune.
6. Neptune was observed by Galileo himself, but low-power telescopes did not make it possible to distinguish the planet from other celestial bodies.
7. 230 years before the discovery, Galileo mistook this planet for a star.
8. Having discovered Neptune, scientists believed that it is 1 billion miles farther from the Sun than Uranus.
9. To this day, scientists argue about who should be considered the discoverer of the planet.
10. Neptune has 13 satellites.
11. The Earth is 30 times closer to the Sun than Neptune.
12. Neptune makes a complete revolution around the Sun in 165 Earth years.
13. Neptune is the eighth planet in the solar system.
14. In 2006, when the IAU decided to exclude Pluto from the solar system, Neptune received the title of "farthest planet".
15. Moving in an elliptical orbit, Neptune moves away from the Sun, or vice versa, approaches.
16. Having discovered this giant planet, scientists considered it the farthest, but after a few decades, Neptune approached the Sun much closer than Pluto.
17. Neptune was considered the most distant planet in the period 1979-1999.
18. Neptune is an ice planet made of ammonia, water and methane.
19. The atmosphere of the planet consists of helium and hydrogen.
20. The core of Neptune is composed of silicate magnesium and iron.
21. Neptune is named after the Roman god of the seas.
22. The moons of the planet were named after some of the deities and mythical creatures of Greek mythology.
23. Scientists considered 2 more options for the name of the newly discovered planet: "Janus" and "planet Le Verrier".
24. The mass of the core of Neptune is equal to the mass of the Earth.
25. The length of a day on the planet is 16 hours.
26. Voyager 2 is the only ship that has visited Neptune.
27. The Voyager 2 spacecraft managed to pass 3 thousand kilometers from the north pole of the planet Neptune.
28. Voyager 2 orbited a celestial body 1 time.
29. With the help of Voyager 2, scientists obtained data on the magnetosphere, planetary atmosphere, as well as satellites and rings.
30. Voyager 2 approached the planet in 1989.
31. Neptune is bright blue.
32. Why the color is blue is still a mystery for astronomers.
33. The only suggestion about the color of Neptune is that methane, which is a component of the planet, absorbs the red color.
34. It is possible that still unexplored matter gives the blue color to the planet.
35. The mass of the planet's surface ice is 17 times the mass of the Earth.
36. The strongest winds rage in the atmosphere of Neptune.
37. Wind speed reaches 2000 km / h.
38. Voyager 2 managed to record a hurricane, the wind gusts of which reached 2100 km / h.
39. Scientists cannot find out exactly the reason for the presence of the strongest winds on the planet.
40. The only assumption about the occurrence of hurricanes sounds like this: the wind generates low friction of cold fluid flows.
41. The Great Dark Spot was discovered on the planet's surface in 1989.
42. The core temperature of Neptune is about 7000 ° C.
43. Neptune has several weakly expressed rings.
44. The system of the rings of the planet includes 5 components.
45. Neptune is composed of gas and ice, and its core is rocky.
46. The rings are mainly composed of frozen water and carbon.
47. Uranus and Neptune are called giant twins.
48. Neptunium is a chemical element discovered in 1948, named after the planet Neptune.
49. The upper layers of the planet's atmosphere have a temperature of -223 ° C.
50. The largest satellite of Neptune is Triton.
51. Scientists believe that the satellite Triton was once an independent planet, once attracted by the powerful field of Pluto.
52. It is believed that the rings of the planet are the remains of a satellite that was once torn apart.
53. Triton is slowly approaching Neptune on the axis, which in the future will lead to a collision.
54. Triton may become another ring of Pluto, after the magnetic forces of this giant planet tore apart the satellite.
55. The axis of the magnetic field is tilted by 47 degrees in relation to the axis of rotation.
56. Due to the inclination of the axis of rotation, vibrations are created.
57. Features of the magnetic field of Neptune have been studied thanks to Voyager 2.
58. The Earth's magnetic field is 27 times weaker than the magnetic field of the planet Neptune.
59. Neptune is usually called the "blue giant".
60. Of the gas giants, the planet Neptune is the smallest, but at the same time its mass and density exceeds the mass and density of another gas giant - Uranus.
61. Neptune does not have such a surface as Earth and Mars.
62. The planet's atmosphere smoothly turns into a liquid ocean, after which - into a frozen mantle.
63. If a person could stand on the surface of the planet, he would not notice the difference between Pluto's attraction and the Earth's.
64. Earth's gravity is less than the gravity of Neptune by only 17%.
65. Neptune is 4 times heavier than planet Earth.
66. In the entire solar system, Neptune is the coldest planet.
67. The planet Neptune cannot be seen with the naked eye.
68. A year on the planet Neptune lasts 90,000 days.
69. In 2011, Neptune returned to the point at which it was discovered in the last century, completing its year of 165 Earth years.
70. An interesting fact is that the planet itself rotates in the opposite direction from the rotation of the clouds.
71. Just like Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter, Neptune has an internal source of thermal energy.
72. The internal source of heat radiation produces 2 times more heat than the sun's rays, the heat of which this planet receives.
73. Several years ago, scientists discovered a "hot spot" in the south of the planet, where the temperature is 10 degrees higher than on other parts of the surface.
74. The temperature of the "hot spot" promotes the melting of methane, which subsequently flows out through the formed "lock".
75. It is possible that the high concentration of methane in the gaseous state is due to melting at the "hot spot".
76. Scientists cannot logically explain the formation of a "hot spot" on the planet Neptune.
77. With the help of a powerful microscope in 1984, scientists managed to find the brightest ring of Neptune.
78. Prior to the launch of Voyager 2, Neptune was believed to have one ring.
79. In October 1846, the British astronomer Lassell was the first to suggest that Neptune had rings.
80. Today it is known that the number of rings of Neptune is equal to six.
81. The rings were named after those who were involved in their discovery.
82. In 2016, NASA plans to send the Neptune Orbiter to the planet Neptune, which will transmit new data on the celestial giant.
83. In order for the ship to reach the planet, it needs to travel a path that will take 14 years.
84. About 98% of Neptune's atmosphere is hydrogen and helium.
85. About 2% of the planet's atmosphere is methane.
86. The speed of rotation of Neptune is almost 2 times faster than the speed of rotation of the Earth.
87. "Dark spots" on the surface appear as quickly as they disappear.
88. In 1994, the “great dark spot” cleared away.
89. A few months after the “Great Dark Spot” disappeared, astronomers recorded the appearance of another spot.
90. Scientists believe that such "dark spots" appear at low altitudes in the troposphere.
91. "Dark spots" are like holes.
92. Scientists believe that these holes lead to dark clouds located at lower altitudes.
93. Most scientists believe that the planet Neptune has huge reserves of water.
94. Astronomers believe that water is either vaporous or liquid.
95. On the surface of Neptune, Voyager 2 managed to find “rivers”.
96. "Rivers" on the surface originated from cryovolcanoes.
97. For one revolution of Neptune around the Sun, the planet Earth manages to complete more than 160 revolutions.
98. The mass of the planet Neptune is 17.4 masses of the Earth.
99. Pluto diameter: 3.88 Earth diameter.
100. The average distance of the planet Neptune from the sun: about 4.5 million km.