Neptune

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun. It is the fourth largest planet in our solar system. It is the smallest of the giant gas planets.  It is made up of mostly gas with a little bit of rocky material in the core.

 Neptune is 2,799,000,000 miles away from the sun.  It has a diameter of 30,770 miles.  It has rings that are very dark.  We do not know what the rings are made from.  The rings look like faint arches from Earth. You can see Neptune from Earth if you use binoculars.  You have to know exactly where to look and it will look like a tiny disk.

Neptune looks like it is blue.  It has an atmosphere which is composed primarily of hydrogen, helium, and a little methane.  It is the methane that makes Neptune look so blue-green.  This is because the red light is absorbed by the methane in the atmosphere.  We also think there is another element that gives the clouds their deep blue look.  We have not discovered what that element is.  Neptune has large storms on its surface.  These winds are the fastest in the solar system!  They can reach speeds of 2000 km per hour!  That is fast!

Neptune does have several dark spots on its surface.  It had a giant dark spot that was as big as the Earth.  When more observations of the planet were made the spot was gone!  It has since reappeared.  This could be a giant storm.

Neptune has four rings.  They cannot be fully viewed from Earth.

A day on Neptune is about 19.1 Earth hours. A year on Neptune lasts 164.8 Earth years!  Wow!

Neptune was named after the Roman god of the sea.

Neptune has 8 moons that we know of.  There are seven small ones and a large one named Triton. Triton is almost as big as our moon!  Triton has an atmosphere of mostly nitrogen.

This is what the symbol for the planet Neptune looks like: