Neptune
Position: Eighth from Sun
Distance from Sun: 4,504,000,000 km (30.06 AU)
Neptune Day: 0.75 Earth Days
Neptune Year: 164.83 Earth Years
Orbital Speed: 5.4 km/sec
Eccentricity of Orbit: 0.0097
Satellites: 8 (plus rings)
Diameter: 49,528 km
Mass: 1.0247e26 kg
Major Atmospheric Gas: Hydrogen
  • Neptune is the fourth largest planet in the Solar System.
  • The only spacecraft ever to visit Neptune was the Voyager 2 in 1989.
  • Neptune is a gas planet, composed of hydrogen, helium, methane, with traces of ammonia and water.
  • The blue color of the planet is due to the absorption of red light by methane in the atmosphere.
  • Neptune has actually been the most distant planet from the sun since 1979, due the fact that Pluto's orbit is highly eccentric. Pluto will be the most distant planet from the again in 1999.
  • Neptune has the stronger winds than any other planet in the Solar System. Blowing in a westerly direction, winds on Neptune get up to 2,000 km/hour (1,200 miles/hour). "The Scooter" is a cloud that moves around Neptune about every 16 hours.
  • Neptune is the god of the sea in Roman Mythology.

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