Facts about Neptune
posted in Amazing Facts, Latest News |
According to the Roman mythology Neptune was the god of the Sea. After the discovery of Uranus, it was observed that its orbit was not as it should be in accordance with Newton’s laws. It was then predicted that another more distant planet must be disturbing Uranus’ orbit.
Neptune was first observed by Galle and d’Arrest on 1846 Sept 23 very near to the spot independently predicted by Adams and Le Verrier from calculations based on the observed positions of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.
• Neptune’s moon, Triton, is gradually getting closer to Neptune. Ultimately, it will get so close that it will get torn apart by Neptune’s gravity and possibly form rings more stunning than Saturn’s.
• Like Jupiter’s great red spots, Neptune has dark spots.
• Triton orbits Neptune in the opposite direction to the planet’s rotation.
• It is the only large moon in the Solar System to orbit in the opposite direction.
• Neptune has four pale rings. Some parts of these rings are brighter in areas than others and appear like curve orbiting the planet. Maybe they are still forming.
• Since its discovery in 1846, Neptune has not yet completed a full orbit. In fact, it takes 165 years for the planet to go around the Sun.
• The coldest temperatures measured in the Solar System are -230°c and it has been recorded on Neptune’s moon, Triton.