Facts About Neptune
Neptune, discovered in 1846 by French and English astronomers, is so far away that it is invisible to the naked eye. Neptune is the fourth largest planet in the solar system and very unlike Earth.
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Gas Giant
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Neptune is what scientists call a "gas giant" type of planet. The planet's composition is mostly gases such as hydrogen, helium and methane, around a core of molten rock, liquefied ammonia and water.
Orbit
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It takes Neptune 165 years to orbit the Sun one time. At times, the orbit of Pluto takes that small celestial body inside Neptune's orbit, an interval that lasts for about 20 years out of every 248.
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One Day
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Because Neptune spins so rapidly on its axis, a day on Neptune, which encompasses one whole rotation, is the equivalent of 16 hours and 7 minutes.
Winds
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The strongest winds anywhere in the solar system occurs on Neptune, with measured westward-blowing winds as high as 1,200 miles an hour.
Rings
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Neptune possesses a series of four faint and very narrow rings encircling the planet, that researchers think are dust particles from meteorites that have collided with Neptune's moons.
Triton
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Neptune has 13 moons that orbit it, with the largest moon, Triton, being a frozen world of ice and gases. Triton has geysers that spew ice as high as 5 miles into space.
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