Geology Facts on Neptune

Neptune's exterior

Neptune, the eighth planet from the sun, is a blue-green gas giant with a number of satellites. Since its discovery in 1846, information has been gathered on it within the field of planetary geology, and new discoveries are being made about it today.

Size

Neptune is 30,775 miles across and is 17.22 times larger than Earth.

Atmosphere and Mantle

Neptune's atmosphere is made of helium, hydrogen and methane gas. Its mantle (10 to 15 times larger than Earth's mantle) is made of water, methane ices and ammonia. Neptune's atmosphere and mantle blend into each other.

As with Jupiter, Neptune has storm spots in its surface.

Core

Neptune's core is 1.2 times larger than the earth's diameter, and is made of nickel, silicates and iron.

Rings

Neptune's ring system includes three rings formed of dust and rocks, and are (in order of extending away from the planet) Galle, Le Verrier, Lassell, Arago, Galatea and Adams.

Moons

Neptune has 13 moons made of rock and ice. The names of the moons are, in order extending away from Neptune: Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, Triton, Nereid, Halimede, Sao, Laomedeia, Psamathe and Neso.

Naiad, Thalassa, Despina and Galatea orbit inside Neptune's rings.

Considerations

Neptune receives less heat from the sun than Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun, but generates approximately the same amount of heat. This indicates a central heat source.

References

• Views of the Solar System: Neptune
• "Science"; Perspectives: Neptune's Deep Chemistry; W. B. Hubbard; February 1997
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Solar System Exploration Multimedia: Neptune
• "Planetary and Space Science": Comparative models of Uranus and Neptune; M. Podolak, et al.; December 1995
• The Free Dictionary, Encyclopedia: Planetary geology

Resources

• Geophysical Research Abstracts: Water-ammonia ionic ocean on Uranus and Neptune?
• Case Western Reserve University: Neptune's Moons
• The University of Texas McDonald Observatory: Star Date Online: Neptune
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Solar System Exploration
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Solar System Exploration: Neptune Moons