How to Research Neptune

Neptune is our solar system's most distant planet and very difficult to observe, even with a telescope. This planet has much to offer to students not only of science, but also of history and mythology, thanks to Greek and Roman legend. The following steps will aid in your search for information about this fascinating planet.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Internet access
• Astronomy books
• Mythology books

1. Search science and astronomy Web sites and books to learn about the best-known aspect of Neptune--its winds are the fastest in the solar system, reaching 1,200 mph. Make sure to look for facts about Neptune's atmosphere, surface temperature, mass and orbit.
2. Read up on the international dispute that arose over the naming rights to the new planet. Neptune was the Roman god of the ocean and was primarily chosen to keep the tradition of naming the planets after the Roman gods.
3. Look for information about the discovery of Neptune that was jointly credited to Johann Gottfried Galle and Heinrich Louis d'Arrest on Sept 23, 1846. They located Neptune based on the independent predictions of John Couch Adams and Urbain Jean Le Verrier. These predictions were based on the observed positions of other planets.
4. Study Neptune's characteristics as a dynamic planet with very dark rings of unknown composition and several large, dark spots that resemble Jupiter's hurricane-like storms.
5. Learn how the largest spot, known as the Great Dark Spot, has disappeared, according to Hubble Space Telescope observations in 1994.
6. Read about Neptune's only visit by a spacecraft, Voyager 2 on August 25, 1989, and how much of what we know about Neptune comes from this encounter. Voyager discovered Neptune's clumpy yet thin ring system, as well as a white cloud known as "the Scooter."