Neptune

What is Neptune Like?

Neptune is the eighth and last real planet in our solar system. It is 4,496 million km from the sun. That’s about thirty times Earth’s distance from the sun. It is the fourth-largest planet. It is the smallest of the gas giant planets, but it is about four times larger than Earth. Its gravity is greater than Earth’s gravity. If you weigh 70 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 84 pounds on Neptune.

Neptune does not have a solid surface. It is a giant ball of gas with a center of rock and iron. It looks blue-green and is covered with clouds.

Neptune has 13 moons. It has faint rings. They are made of small rocks and dust. Because it is so very far from the sun, it is very, very cold. It’s average temperature is -184 °C.

Neptune has high winds and many storms. Sometimes these storms show up as dark spots on the surface. Its winds have been measured at 2,414 km per hour! Neptune has the strongest winds on any planet in the solar system. On Earth, the sun causes our weather. Neptune is so far away from the sun, it gets a thousand times less sunlight than Earth does. Where Neptune gets the energy for such strong winds and storms is a mystery.

A year on Neptune is 165 Earth-years long. Neptune rotates faster than Earth, so a day on Neptune is shorter than a day on Earth. A day on Neptune is about 16 Earth hours.

(Information taken from edhelper.com and Astronomy For Kids websites)

KEY FACTS

1 orbit of Sun (year): 165 Earth-years long

1 rotation (day): 16 hours

Average distance from Sun: 4496 million km

Diameter: 49, 200 km

Average Temperature:  -184 °C

Atmosphere: is 8000 km thick andis bluish in colour.  It also has large storms in its atmosphere

Surface: is gaseous with a centre of rock.  It has large dark spots which are giant storms.

Natural satallites (moons): 13

Ring System: yes