Neptune

Neptune is the eighth planet. It is similar in size to Uranus. It is covered with a thick, cloud atmosphere of hydrogen and methane gas. Its diameter is 30,800 miles (49,500 km). The planet is 2,790,000,000 miles from the sun. Neptune spins on its axis in about 16 hours and revolves around the sun in 165 Earth years. Neptunes gravity is slightly stronger then Earth's. Voyager 2 found that Neptune had four giant faint rings and eight moons. Of Neptunes moons Triton is the most important having a diameter of 1,680 miles.

Due to its distance from the sun Neptune receives only one one thousandth as much sunlight as Earth. Neptunes daytime seems dark. There is turbulent weather, with winds as fast as 700mph over many areas. A hurricane about the size of Earth creates an area on the surface called the Great Dark Spot. Winds on the edges of this spot have been measured at over 1,400mph. The temperature on Neptune is about -350 degrees F (-210 degrees C).

The outer layer of Neptune is all gas mostly hydrogen, helium and methane. Deep inside the planet is an icy slush of water, ammonia, and methane surrounding a rocky core. All of Neptune is wrapped in heavy belts of clouds. Neptune radiates more energy than it receives from the sun thus having an interior heat supply. Images of Neptune were received when Voyager 2 passed within 3000 miles of it in 1989.

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