Neptune

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Neptune 

Photograph taken by NASA's Voyager 2 in 1989

Discovery[1]

Johann Galle
Discovered by
Urbain Le Verrier

Discovery date 23 September 1846

Designations

Pronunciation /ˈnɛptjuːn/ ( listen)[2]

Named after Latin Neptūnus, via French Neptune

Adjectives Neptunian /nɛpˈtjuːniən/,[3] Poseidea

n[4]

Orbital characteristics[8][a]

Epoch J2000

Aphelion 30.33 AU (4.54 billion km)

Perihelion 29.81 AU (4.46 billion km)

Semi-major axis 30.11 AU (4.50 billion km)

Orbital period 164.8 yr

60,182 days

89,666 Neptunian solar days[5]

Synodic period 367.49 days[6]

Average orbital 5.43 km/s[6]
speed

Mean anomaly 256.228°

Inclination 1.767975° to ecliptic

6.43° to Sun's equator

0.72° to invariable plane[7]

Longitude of 131.784°
ascending node

Argument of 276.336°
perihelion

Known satellites 14

Physical characteristics

Mean radius 24,622±19 km[9][b]

Equatorial radius 24,764±15 km[9][b]

3.883 Earths

Polar radius 24,341±30 km[9][b]

3.829 Earths

Flattening 0.0171±0.0013

Surface area 7.6183×109 km2[10][b]

14.98 Earths

Volume 6.254×1013 km3[6][b]

57.74 Earths

Mass 1.02413×1026 kg[6]

17.147 Earths

5.15×10−5 Suns

Mean density 1.638 g/cm3[6][c]

Surface gravity 11.15 m/s2[6][b]

Moment of inertia 0.23[11] (estimate)

Escape velocity 23.5 km/s[6][b]

Sidereal rotation 0.6713 day[6]
period
16 h 6 min 36 s

Equatorial 2.68 km/s (9,650 km/h)

Axial tilt 28.32° (to orbit)[6]

North pole right  19h 57m 20s[9]
ascension
299.3°

North pole declinatio 42.950°[9]
n

Albedo 0.290 (bond)[12]

0.442 (geom.)[13]

Surface temp mi mean max

0.1 bar 55 K (−218 °C)
(10 kPa) [6]

Apparent magnitude 7.67[14] to 8.00[14]

Angular diameter 2.2–2.4″[6][15]

Atmosphere[6]

Scale height 19.7±0.6 km

Composition by

volume
Gases:

80%±3.2% hydrogen (H

2)

19%±3.2% helium (He)

1.5%±0.5% methane (CH

4)

~0.019% hydrogen
 deuteride (HD)

~0.00015% ethane (C

2H

6)

Ices:

ammonia (NH

3)

water (H

2O)

ammonium hydrosulfide (NH

4SH)

methane ice (?) (CH

4·5.75H2O)

Neptune is the eighth and farthest-known planet from the Sun in the Solar System. In the Solar System, it is
the fourth-largest planet by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. Neptune is
17 times the mass of Earth, slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus. Neptune is denser and physically
smaller than Uranus because its greater mass causes more gravitational compression of its atmosphere.
Neptune orbits the Sun once every 164.8 years at an average distance of 30.1 AU (4.5 billion km;
2.8 billion mi). It is named after the Roman god of the sea and has the astronomical symbol ♆, a stylised
version of the god Neptune's trident.
Neptune is not visible to the unaided eye and is the only planet in the Solar System found by mathematical
prediction rather than by empirical observation. Unexpected changes in the orbit of Uranus led Alexis
Bouvard to deduce that its orbit was subject to gravitational perturbation by an unknown planet. After Bouvard's
death, the position of Neptune was predicted from his observations, independently, by John Couch
Adams and Urbain Le Verrier. Neptune was subsequently observed with a telescope on 23 September
1846[1] by Johann Galle within a degree of the position predicted by Le Verrier. Its largest moon, Triton, was
discovered shortly thereafter, though none of the planet's remaining 13 known moons were located
telescopically until the 20th century. The planet's distance from Earth gives it a very small apparent size,
making it challenging to study with Earth-based telescopes. Neptune was visited by Voyager 2, when it flew
by the planet on 25 August 1989; Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to visit Neptune. [16][17] The advent of
the Hubble Space Telescope and large ground-based telescopes with adaptive optics has recently allowed for
additional detailed observations from afar.
Like Jupiter and Saturn, Neptune's atmosphere is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, along with
traces of hydrocarbons and possibly nitrogen, though it contains a higher proportion of "ices" such as
water, ammonia and methane. However, similar to Uranus, its interior is primarily composed of ices and rock;
[18]
 Uranus and Neptune are normally considered "ice giants" to emphasise this distinction.[19] Traces of methane
in the outermost regions in part account for the planet's blue appearance. [20]
In contrast to the hazy, relatively featureless atmosphere of Uranus, Neptune's atmosphere has active and
visible weather patterns. For example, at the time of the Voyager 2 flyby in 1989, the planet's southern
hemisphere had a Great Dark Spot comparable to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. These weather patterns are
driven by the strongest sustained winds of any planet in the Solar System, with recorded wind speeds as high
as 2,100 km/h (580 m/s; 1,300 mph).[21] Because of its great distance from the Sun, Neptune's outer
atmosphere is one of the coldest places in the Solar System, with temperatures at its cloud tops approaching
55 K (−218 °C; −361 °F). Temperatures at the planet's centre are approximately 5,400 K (5,100 °C; 9,300 °F).[22]
[23]
 Neptune has a faint and fragmented ring system (labelled "arcs"), which was discovered in 1984, then later
confirmed by Voyager 2.[24]
 Contents

 1History
o 1.1Discovery
o 1.2Naming
o 1.3Status
 2Physical characteristics
o 2.1Internal structure
o 2.2Atmosphere
o 2.3Magnetosphere
 3Climate
o 3.1Storms
o 3.2Internal heating
 4Orbit and rotation
o 4.1Orbital resonances
 5Formation and migration
 6Moons
o 6.1Planetary rings
 7Observation
 8Exploration
 9See also
 10Notes
 11References
 12Bibliography
 13Further reading
 14External links