Neptune Facts:

  • Wind speeds on Neptune can reach 450 meters per second.
  • Neptune was discovered because its gravitational field was affecting the orbit of
    Uranus.
  • Neptune is sometimes farther from the Sun than Pluto.
  • It is so cold on Neptune that you would need skin thicker than a polar bear's to stay
    warm.
  • In Roman mythology Neptune (Greek: Poseidon) was the god of the Sea.
  • Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the fourth largest (by diameter).
    Neptune is smaller in diameter but larger in mass than Uranus
  • Neptune's winds are the fastest in the solar system, reaching 2000 km/hour.
  • Neptune radiates more than twice as much energy as it receives from the Sun.
  • Neptune has some faint rings that are dark and hard to see. There are clumps in
    some parts of the rings where the material is denser.
  • Neptune has 13 moons. There could be more.
  • A day on Neptune lasts 16 hours and 7 minutes.
  • One year on Neptune is about 165 Earth years, or 60,265 days.
  • Neptune is named after the Roman god of the seas, also known as Poseidon in
    ancient Greece.


The atmosphere of Neptune has some dark blue spots. When the Voyager probe went by
Neptune in 1989, it saw a large one called the Great Dark Spot. In 1994, it vanished, but
later reappeared. There is also a large white cloud nicknamed "Scooter." It goes around
Neptune every 16 hours. The winds of Neptune are very fast, blowing at up to 2000 km per
hour(the fastest in the entire solar system). That is about four times faster than the fastest
recorded tornado on Earth.

Neptune is made of rock and metal in the core. The core is probably bigger than Uranus's
because Neptune weighs more, but is the same size. Around the core is rock, water,
ammonia and methane. The atmosphere is made of hydrogen and helium. Lower down in
the atmosphere, there is methane and ammonia too. The methane makes Neptune look
blue-green.

After the discovery of Uranus, it was noticed that its orbit was not as it should be in
accordance with Newton's laws. It was therefore predicted that another more distant
planet must be perturbing Uranus' orbit. Neptune was first observed by Galle and d'Arrest
on 1846 Sept 23 very near to the locations independently predicted by Adams and Le
Verrier from calculations based on the observed positions of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.
An international dispute arose between the English and French (though not, apparently
between Adams and Le Verrier personally) over priority and the right to name the new
planet; they are now jointly credited with Neptune's discovery. Subsequent observations
have shown that the orbits calculated by Adams and Le Verrier diverge from Neptune's
actual orbit fairly quickly. Had the search for the planet taken place a few years earlier or
later it would not have been found anywhere near the predicted location.

More than two centuries earlier, in 1613, Galileo observed Neptune when it happened to
be very near Jupiter, but he thought it was just a star. On two successive nights he actually
noticed that it moved slightly with respect to another nearby star. But on the subsequent
nights it was out of his field of view. Had he seen it on the previous few nights Neptune's
motion would have been obvious to him. But, alas, cloudy skies prevented observations
on those few critical days.

Neptune has been visited by only one spacecraft, Voyager 2 on Aug 25 1989. Much of we
know about Neptune comes from this single encounter. But fortunately, recent ground-
based and HST observations have added a great deal, too.

In a Nutshell:
Neptune and Uranus are very much alike. They are both large gas planets that look like
big blue-green balls in the sky. Neptune has winds in its atmosphere which blow at over
2000 kilometres per hour! This planet has large, dark circles on its surface which
astronomers believe to be storms. Neptune has two thick and two thin rings which
surround it. Neptune also has thirteen known moons. Four of these moons orbit the planet
within the rings. One of Neptune's moons, Triton, orbits the planet in a direction opposite
to Neptune's other moons. Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun.

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Our Solar System
Neptune
Our Solar System
This comprehensive book
contains information on all
major planets, major star
constellations, space
exploration and our solar
system. Included are fact
sheets, fast facts,
wordsearches, crossword
puzzles, Q's & A's, Student
Activity Sheets,
Teacher/parent resources
and tips, lesson plans and
crafts and activities.  Preview
entire book 208 pages
The Chinese lunar calendar dates back to the second millennium BC. The
Chinese calendar is cyclical. Each cycle is made up of 12 years; after the 12th
year, the cycle is repeated.  This book contains comprehensive teacher/parent
resources, lesson plans and activities relating both to the Chinese Zodiac and to
the Chinese New Year. A Fun interactive learning experience for Gr K-5  with a
particular focus on adjectives,  characteristics and traits.  Preview the entire book
here