Neptune

Neptune

1. most distant planet

2. Cannot be seen with the unaided eye

3. Predicted to exist through mathematical calculations

4. Similar in size and in composition to Uranus

5. 4 times the diameter of Earth

6. 17 times as massive as Earth

7. Possibly seen by Galileo in 1613 but was discovered in the 1840s

8. Very windy--up to 1300 mph

9. Bluish color due to methane gas

10. Great Dark Spot (blue in color)

11. Surrounded by a system of rings

12. one year=165 Earth years

13. one day=16 hours

14. Roman god of the sea

15. Moons are named for mythological sea creatures

16. 12 or so moons

    • Triton
      • Believed to maintain its own atmosphere
      • Orbits backwards (compared to the orbits of Neptune's other moons)
      • Wrinkly surface appearance, like a cantaloupe