(ORDO NEWS) — The discovery of Neptune was a significant event for astronomy in the 19th century. The fact is that this planet was discovered before they saw it.
After the discovery of Uranus, astronomers noticed that this planet behaves mysteriously: it either runs forward or lags behind the measured orbit.
This could only be explained by the influence of another planet, which is located beyond Uranus. Calculated the position of Neptune independently by scientists such as John Adams and Urbain Le Verrier.
Having directed the telescope to the place indicated by scientists, the Berlin astronomer Halle discovered a new planet in the sky.
The eighth planet of our system, if counted from the sun – Neptune – got its name from the Roman god of the seas. You can’t see Neptune in the sky with the naked eye, but with good binoculars you can.
The distance from Neptune to the Sun is 4.5 billion km. This is the fourth and last of the gas giants (they are also called outer planets).
A day on the planet Neptune lasts 16 hours, and this planet revolves around the Sun in 165 Earth years. Neptune, like most of the giant planets, consists mainly of hydrogen.
Sometimes astronomers observe mysterious transformations in the atmosphere of Neptune, which either appear or disappear again.
Scientists explain this by storms occurring on the planet. Neptune has its own spots, such as the Great Dark Spot – a giant storm larger than the earth, surrounded by white clouds.
The first and most interesting satellite of Neptune – Triton – was discovered a few weeks after the discovery of the planet itself.
Triton has an atmosphere, and caps of frozen nitrogen have grown at the poles of the satellite. When the Sun heats this ice in spring, liquid nitrogen breaks out in the form of geysers, 8-10 km high.
The second – Nereid – was discovered a hundred years later. All the moons of Neptune are named after the heroes of Greek mythology.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.