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Facts about Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Here are some interesting facts about Neptune:
- Neptune is the fourth largest planet in the Solar System, with a diameter of about 49,244 km (30,598 miles).
- It was named after the Roman god of the sea, Neptune.
- Neptune has the strongest winds in the Solar System, with speeds that can reach up to 2,100 kilometers per hour (1,300 miles per hour).
- It takes Neptune about 164.8 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun.
- Neptune is the coldest planet in the Solar System, with temperatures that can drop as low as -220 degrees Celsius (-364 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Neptune has 14 known moons, the largest of which is Triton. Triton is one of the coldest known objects in the Solar System, with a surface temperature of about -235 degrees Celsius (-391 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Neptune’s atmosphere is primarily composed of hydrogen, helium, and methane gas, which gives the planet its blue color.
- Neptune was first discovered in 1846 by the French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier, based on mathematical calculations of irregularities in the orbit of Uranus.
- The Voyager 2 spacecraft is the only spacecraft to have flown by Neptune, in 1989. It provided the most detailed information about the planet and its moons.
- Neptune’s magnetic field is tilted at an angle of about 47 degrees to its rotational axis, which is one of the most extreme tilts among the planets in the Solar System.
