Webb Space Telescope Unlocks the Icy Secrets of Neptune’s Birth
Researchers studying the binary asteroid Mors-Somnus in the Kuiper Belt have used the James Webb Space Telescope to gather unique data on trans-Neptunian objects, offering…
Neptune News
Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun in our solar system. It is an ice giant, primarily made of water, ammonia, and methane over a possible rocky core. Discovered in 1846, Neptune’s presence was predicted mathematically before it was visually detected due to irregularities in the orbit of Uranus. It has a striking blue color, caused by the absorption of red light by methane in the atmosphere. Neptune is known for its strong wind speeds, some of the fastest in the solar system, reaching up to 2,100 kilometers per hour (1,300 miles per hour). The planet has a complex system of rings and 14 known moons, with Triton being the largest and geologically active, exhibiting geysers of nitrogen ice. Neptune takes about 164.8 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun and has only completed one orbit since its discovery.
Astronomical Illusions: New Images Reveal What Neptune and Uranus Really Look Like
Recent research led by Professor Patrick Irwin shows that Neptune and Uranus are both a similar shade of greenish-blue, challenging previous perceptions of their colors….
Mysterious Dark Spot on Neptune Detected From Earth for the First Time
Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have identified a significant dark spot in Neptune’s atmosphere, with an adjacent smaller bright spot….
Neptune’s Clouds Perform a Surprise Disappearing Act
Neptune’s clouds have nearly disappeared for the first time in three decades. Observations indicate a potential link between the planet’s cloud patterns and the solar…
Neptune’s Vanishing Cloud Mystery: Astronomers Discover a Solar Connection
As Sunspots Come and Go, So Does the Cloudy Weather on the Blue Giant Planet Weather forecast for Neptune: After sunny weather for the past…
Unlocking the Mysteries of Superionic Ice: Deciphering the Magnetic Anomalies of Neptune and Uranus
A key aspect of the study was the deployment of density functional theory (DFT), a method derived from quantum mechanics and used in solid-state physics…
Why Are Some Planets Surrounded by Rings?
Planets are surrounded by rings because they are made up of particles that orbit the planet. These particles can be made up of a variety…
Incredible New Webb Telescope Image of Neptune Captures Never Seen Ring Details
Webb Space Telescope Infrared Observations Tease Out Never Seen Atmospheric and Ring Details At an average distance of 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers) from…
“Diamond Rain” on Giant Icy Planets May Be More Common Than Thought
SLAC scientists found that oxygen boosts this exotic precipitation, revealing a new path to make nanodiamonds here on Earth. According to new research, “diamond rain,”…
China’s Nuclear-Powered Mission to Neptune
China is Considering a Nuclear-Powered Mission to Neptune Some bold and cutting-edge space missions are proposed for the coming decade, as made clear by the…
New Discovery Reveals Why Uranus and Neptune Are Different Colors
Observations from Gemini Observatory and other telescopes reveal that excess haze on Uranus makes it paler than Neptune. Astronomers may now understand why the similar…
Surprising Changes in Neptune’s Temperatures Detected by Astronomers
Using ground-based telescopes, including the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), an international team of astronomers track Neptune’s atmospheric temperatures over a 17-year…
Unexpected Atmospheric Temperature Changes Detected on Neptune
Neptune Is Cooler Than We Thought New research led by space scientists at the University of Leicester has revealed how temperatures in Neptune’s atmosphere have…
How Do Ice Giants Like Uranus and Neptune Maintain Their Magnetic Fields?
Probing the structures and properties of superionic ice. A layer of “hot,” electrically conductive ice could be responsible for generating the magnetic fields of ice…
Mushballs – Giant, Slushy Hailstones – Stash Away Missing Ammonia at Uranus and Neptune
Mushballs – giant, slushy hailstones made from a mixture of ammonia and water – may be responsible for an atmospheric anomaly at Neptune and Uranus…
NASA Has Just Rejected Missions to the Strange Moons of Jupiter and Neptune – Here’s What We Would Have Discovered
It’s been 30 years since NASA last visited Venus, with the Magellan orbiter in 1990. Now, two new missions have been selected to explore the deadly atmosphere, crushing…
Deep Water on Ice Giants Neptune and Uranus May Be Magnesium-Rich
While scientists have amassed considerable knowledge of the rocky planets in our solar system, like Earth and Mars, much less is known about the icy…
Two Strange Planets: Unsolved Magnetic Mystery on Uranus and Neptune
Uranus and Neptune both have a completely skewed magnetic field, perhaps due to the planets’ special inner structures. But new experiments by ETH Zurich researchers…