The Blue Planet
Neptune, named after the mythological Roman God of the Sea, is the eighth and furthest planet in our Solar System. It wasn't until 1846 that Neptune was discovered by Johann Galle and Heinrich D'Arrest. It took so long to be discovered because it is so far away from Earth that it cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Of the four gas giants in our Soloar System, Neptune is the smallest. Similar to Saturn and Uranus, Neptune's atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium and methane. This atmosphere also contains fast moving white cloud. The spacecraft Voyager 2 studied the planet Neptune and was the first space probe to take detailed photographs of the gas giants. Many photos showed a giant storm much like the storm on Jupiter. This storm appears as a dark oval on the surface of Neptune which led it to be named the "Great Dark Spot".
Of the four gas giants in our Soloar System, Neptune is the smallest. Similar to Saturn and Uranus, Neptune's atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium and methane. This atmosphere also contains fast moving white cloud. The spacecraft Voyager 2 studied the planet Neptune and was the first space probe to take detailed photographs of the gas giants. Many photos showed a giant storm much like the storm on Jupiter. This storm appears as a dark oval on the surface of Neptune which led it to be named the "Great Dark Spot".
Moons
Scientist have discovered 13 moons orbiting Neptune and believe there are many more undiscovered. However, because Neptune is so far away from Earth, it is difficult to see any of these worlds. Triton was the first moon to be discovered in 1846 by an amateur astronomer from England named William Lassell, only 17 days after Neptune had been discovered The names of the other moons are: Despina, Galatea, Halimede, Laomedeia, Larissa, Naiad, Nereid, Neso, Proteus, Psamathe, Sao, and Thalassa.