NEPTUNE

Neptune—the eighth and most distant major planet orbiting our Sun—is dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds. It was the first planet located through mathematical calculations, rather than by telescope.

Voyager 2's post-encounter view of Neptune's south pole as the spacecraft sped away on a southward trajectory.

This picture of Neptune was produced from the last whole planet images taken through the green and orange filters on the Voyager 2 narrow angle camera.

This Voyager 2 high resolution color image, taken 2 hours before closest approach, provides obvious evidence of vertical relief in Neptune's bright cloud streaks.

Voyager 2's post-encounter view of Neptune's south pole as the spacecraft sped away on a southward trajectory.

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THE THINGS NEED-TO-KNOW ABOUT NEPTUNE

1

GIANT

Neptune is about four times wider than Earth. If Earth were a large apple, Neptune would be the size of a basketball.

2

EIGHTH WANDERER

Neptune orbits our Sun, a star, and is the eighth planet from the Sun at a distance of about 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers).

3

MOONS

Neptune has 14 known moons which are named after sea gods and nymphs in Greek mythology.

4

FAINT RINGS

Neptune has at least five main rings and four more ring arcs, which are clumps of dust and debris likely formed by the gravity of a nearby moon.

5

ONE VOYAGE THERE

Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Neptune. No spacecraft has orbited this distant planet to study it at length and up close.

6

GASSY

Neptune's atmosphere is made up mostly of molecular hydrogen, atomic helium and methane.