Astronomers knew Neptune must be there before they saw it! They could tell something big was pulling Uranus and they were able to predict exactly where Neptune was – almost 4.5 billion kilometres away from the Sun.
What’s the weather like on Neptune?
Very, very windy! Winds rip across the planet all the time, much faster than any winds on Earth. There are also lots of storms on Neptune, which show up as dark spots. This means Neptune’s appearance is constantly changing.
Is it true? Triton is Neptune’s only moon.
No. Neptune has seven other moons, but Triton and Nereid are the main ones. Triton is the biggest. It is 2,706 km across – about four-fifths the size of our Moon.
Where would you find pink snow?
When the gas nitrogen freezes, it looks like pink snow! There is frozen nitrogen at Neptune’s north and south poles, and at the poles of its largest moon, Triton. So far from the Sun, Neptune and its moons are bitterly cold places.
Amazing! Triton is one of the coldest places ever recorded! The temperature on the ice-covered moon is minus 236°C. That’s just 37°C away from being the lowest possible temperature in the entire Universe!
Picture Credit : Google