Neptune was first seen in 1846 by two French astronomers, Galle and d’Arrest, although the planet and its movements had been previously predicted by two English astronomers, Adams and Le Verrier. Both countries claimed the discovery of the planet before it was they settled for joint credit. The task then became to name the new planet. Many names were suggested for the new planet. However, the blue coloring of the planet caused people to think of the ocean, leading them to the name Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.

Neptune has an atmosphere made up of hydrogen, helium, and methane. The methane in the upper atmosphere of the planet absorbs all the red light from the sun but reflects the blue light back into space, causing the planet to appear blue. In a list of the planets, Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun. But, because Pluto has a strange orbit and sometimes crosses over the orbit of Neptune, it is the farthest planet from the sun for a few earth years. Neptune’s equator size makes it the fourth largest planet.

Many scientists believe that Neptune is similar to Uranus’ composition of “ices” and rock. But, it is also similar to Jupiter and Saturn because it seems to have an internal heat source; all three planets give off more energy than they absorb from the sun. As well as being similar to three other planets, Neptune is also a gas planet. It commonly endures rapid winds and large storms. In fact, Neptune has the fastest wind in the solar system, clocking in at 2000km/hr.

Neptune has been visited by Voyager 2 in 1989, the only spacecraft to reach Neptune. Most of the information about Neptune came from that encounter. But, the Hubble Telescope has been instrumental in confirming and discovering more. At the time of the Voyager visit, Neptune was characterized by what was called the Great Dark Spot. This spot was observed moving around slightly and has since been obscured. No one quite knows for sure what the spot is or why it is there. Neptune has also been observed to have rings. They are not as distinct as the rings of Saturn, but they have been given names and even have special twists.

Each planet has its own unique characteristics and individual identities. Neptune is no exception. With so much unknown about the blue planet, it can only become more and more special.