-Neptune-

Captain: Cole

Geographer: Silas

Historian: Zoe

 Captains Paragraph:

    Neptune and its Dark Spot                              Neptunes Mantle, core and atmosphere

        

 -Geographer's Questions:__(Silas)

Neptune is considered one of the gas giants like Jupiter, Uranus and Saturn, planets that are further away from the sun in our solar system and are mostly made up of gases. As many other planets that are gas giants Neptune contains huge amounts of gases in its atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up of 80% molecular hydrogen (H2), 19% Helium, 1.5% Methane (CH4), 0.0192% Hydrogen Deuteride (HD), 0.00015% Ethane (C2H6). On Neptune there are also traces of Ammonia ice, water ice, Ammonia Hydrosulfide and Methane ice. The core of Neptune is mostly made up of hydrogen and several kinds of solid ices (listed above) and actually is a bigger source of energy for Neptune than the sun itself as it is still collapsing into itself scientists believe that to be a sign of the planet still forming. The core temperature is yet to be determined but scientists are sure that the fact that the core gives off more energy to planet than the sun is because Neptune’s immense distance to our solar system’s star. Gas giants such as Neptune have different cores than terrestial (rocky) planets the surface is gases and unlike having a solid core the core rather starts with liquid gases and has solids like ice in the center such as ammonia ice and hydrocarbon ice in the case of Neptune. The average surface temperature of Neptune is -220 Celsius and this difference to the core temperature causes the heat given off by the core to stir up storms on the surface with speeds up to 3,200km/h. These storms can be seen as dark spots on Neptune from outer space. Neptune is one of the planets farthest from the sun, one of the largest planets in our solar system and is one of the four gas giants. 

Sources

Adler Planetarium, "Neptune", AdlerPlanetarium, 23.02.2008, 23.02.2008, http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/cyberspace/planets/neptune/

Classified Information, "Neptune", ThinkQuest, 22.03.2008, 22.02.2008, http://library.thinkquest.org/26490/Neptune.html

View of Neptune from space with Dark Spot

Wingmakers, http://www.wingmakers.co.nz/neptune_gds.jpe

HISTORIAN- Zoe

     When people see a picture of the solar system, sometimes it's the eight planet from the sun that catches their eye. Neptune, which is a very old planet. It’s about 4.6 billion years old. But it was discovered on September 23, 1846 by Johan Gottfried Galle. He borrowed mathematical predictions from Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier, who came up with a theory of a planet beyond Uranus. Jean Joseph Le Verrier was actually the first person to spot Neptune through a telescope, first naming it “Le Verrier”. It was changed to Neptune years later when Johan Gottfried Galle officially discovered it. Neptune got its name just like all nine planets, from a Roman god. Neptune is the Roman god of the sea. Astronomers were reminded of the ocean with Neptune’s deep shade of blue. Neptune has thirteen moons; the most famous are Triton and Neired. Triton was discovered just seventeen days after the discovery of Neptune, found by William Lassel . Neired was found almost a hundred years after, by an astronomer named Gerard Kuiper. Six of the other moons were discovered by Voyager 2 (Voyager) in 1989. Voyager 2 is a spacecraft that found out most of the information we know about Neptune today. It is the only spacecraft ever to visit Neptune to this day. Who knows what might be in store in the future?

Work Cited:

Chan, Gary, and Matthew McDermott. "Neptune: History." Surfing the Celestial Spheres of Our Solar. 2000. 8 Mar. 2008 <http://library.thinkquest.org/C005921/Neptune/neptHist.htm>.

"Neptune: Study Guide." Sparknotes. 2006. 9 Mar. 2008 <http://www.sparknotes.com/astronomy/neptune/section2.rhtml>.

 Below is a comparrison between Neptune and Earth

 My Thing Links  http://www.mythinglinks.org/neptune_and_earth_richd~r60~800x533.jpg 

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