Neptune

Neptune, the eighth and furthest planet from the Sun, is a very cold place. Its bluish color is caused by small amounts of methane gas in its atmosphere. The planet has moons and a very narrow, faint ring system.

Visit another planet: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Dwarf Planets
Neptune's <a href="/neptune/lower_atmosphere.html&edu=elem">atmosphere</a> shows a striped pattern of <a href="/neptune/atmosphere/N_clouds_overview.html&edu=elem">clouds</a>. This cloud pattern is very similar to that of <a href="/jupiter/jupiter.html&edu=elem">Jupiter</a> and <a href="/saturn/saturn.html&edu=elem">Saturn</a>. Neptune even has a <a href="/neptune/atmosphere/N_clouds_GDS.html&edu=elem">Great Dark Spot</a> similar to Jupiter's <a href="/jupiter/atmosphere/J_clouds_GRS.html&edu=elem">Great Red Spot</a>. The Great Dark Spot of Neptune is thought to be a hole, similar to the hole in the <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/ozone_layer.html&edu=elem">ozone layer on Earth</a>, in the <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/methane.html&edu=elem">methane</a> cloud deck of Neptune.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NASA</em></small></p>

Explore Neptune

Interior and Surface of Neptune

The Giant planets do not have the same kind of structure inside that the terrestrial planets ...Read more

Atmosphere of Neptune

Neptune's atmosphere shows a striped pattern of clouds. This cloud pattern is very similar ...Read more

Neptune's Magnetosphere

The magnetosphere of Neptune is very much like that of Uranus, medium sized but still much ...Read more

Neptune's Moons and Rings

Neptune's largest moon is named Triton. Triton is much larger than any of the planet's other moons. ...Read more

The Poles of Neptune and its Moons

The South Pole of the planet Neptune is unusual in several ways. Triton, Neptune's largest ...Read more

Planetary Facts

All of the relevant information about Neptune collected on one page, including details about size, orbit ...Read more

Myth and Culture

Neptune was the god of the waters and was a son of Chronos and a brother of Jupiter and of Pluto ...Read more

Missions to Neptune

A table containing information about the spacecraft that have visited Neptune ...Read more

Images and Multimedia

Access wonderful captioned photos and illustrations that will inspire and excite you. ...Read more

Neptune Links

These are links to other great web sites about Neptune. But beware: you don't want to get ...Read more

More about Neptune

Historical Events

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

Do you know the difference between a P-wave and an S-wave?

Did you know that Thor was the Norse god of thunder, and that he produced thunder with his hammer, Mjolnir?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Lahar
xLahar : A mudflow or landslide composed of pyroclastic material and water that flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. Lahars can be huge, fast, and deadly.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Extended Period of Lower Solar Activity Linked to Changes in Sun's Conveyor Belt

A new analysis of the unusually long solar cycle that ended in 2008 suggests that one reason for the long cycle could be a stretching of the sun's conveyor belt, a current of plasma that circulates between...Read more


Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA