Neptune is a blue planet like our own earth. Its inner two third is rocky and the outer one third is gaseous. The gases on Neptune are mainly hydrogen, helium and methane. From the outside it is, therefore, like Jupiter which is a gigantic gaseous ball. It is much smaller than Jupiter though and much further too.
It is, therefore, not visible to the naked eye and a telescope is required for the purpose. The mass of Neptune is only seven times that of Earth while its volume is 58 times that of Earth indicating its gaseous content. That is enough volume to accommodate sixty earths.
Neptune is so far from the sun that it receives very little sunlight. Naturally, it is a cold planet. But this gaseous mass is far from tranquil. The clouds in Neptune are highly turbulent. It is the windiest of all the planets and enjoys the reputation of having the most severe storms. While the storms on our planet earth are known to reach maximum speed of 300 to 400 kilometers per hour, in Neptune, storms with wind speed up to 2200 kilometers per hour have been recorded.
Much of the information we have about Neptune has come from Voyager2. This space probe made observation of an enormous dark spot, similar to the Great Red Spot of Jupiter. The size of the spot is so large that earth will fit into it. This spot is a gigantic anticyclone which circles the planet in 18 hours. Another smaller spot was also observed sweeping around Neptune in slightly lesser time.
An interesting fact about Neptune is that it was not discovered through observation as in the case of other planets. It was discovered after its existence was predicted through mathematical calculations. As early as 1613, Galileo observed Neptune through his telescope but concluded it was a star.
In 1845 Le Verrier started examining the irregularities in the orbit of Uranus and concluded that this must be due to the gravitational force of a nearby planet. Based on this hypothesis, Johann Galle of Berlin Observatory started looking for this nearly invisible planet and eventually found it in 1846 very close to its predicted position. It was a classic case of theoretical prediction in science borne out through experimental observation.
Neptune has thirteen satellites of which the largest one is called Triton. It is a sphere covered in ice which is falling towards Neptune. Five of these satellites were discovered only recently. Neptune also has rings which were observed in detail by Voyager. From the Earth the rings look very faint. These rings are not homogeneous and contain clumps of matter.
Neptune rotates around its axis in about 16 hours. Being very far from the Sun, it takes 165 Earth years to revolve around it. It has a highly tilted magnetic field. The tilt is thought to be account of flows inside the middle layers of Neptune, possibly water. If that is true, it will justify its name which is taken from the Roman God of the Sea.
The Mercury is situated near to the Leader of the solar system the Sun and comes around the Sun in every 88 days. Sometimes Mercury can be viewed in the early morning and in the evening from the planet Earth. The planet Mercury has an analogous emergence of the Moon.
The planet has no expected satellites and no significant environment. The structure of the Mercury has a temperature ranging from 90 to 700 K; the outer surface produce hot rays and the bottom of the cavern emit coldness.
Ancient Greeks assumed that the structure of the planet Mercury is composed to two different entities namely, Apollo that can be viewed at the time of sunrise and Hermes and it can be viewed at the end of sunset. The name Mercury was derived by the ancient Romans and they called Mercury as the God Mercury.
Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and has a rock and sturdy body similar to the planet Earth. This planet is considered as one among the earthly and global planets. The internal structure of the mercury consists of seventy percent of metallic objects and thirty percent of silicate substances.
The gravitational density of the Mercury is considered as the second largest among the solar system. Since Mercury is very small the internal structure is not that much strong and it produces high density resulting the core to be rich in metallic substance. Geologists determine that the Mercury's internal core occupies forty percent of the volume when compared with the Earth. Recent searches have determined that the planet has molten core in the internal structure.
Mercury planet has the highest iron content when compared with the other planet in the solar system. The outer layer of this planet ranges to a thickness of 100 to 200 km. Theories profound that the structure of the Mercury planet is composed of metal-silicate objects.
Japan has announced $115 million for the voyage to the planet Mercury and the Europe make a payment of $513 for the exploration in the planet Mercury. The main aim of this venture is to make a thorough analysis of the structure of the planet, surroundings and the mystery relating to the existence of the smallest planet.
The planet Mercury is hard to be analyzed from the Earth because it is situated near to the Sun. The distance between Mercury and Sun is considered to 28 degrees. Mercury is termed as the fastest revolving planet and it is considered as the second smallest in the solar system. Information can be collected from the planet with the help of radar satellites. Hence it is concluded that the name Mercury is derived because for its fast pace around the Sun.
Andrew Gibson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Culture and Society, Golf Guide and Travel and Leisure. Andrew Gibson is MD of ScopeMyFuture.com. It emails thousands of to people each day.Have your future read and receive free daily horoscopes.Your h. Andrew Gibson's top article generates over 550000 views. to your Favourites.