The influence of the atmosphere of neptune on the temperature regime of the planet. Neptune is an amazing planet. The atmosphere and temperature of the planet Neptune
On the very outskirts Solar system the blue planet is located - Neptune. Until recently, this planet had the eighth serial number in the planetary row, closing the group of gas giant planets. Today, when Pluto was transferred to the category of dwarf planets, Neptune is the last known planet in the solar system. What is this distant world? What is the last planet of our star system?
The sun, at a distance of 4.5 billion km from the planet, looks like a bright large star
The history of the discovery of the eighth planet
In 1846, a significant event took place in the history of astronomy. For the first time, a large celestial object was discovered not as a result of visual observation of the celestial sphere. The planet was discovered through mathematical calculations, which made it possible to calculate the location of the object. For such actions scientists pushed the unusual behavior of Uranus, the seventh planet in the solar system. Back in 1781, astronomers, observing the third gas giant, discovered periodic fluctuations in the orbital path of Uranus, which indicated that external gravitational forces were acting on the planet. This fact gave rise to the assumption that there is some kind of large celestial body behind the orbit of Uranus.
Due to the close proximity of Uranus and Neptune (the distance between objects is 10, 876 AU), the planets closely interact with each other, influencing the orbital parameters of each other
However, the first assumptions for a long time remained only hypotheses, until in 1845-46 the English astronomer and mathematician John Coach Adams sat down for mathematical calculations. Despite the fact that his scientific work, proving the existence of another planet, did not cause a stir in the scientific community, Adams' efforts were not in vain. Literally a year later, the Frenchman Laverier in similar work confirmed the correctness of Adams's calculations, adding evidence in favor of the existence of a new planet. Only after two independent calculations were received, the scientific community began to feverishly search in the night sky for a mysterious object in a certain area of the solar system. The German Johann Halle managed to put an end to this question, who already on September 23, 1846, actually discovered a new planet on the outskirts of the solar system.
There were no particular difficulties with the name. The planetary disk, when viewed through a telescope, had a distinct blue tint. This gave rise to the name of the new planet in honor of Neptune, the ancient Roman god of the seas. Thus, after Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, the firmament was replenished with another god. The credit for this belongs to the director of the Pulkovo Observatory, Vasily Struve, who was the first to suggest such a name.
Distance scheme: Neptune - Earth and Neptune - Sun. To designate such huge distances in astrophysics, it is customary to operate with astronomical units - A.E.
The discovered celestial body turned out to be quite large in size, which could really affect the position of Uranus in orbit. The newly discovered planet is located on the outskirts of the solar system, at a distance of 4.5 billion kilometers from the sun. Our Earth is separated from the eighth planet by no less distance - 4.3 billion kilometers.
Astrophysical parameters of the eighth planet
At such a huge distance, Neptune is barely visible in optical instruments. This is due to the fact that the planet is barely crawling along the firmament and it is easy to confuse it with a dimly twinkling star. The orbital path of the sea god takes 60 thousand years. In other words, when Neptune returns to the place where it was discovered in 1846, it will be 60 thousand years on Earth.
The arrangement of the planets of the solar system in order. The four terrestrial planets are followed by four gas giant planets, a row of which is closed by Neptune.
Astrophysical parameters of the eighth planet's orbit were calculated at an early stage. It was found that Neptune has the following orbital characteristics:
- at perihelion, the planet is from the Sun at a distance of 4 452 940 833 km;
- in aphelion, Neptune approaches the main star at a distance of 4,553,946,490 km;
- orbital eccentricity is only 0.011214269;
- Neptune orbits at 5.43 km / s;
- Neptunian days last 15 hours and 8 minutes;
- the axial tilt of Neptune is 28.32 °.
From the above data, it can be seen that the planet behaves rather imposingly in space, except for the high speed with which Neptune rotates around its own axis. The angle of inclination of the object in relation to the plane of the ecliptic allows the Sun to uniformly illuminate the surface of this distant and cold world. This position of the object provides a change of seasons, the duration of which is about 40 years.
As for the physical parameters, accurate data were obtained only at the end of the 20th century. Neptune turned out to be the fourth largest planet in the solar system, behind its older brothers Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. The diameter of this distant object is 49,244 km. It is characteristic that the discrepancies between the polar and equatorial compression of Neptune are insignificant. The planet is almost a perfect ball, which is almost 4 times the size of our planet. The mass of Neptune is 1.0243 · 10²⁶ kg. This is less than that of Jupiter and Saturn, but 17 times the mass of the Earth.
Comparison of the size of the planet Neptune with other planets in the solar system. Uranus and Neptune clearly stand out in relation to the size of the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn.
Calculations obtained at a later time from the Voyager-2 space probe made it possible to get an idea of the density of the eighth planet, which is 1.638 g / cm³. This is three times less than the analogous parameter for the Earth. In view of this, the planet was assigned to the category of gas giant planets. Despite this, scientists consider Neptune a transitional type planet from terrestrial planets to planetary objects of gaseous and ice structure. Surpassing the Earth in 17 times in mass, Neptune is significantly inferior in mass to Jupiter - only 1/19 of the mass of the largest planet. The force of gravity of the blue planet is second only to the parameters of Jupiter.
Main characteristics of Neptune
After lengthy observations, it turned out that Neptune does not have a solid surface. Like other giant planets, the eighth planet is characterized by the absence of a clear boundary between the atmosphere and the imaginary surface. The atmosphere of Neptune is in constant motion, making differential rotation. In the equatorial zone, the rotation period of the planet is 5 hours longer than at the poles. This difference in the blue giant's atmosphere creates a colossal air shift, contributing to the strongest winds. On the eighth planet, winds are constantly blowing, the speed of which is cosmic speeds - 600 s. A sharp change in the direction of air currents is the cause of storms, most of which are comparable in scale to the size of Jupiter's Red Spot.
A dark spot in the atmosphere of Neptune. The object, very much reminiscent of the structure and dynamics of the Red Spot, is the region of a colossal storm on Jupiter.
The chemical composition of the atmosphere of a distant planet is similar in composition to the structure of stellar matter. Hydrogen prevails in the air envelope of Neptune, the amount of which, depending on the height of the layers, varies within 50-80%. The rest of the surface air layer is helium 19%, slightly less than 1.5% is methane. The blue color of the space god is explained by the presence of methane in the atmosphere, which completely absorbs red waves in the spectral range. Unlike Uranus, which looks like a faint spot in a telescope lens, Neptune has a rich blue color... This leads scientists to the idea of the presence in the planet's atmosphere in addition to methane and other components that affect the spectrum of the color range. These can be aerosols in the form of ammonia crystals and water ice.
The exact depth of the atmospheric layer is still unknown. There is information about the presence of two layers - the troposphere and the stratosphere. Thanks to the data obtained from the Voyager-2, it was possible to calculate the atmospheric pressure in the tropopause, which is only 0.1 bar. As for the temperature balance, due to the great distance from the Sun, the kingdom of cold reigns on Neptune. Temperatures reach 200 ° C with a minus sign. The high temperature in the thermosphere is a mystery to scientists. In this area, a significant jump in temperature has been noted, which reaches values of 476 degrees Celsius with a plus sign.
The atmosphere of Neptune is 80% hydrogen (H₂). Helium in the air envelope of the planet is 15%. In their own way chemical composition the gas giant resembles a star in its early stages of formation.
Availability high temperature in the planet's thermosphere indicates the presence of ionization processes in the atmosphere of Neptune. According to another version, the gravitational forces of the planet itself interact with the atmosphere, generating kinetic energy in the process of friction.
As for the planet itself, it is possible that Neptune has a solid core. This is evidenced by the strong magnetic field of the planet. Around the core is a thick layer of the mantle, which is a hot and incandescent liquid substance. Presumably the Neptunian mantle is composed of ammonia, methane and water. The imaginary surface of the planet is hot ice. In view of the latter factor, the planet is considered an ice giant, where most of the gases are frozen.
In its structure, Neptune is very similar to the structure of other planets of gas giants, however, unlike Jupiter and Uranus, gaseous components are represented by frozen ice
Recent Neptune Research and Notable Discoveries
The huge distance that separates our worlds does not allow intensive and detailed studies of Neptune. Sunlight it takes four hours to touch the surface of the eighth planet's atmosphere. On this moment only one spacecraft launched from Earth managed to reach the vicinity of Neptune. This happened in 1989, 12 years after the space launch of Voyager 2. With the discovery of Neptune, the size of the solar system has almost doubled. Even at the time of the discovery of the planet, it was possible to discover its largest satellite, which received the gloomy name of Triton. This satellite has a spherical planetary shape... Subsequently, it was possible to identify 12 more moons, which have irregular shape.
Neptune has 13 natural satellites... The largest of them are Triton, Nereid, Proteus and Thalassa.
After Voyager's flight, it became clear that Triton is the coldest place in the solar system. On the surface of the satellite, a temperature of -235⁰C was recorded.
Scientists assume that these objects were captured by a giant planet from the Kuiper belt. The nature of the rings of Neptune is similar. To date, the three main rings of the planet have been discovered: the Adams, Laverrier and Halle rings.
Subsequent studies of the most distant planet in the solar system were associated with the flight of the AMS "Neptune Orbiter". The launch was planned for 2016, but the launch of the probe had to be postponed. Work is presumably underway to expand the tasks for future research, which will include the operation of the probe in the marginal regions of the solar system.
Neptune is the eighth planet in our solar system. Scientists discovered it the very first on the basis of constant observations of the sky and deep mathematical research. Urbain Joseph Le Verrier, after lengthy discussions, shared his observations with the Berlin Observatory, where they were studied by Johann Gottfried Halle. It was there that Neptune was discovered on September 23, 1846. Seventeen days later, his companion, Triton, was also found.
The planet Neptune is located 4.5 billion km from the Sun. For 165 years, it passes its orbit. It cannot be seen with the naked eye, since it is located at a significant distance from the Earth.
The strongest winds reign in the atmosphere of Neptune, according to some scientists, they can reach speeds of 2100 km / h. In 1989, during the flyby of the Voyager 2 spacecraft, a Great Dark Spot was revealed in the planet's southern hemisphere, exactly the same as the Great Red Spot on the planet Jupiter. In the upper atmosphere, the temperature of Neptune is close to 220 degrees Celsius. The temperature in the center of Neptune ranges from 5400 ° K to 7000-7100 ° C, which corresponds to the temperature at the surface of the Sun and the internal temperature of most planets. Neptune has a fragmented and weak ring system that was discovered back in the 1960s but was officially confirmed in 1989 by Voyager 2.
The history of the discovery of the planet Neptune
On December 28, 1612, Galileo Galilei explored Neptune, and then on January 29, 1613. But in both cases, he mistook Neptune for a fixed star that was conjunct Jupiter in the sky. That is why the discovery of Neptune was not appropriated to Galileo.
In December 1612, during the first observation, Neptune is at a standing point, and on the day of observation, he switched to backward motion. Backward movement is traced when our planet overtakes the outer planet on its axis. Since Neptune was near the stationary point, its motion was too weak for Galileo to see it with his small telescope.
Alexis Bouvard in 1821 demonstrated astronomical tables of the orbit of the planet Uranus. Later observations showed strong deviations from the tables he created. Taking this circumstance into account, the scientist suggested that the unknown body with its gravity perturbs the orbit of Uranus. He sent his calculations to the Royal Astronomer Sir George Airy, who asked Kuh for an explanation. He had already started sketching out an answer, but for some reason did not send it and did not insist on working on this issue.
In 1845-1846, Urbain Le Verrier, independently of Adams, quickly carried out his calculations, but his compatriots did not share his enthusiasm. After reviewing Le Verrier's first estimate of Neptune's longitude and its similarity to Adams' estimate, Airy convinced James Chiles, director of the Cambridge Observatory, to begin the search, which lasted from August to September. Twice Chiles actually observed Neptune, but as a result of the fact that he postponed the processing of the results for more late date, he failed to identify the planet in a timely manner.
At this time, Le Verrier persuaded the astronomer Johann Gottfried Halle, who works at the Berlin Observatory, to take up the search. Observatory student Heinrich d'Arre suggested that Halle compare the drawn map of the sky in the region of the Le Verrier predicted location with the current sky in order to observe the movement of the planet relative to the fixed stars. On the first night, the planet was discovered after approximately 1 hour of search. Johannes Encke, together with the director of the observatory, continued to observe the part of the sky where the planet was located for 2 nights, as a result of which they discovered its movement relative to the stars and were able to make sure that it was in fact a new planet. On September 23, 1846, Neptune was discovered. It is within 1 ° of the Le Verrier coordinates and approximately 12 ° of the coordinates predicted by Adams.
Immediately after the discovery, a dispute ensued between the French and the British over the right to consider the discovery of the planet theirs. As a result, they came to a consensus and decided to consider Le Verrier and Adams as co-discoverers. In 1998, the "papers of Neptune" were once again found, which were appropriated to astronomer Olin J. Eggen illegally and were kept with him for thirty years. After his death, they were found in his possession. Some historians, after revising the documents, believe that Adams does not deserve equal rights with Le Verrier to discover the planet. In principle, this has been questioned before, for example, since 1966 by Dennis Rawlins. In the magazine "Dio" he published an article demanding to recognize the equality of Adams to the discovery of theft. “Yes, Adams did some calculations, but he was somewhat unsure about where Neptune was located,” said Nicholas Collestrum in 2003.
The origin of the name Neptune
For a certain time after the discovery, the planet Neptune was designated as the "planet Le Verrier" or as "the planet external from Uranus." The first idea about the official name was put forward by Halle, who proposed the name "Janus". Chiles in England suggested the name "Ocean".
Le Verrier, claiming that he had the right to give a name, suggested calling it Neptune, mistakenly believing that this name was recognized by the French Bureau of Longitudes. The scientist tried to name the planet by his name "Le Verrier" in October and was supported by the director of the observatory, but this initiative met with resistance outside France. The Almanacs quickly brought back the name Herschel (after William Herschel, the discoverer) for Uranus and Le Verrier for the new planet.
But, despite this, Vasily Struve, director of the Pulkovo Observatory, will focus on the name "Neptune". He announced his decision at the congress of the Imperial Academy of Sciences on December 29, 1846, which took place in St. Petersburg. This name received support outside Russia and very soon became the accepted international name for the planet.
physical characteristics
Neptune has a mass of 1.0243 × 1026 kg and acts as an intermediate link between the large gas giants and the Earth. Its weight is seventeen times more earth and 1/19 of the mass of Jupiter. As for the equatorial radius of Neptune, it corresponds to 24,764 km, which is almost four times larger than the Earth's. Uranus and Neptune are often classified as gas giants ("ice giants") due to their high concentration of volatiles and their smaller size.
Internal structure
It should be noted right away that internal structure the planet Neptune is similar to the structure of Uranus. The atmosphere is approximately 10-20% of the total mass of the planet, the distance from the surface to the atmosphere is 10-20% of the distance from the surface of the planet to the core. The pressure near the nucleus can be 10 GPa. Concentrations of ammonia, methane and water are found in the lower atmosphere.
This hotter and darker area is gradually condensing into a superheated liquid mantle, the temperature of which reaches 2000 - 5000 K. The weight of the planet's mantle is ten to fifteen times greater than that of the Earth, according to various estimates, it is rich in ammonia, water, methane and other compounds. This matter, according to the generally accepted terminology, is called icy, even though it is a dense and very hot liquid. This liquid, which has a high electrical conductivity, is often called the ocean of aqueous ammonia. At a depth of 7 thousand km, methane decomposes into diamond crystals, "falling" on the core. Scientists have hypothesized that there is a whole ocean of "diamond liquid". The core of the planet is made up of nickel, iron and silicates and weighs 1.2 times more than our planet. In the center, the pressure reaches 7 megabars, which is millions of times greater than that of the Earth. In the center, the temperature reaches 5400 K.
Atmosphere of neptune
Scientists have discovered helium and a waterfall in the upper atmosphere. At this height, they are 19% and 80%. In addition, there are traces of methane. Methane absorption bands are traced at wavelengths exceeding 600 nm in the infrared and red parts of the spectrum. As with Uranus, methane's absorption of red light is a key factor in giving Neptune's blue tint, although the bright azure differs from Uranus's moderate aquamarine color. Since the percentage of methane in the atmosphere does not differ much from that of Uranus, scientists suggest that there is some unknown component in the atmosphere that contributes to the formation of blue. The atmosphere is divided into two main regions, namely, the lower troposphere, in which the temperature decreases with height, and the stratosphere, where another pattern is observed - the temperature increases with height. The border of the tropopause (located between them) is located at the pressure level of 0.1 bar. At a pressure level below 10-4 - 10-5 microbars, the stratosphere is replaced by the thermosphere. The thermosphere gradually passes into the exosphere. Models of the troposphere suggest that, given the height, it consists of clouds of approximate compositions. In the pressure zone below 1 bar, there are clouds of the upper level, where the temperature is conducive to methane condensation.
Clouds of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia form at pressures between 1 and 5 bar. At higher pressures, clouds can be composed of ammonium sulfide, ammonia, water, and hydrogen sulfide. Deeper, at a pressure of about 50 bar, clouds of water ice can form when the temperature is 0 ° C. Scientists suggest that this zone may contain clouds of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. In addition, it is possible that clouds of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia can be found in this area.
For such a low temperature, Neptune is too far from the Sun for it to warm up the thermosphere with UV radiation. It is possible that this phenomenon is a consequence of atmospheric interaction with ions in the planet's magnetic field. Another theory says that the main heating mechanism is gravity waves from the inner regions of Neptune, which subsequently dissipate in the atmosphere. The thermosphere includes traces of carbon monoxide and water trapped there from external sources (dust and meteorites).
Climate of Neptune
It is from the differences between Uranus and Neptune - the level of meteorological activity. Voyager 2, flying near uranium in 1986, recorded weak atmospheric activity. Neptune, as opposed to Uranus, showed pronounced weather changes when filmed in 1989.
The planet's weather is characterized by a severe dynamic storm system. Moreover, the wind speed can sometimes reach about 600 m / s (supersonic speed). While tracking the movement of the clouds, a change in wind speed was observed. Eastward from 20 m / s; on the west - to 325 m / s. As for the upper cloud layer, here the wind speed also varies: along the equator from 400 m / s; at the poles - up to 250 m / s. In this case, most winds give a direction that is opposite to the rotation of Neptune around its axis. The diagram of the winds shows that their direction at high latitudes coincides with the direction of rotation of the planet, and at low latitudes it is completely opposite to it. The difference in the direction of the winds, as scientists believe, is a consequence of the "screen effect" and is not associated with deep atmospheric processes. The content of ethane, methane, and acetylene in the atmosphere in the equatorial region is tens or even hundreds of times higher than the content of these substances in the region of the poles. This observation gives reason to believe that there is an upwelling at the equator of Neptune and closer to the poles. In 2007, scientists noticed that the upper troposphere of the planet's south pole was 10 ° C warmer than the rest of Neptune, where the average temperature is -200 ° C. Moreover, such a difference is quite enough for methane in the remaining regions of the upper atmosphere to be frozen, gradually seeping into space at the South Pole.
Due to seasonal changes, cloud bands in the planet's southern hemisphere have increased in albedo and size. This trend was traced back in 1980, according to experts, it will last until 2020 with the onset of a new season on the planet, which change every forty years.
Moons of Neptune
Currently, Neptune has thirteen known satellites. The largest of them weighs more than 99.5% of the total mass of all satellites on the planet. This is Triton, which was discovered by William Lassell seventeen days after the discovery of the planet itself. Triton, unlike other large satellites in our solar system, has a retrograde orbit. It is possible that it was captured by the gravity of Neptune, and it may have been a dwarf planet in the past. It is a short distance from Neptune to be fixed in synchronized rotation. Triton, due to tidal acceleration, is slowly spiraling towards the planet and as a result, upon reaching the Roche limit, it will be destroyed. As a result, a ring is formed that will be more powerful than the rings of Saturn. It is assumed that this will happen in an interval of 10 to 100 million years.
Triton is one of 3 moons with an atmosphere (along with Titan and Io). The possibility of the existence of a liquid ocean under the ice crust of Triton, similar to the ocean of Europa, is pointed out.
The next satellite of Neptune to be discovered was Nereid. It has an irregular shape and ranks among the highest eccentricities of the orbit.
Between July and September 1989, six more new satellites were discovered. Among them it is worth noting Proteus, which has an irregular shape and high density.
The four inner moons are Thalassa, Naiad, Galatea and Despina. Their orbits are so close to the planet that they are within its rings. Larissa, next to them, was first discovered in 1981.
Between 2002 and 2003, five more irregular satellites of Neptune were discovered. Since Neptune was considered the Roman god of the seas, his moons were named after other sea creatures.
Observing Neptune
It's no secret that Neptune is not visible from Earth with the naked eye. The dwarf planet Ceres, the Galilean moons of Jupiter and asteroids 2 Pallas, 4 Vesta, 3 Juno, 7 Iris and 6 Hebe are seen brighter in the sky. To observe the planet, you need a telescope with a magnification of 200x and a diameter of at least 200-250 mm. In this case, you can see the planet as a small bluish disk, reminiscent of Uranus.
Every 367 days for a terrestrial observer, the planet Neptune enters into an apparent retrograde motion, forms certain imaginary loops against the background of other stars during the period of each opposition.
Observing the planet in radio frequency range shows that Neptune is a source of irregular flares and continuous radiation. Both phenomena are explained by a rotating magnetic field. In the infrared part of the spectrum, the storms of Neptune are well traced. You can set their size and shape, as well as accurately track their movement.
In 2016, NASA is going to launch the Neptune Orbiter spacecraft to Neptune. To date, no exact launch dates have been officially named; this apparatus is not included in the plan for exploring the solar system.
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the last known planet. Despite the fact that it is the third most massive planet, it is only the fourth in terms of diameter. Due to its blue color, Neptune received the name of the Roman god of the sea.
As you commit certain scientific discoveries scientists often have debates about which of the theories is trustworthy. The discovery of Neptune is a clear example of this controversy.
After the planet was discovered in 1781, astronomers noticed that its orbit was subject to significant fluctuations, which, in principle, should not be. As a substantiation of this incomprehensible phenomenon, a hypothesis was proposed about the existence of a planet, the gravitational field of which causes the orbital deviations of Uranus.
However, the first scientific works related to the existence of Neptune appeared only in 1845-1846, when the English astronomer John Coach Adams published his calculations on the position of this then still unknown planet. However, despite the fact that he submitted his work to the Royal Scientific Society (the leading English research organization), his work did not generate the expected interest. It was only a year later that French astronomer Jean Joseph Le Verrier also presented calculations that were strikingly similar to those of Adams. As a result of independent evaluations scientific work two scientists, the scientific community finally agreed with their conclusions and began the search for a planet in the region of the sky, which was indicated by the studies of Adams and Le Verrier. The planet itself was discovered on September 23, 1846 by the German astronomer Johann Gall.
Before the Voyager 2 flyby in 1989, mankind had very little information about the planet Neptune. The mission provided data on Neptune's rings, number of moons, atmosphere and rotation. In addition, Voyager 2 revealed significant features of Neptune's moon Triton. To date, the world's space agencies are not planning any missions to this planet.
The upper layers of Neptune's atmosphere are 80% hydrogen (H2), 19% helium, and small amounts of methane. Like Uranus, Neptune's blue color is due to its atmospheric methane, which absorbs light at a wavelength that corresponds to red. However, unlike Uranus, Neptune has a deeper blue color, which indicates the presence in the atmosphere of Neptune of components that are not in the atmosphere of Uranus.
Weather conditions on Neptune have two distinctive features... First, as noted during the Voyager 2 flyby, these are the so-called dark spots. These storms are comparable in scale to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, but differ greatly in their duration. The storm known as the Great Red Spot has been going on for centuries, and the dark spots of Neptune can only last for a few years. This information was confirmed thanks to observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, which was sent to the planet just four years after Voyager 2 flew around.
The planet's second notable weather phenomenon is fast moving storms. white, which received the name "Scooter". As observations have shown, this is a kind of storm system, the dimensions of which are much smaller than the dimensions dark spots and the life expectancy is even shorter.
Like the atmospheres of other gas giants, Neptune's atmosphere is divided into latitudinal bands. The wind speed in some of these bands reaches almost 600 m / s, that is, the planet's winds can be called the fastest in the solar system.
Structure of neptune
Neptune's axis tilt is 28.3 °, which is relatively close to Earth's 23.5 °. Considering the significant remoteness of the planet from the Sun, the presence of Neptune's seasons comparable to those of the Earth is a rather surprising and completely unexplored phenomenon for scientists.
Moons and rings of Neptune
Today it is known that Neptune has thirteen satellites. Of these thirteen, only one has a large and spherical shape. There is a scientific theory according to which Triton, the largest of the moons of Neptune, is a dwarf planet that was captured gravitational field and therefore its natural origin is questionable. Evidence for this theory comes from Triton's retrograde orbit - the satellite rotates in the opposite direction to Neptune. In addition, with a recorded surface temperature of -235 ° C, Triton is the coldest known object in the solar system.
Neptune is believed to have three main rings: Adams, Le Verrier and Halle. This ring system is much weaker than that of other gas giants. The planet's ring system is so dim that for some time the rings were considered defective. However, images transmitted by Voyager 2 showed that this is not actually the case and the rings completely encircle the planet.
Neptune needs 164.8 Earth years to orbit the Sun completely. On July 11, 2011, the completion of the first complete revolution of the planet since its discovery in 1846 was marked.
Neptune was discovered by Jean Joseph Le Verrier. The planet remained unknown to ancient civilizations due to the fact that it was not visible from the Earth with the naked eye. The planet was originally called Le Verrier, after its discoverer. But the scientific community quickly abandoned this name and the name Neptune was chosen.
The planet was named Neptune after the ancient Roman god of the sea.
Neptune has the second highest gravity in the solar system, second only to Jupiter.
The largest moon of Neptune is called Triton, it was discovered 17 days after Neptune itself was discovered.
A storm similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot can be observed in Neptune's atmosphere. This storm has a volume comparable to that of the Earth and is also known as the Great Dark Spot.
Neptune as seen from Voyager 2
According to scientists, Neptune is one of the coldest places in the solar system. The temperature of the planet's top cloud layer (where the pressure is 0.1 bar) can drop to 55 degrees Kelvin. It is -218 degrees Celsius.
Neptune temperature
The average temperature of the atmosphere, at a level where the pressure is 1 bar (which is approximately equal to the pressure of 1 atmosphere, as at the Earth's surface), is 73 K (-200 Celsius).
But there is one strange anomaly at the planet's south pole. It is 10 degrees warmer than in other parts of the giant. This so-called "hot spot" appeared because the south pole is currently facing the sun. As you move in orbit, the lighting of different regions changes. Over time, the North Pole will become warmer and the South Pole will cool down.
If we make a virtual trip to the center of the planet, we will find that its heating increases sharply with depth. As with all planets, the temperature of the inner layers is much higher than that of the surface.
The core temperature is 7000 degrees Celsius, which is slightly higher than the surface of the Sun.
The huge temperature difference between the center and its surface creates huge storms. The speed of the winds is about 2100 km / h, which makes them the fastest in the solar system.
What is the temperature of the planet compared to other objects in the solar system? Pluto has only 33 Kelvin, which is colder than Neptune. But Pluto is no longer a planet, so it may not be the coldest planet in the solar system. On Uranus, the temperature of the cloud layer (at a pressure of 1 bar) averages 76 Kelvin. Other planets are much warmer, up to +425 degrees Celsius on the surface of Mercury.
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Neptune is the eighth planet. It ranks third in weight, but fourth in size. lighter than it is 17 times, and the diameter of our planet is four times smaller.
The gas sphere, compressed at the poles, is almost 50,000 km in diameter. Orbiting at 5.43 km / s, Neptune completes its flyby in 164.8 years.
But the day here is 6 hours and 6 minutes. The planet has an axial tilt of 28 ° 32 ′, and is removed from the Sun by almost 30 AU. e.
Structure
Almost all data on the planet comes from theoretical calculations. In the center rests a core surrounded by a mantle. And that one is packed in a dense atmospheric cocoon.
Core solid, with a mass comparable to the Earth. It is iron-nickel with rock additives. The core is compressed with a force of 7 million atmospheres at a temperature of 5200 ° C.
Mantle. Liquid mixture of ammonia, methane and water. Its compression is about 100 thousand atmospheres, and its heating is from 1700 ° C to 4700 ° C.
Internal structure of Neptune: 1. Upper atmosphere, upper clouds 2. Atmosphere, consisting of hydrogen, helium and methane 3. Mantle, consisting of water, ammonia and methane ice 4. Rock-ice core
Atmosphere. Consists of 82% hydrogen and 17% helium. The rest is methane, which creates the luscious blue color of the planet. The higher from the surface, the lower the pressure and the lower the temperature. In the tropopause, the pressure drops to 0.1 bar, and the temperature drops to - 220 ° C. Truly, the planet Neptune is the blue kingdom of cold.
Higher in the stratosphere, temperatures rise to 475 ° C. The upper atmosphere in continuous motion. In equatorial regions, methane clouds develop speeds of more than 2000 km / h. As you approach the poles, the speed decreases. The cloud mass moves against the direction of rotation of Neptune.
Hurricanes. Contrary to expectations of a sedentary atmosphere, the planet appeared as a kingdom of hurricanes. Huge atmospheric vortices reach 5,000 km across. They stand out against a light blue background with ovals of darker tones. Hurricanes here last for months and even years.
Large dark spot. This is the most famous hurricane observed. Its dimensions are 13000x6600 km. The huge vortex moved westward at a speed of 300 m / s and was observed for five years. Then it either turned out to be covered by a cloudy mass, or ended.
Planet rings
Uranus has 6 rings. These formations of Neptune have their own specifics. Moreover, each of the six rings has its own name.
More details
Adams ring. The brightest and the farthest. Its width is 50 km, and to the center of the planet is 63,000 km. It, in turn, is constructed of five rings, called bows. Such a device has not yet been explained, because, in theory, the rings were supposed to merge together.
Galle ring. The closest ring to the planet is 2000 km wide. From it to the center of Neptune 42,000 km, and it is the most inconspicuous.
Le Verrier and Argo rings. They are about 100 km wide and are fairly light in color. From the first ring to the center of the planet 53000 km, from the second - 57000 km.
Lassel ring. It is located between the Le Verrier and Argo rings and is 4000 km wide. It has a very transparent structure.
The last ring did not receive a name due to its nondescript and fadedness. The width of this nameless ring 500 km.
Most likely, the rings contain silicate particles that cover the methane ice. For this reason, the sun's rays are weakly reflected from them.
Moons of Neptune
In total, the planet has 14 satellites, but not all of them have been studied in detail. Let's consider the largest of them.
The main satellite has a diameter of 2707 km and is located at a distance of 354,000 km from Neptune. In an almost perfect circle, it orbits the planet in 5.9 days. Triton has a 10 km thick atmosphere filled mostly with nitrogen. Surface temperature - 235 ° C. Most likely, the powerful planet Neptune will rupture its satellite in the future, and another ring will turn out of it.
The southern hemisphere of Triton, which has an ice cap, is characterized by gas geysers. There are eruptions and liquid gases. On the surface, methane and nitrogen, freezing, turn into relief masterpieces. Triton's surface has few impact craters. It turns out that its age is no more than 100 million years.
The second largest satellite of Neptune. Its diameter is 420 km, and its distance from the planet is 117647 km. It has no atmosphere, but is rich in meteorite craters.
It is 80 km smaller than Proteus. main feature- a very elongated orbit. Removing from gas giant is from 9.6 to 14 million km. A flyby of the planet takes 360 days.
Being at a distance of 74 thousand km, a dark satellite with a diameter of 196 km encircles it in 0.55 days. The surface of Larissa is dotted with impact craters.
A magnetic field
The location of the magnetic axis of Neptune dramatically affects the properties and shape of the magnetic field. The axis is offset from the center of the planet by half its radius. Its inclination to the axis of rotation is 47 °. Therefore, the giant's magnetosphere turns to the solar wind flow either sideways or butt-end.
As a result, the magnetic lines of force can be parallel or twisted into a bundle. Over the planet sometimes appear luminescence, similar to the terrestrial, polar. But the Neptunian auroras do not occur above the pole, but much lower.
Curious facts
- Neptune is the coldest planet in the solar system. But his companion, Triton, is colder even than his master.
- Neptunian winds are the strongest in our planetary system. Their speeds can reach 2100 km / h.
- Triton has its own atmosphere and is volcanically active.
Travel to the blue planet
Descending to the blue ocean, we find ourselves in the arms of a powerful hurricane. Our capsule is picked up by the wind flow and carried away in an easterly direction. It is difficult to see anything in the raging vortex. Only a light, dirty cloud is visible, approaching us from somewhere above. But let's leave the blue, oppressive world and go to Triton. There is something to see here. The icy surface is colored with pink, white and yellow paints. We hover over the icy lake and examine its stepped shores. They are high, not less than a kilometer, and also ice. We fly south. Suddenly, right in front of us, a powerful fountain rises. The gas column rushes upward and, as if colliding with an invisible wall, spreads to the sides, turning into a kind of snow.
Research
Neptune is still to be studied in detail. All information about the planet was obtained through Voyager 2 in 1989. It was possible to establish the composition and characteristics of the atmosphere and magnetosphere. Four rings and six satellites were discovered, three of which were photographed. Polar luminescence was observed, and the longitude of the Neptunian day was calculated. In 2011, it was only one year since the discovery of the blue planet. True, the year is according to Neptunian reckoning. But for sure by the next anniversary, we will learn a lot of interesting things about this beautiful planet, which bears the name of Neptune himself, formidable, but fair.
