Neptune was discovered as sequel to the occasional deflection of Uranus from its regular orbit. In fact, it has been found that the attraction of Neptune produces the deflection of Uranus.
In 1846, Adams and Le Verrier discovered it simultaneously. It has only two sub-planets.
Neptune is similar to Uranus in colour, size and weight. It takes 165 years in making one revolution around the Sun but it completes one rotation in 16 hours. The temperature is 180oC. Its atmosphere has poisonous gases like Methane, Ammonia, etc.
Grayish rings have been detected around Neptune, but are less obvious than those of Saturn. When these rings were discovered, it was assumed that they were not complete, but this was contradicted by Voyager 2. Neptune also has 2,000 km/h winds of hydrogen, helium, and methane which confer it its blue color. At the time of the 1989 Voyager 2 flyby, it had in its southern hemisphere a Great Dark Spot comparable to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. The Great Dark Spot has since vanished. Neptune has eight confirmed moons, and five awaiting confirmation. Neptune's largest moon, Triton, is remarkable for its retrograde orbit, extreme cold, and its nitrogen / methane atmosphere.
Neptune is baptized after the Roman god of the sea. Its symbol is a stylised representation of the god's trident.
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