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How large is Neptune compared to other planets
and how long is a year there?
SYMONE, AGE 12, PENSACOLA, USA
Answer: Neptune is the fourth largest planet
in the Solar System at just 49,500km and at its distance from the
Sun, a year last for 165 Earth years.
What is the surface of Neptune like?
CHAL, AGE 12
Answer: Neptune, like Saturn, Jupiter and
Uranus, is a planet made of gas so it does not have a solid surface
as we have on Earth.
What is Neptune's reflective ability and surface
gravity and when is the best time to see it in the night sky?
RISA, USA
Answer: Neptune reflects 85% of the light
it receives from the Sun making it really quite bright. However
it is so far away from the Sun at 4.5 billion km that it is not
very bright in the sky. Binoculars or a small
telescope are needed to see it.
The best time to see Neptune this year though will
be during early August. That’s because it will lie directly opposite
the Sun in the sky, at its brightest and at one of its closest approaches
to the Earth.
The surface gravity on Neptune is actually only
a little higher than it is here on Earth at 110%. If you weighed
50kg here on Earth then on Neptune you would weight 55kg.
What is the temperature of Neptune?
SAM, AGE 12, PITTSBURGH
Answer: The average temperature of Neptune
is -200 degrees.
Do Neptune and Pluto orbit around one another
like some scientists say?
AMBER, AGE 13, CROWLEY
Answer: Neptune and Pluto both orbit the
Sun; they do not orbit each other. All planets go around the Sun
in orbits that look like squashed circles, we call them elliptical
orbits. Pluto has a very elliptical orbit which means it is sometimes
closer to the Sun than Neptune.
What is the approximate size of Neptune compared
to Earth?
ESTELA, NEW YORK
Answer: Neptune, the 8th planet in the Solar
System has a diameter of about 49,500km. This makes it about four
times larger than the Earth.
What is the physical appearance of Neptune?
NICOLE, AGE 12, CONCORD
Answer: If we look
at Neptune through telescopes, it just looks like a small blue disk.
If you were to fly up close to it in a spacecraft it would look
like a big blue ball with a few white clouds floating around.
Is Neptune an inner or outer planet?
ALEXANDRA, AGE 9, AUGUSTA, M.O.
Answer: Inner (or
inferior) planets are closer to the Sun than the Earth and outer
(or superior) planets are further away. Neptune is the eighth planet
from the Sun and so is an outer (superior) planet.
If a satellite was to pass through Neptune's
ring would explode or get destroyed?
CRAIG, AGE 11
Answer: If a spacecraft
were to pass through the rings of any planet there is a good chance
it would get hit.
The pieces of rock that make up a ring system
vary in size so it may get hit by something quite small which may
not have much impact or it could be hit by something larger.
The speed of the spacecraft too is important.
The faster you go, the harder something will hit. It would be simply
down to luck!
How far is Neptune from our sun?
BOB, NEW ALBANY
Answer: Neptune is
8th planet from the Sun and has an average distance from it of approximately
498,000,000 kilometres.
How long did it take the picture of Neptune
to reach the Earth?
JESSICA, AGE 11
Answer:
When the Voyager 2 flew passed Neptune in 1989,
it took about four hours for pictures to be sent back to the Earth.
What is the temperature on Neptune?
STEPHANIE, AGE 10
Answer: The temperature
at Neptune is on average -220 degrees.
How many moons does Neptune have?
TOM GRISANTI, AGE 12
Answer: Neptune has
13 moons.
How many times bigger than the Earth is Neptune?
HAILEY, AGE 10
Answer: Neptune is
the smallest of the gas planets but is still about four times bigger
than the Earth
Mark what in Neptune makes it so big and how
come it is a purple/blue colour?
ICE-TSR, AGE 11
Answer:
Neptune, like Uranus is made up of a mixture of
different types of gas. One of them is called methane. This gas
absorbs red light from the Sun but reflects blue light, thus making
it appear blue.
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