Neptune

Neptune - the furthest planet from the Sun

How Neptune got it's name:
At first, Neptune was only the god of water, but later on this was extended to include the sea when he became associated with the Greek god Poseidon.

How big is Neptune?
Neptune has a diameter of 49, 528 km and it is located 4, 497 million kilometres from the Sun.

Time on Neptune:

A day on Neptune lasts 18 hours Earth days and a year lasts 165 years. 

How many moons does it have?
Neptune has 13 moons that we know of. Because Neptune is so far away, it is difficult to see any of these worlds. There are probably many more moons orbiting this blue planet which we have not yet discovered. The first moon to be discovered was Triton. Triton was discovered by an amateur astronomer in England named William Lassell only 17 days after Neptune was discovered in 1846. The names of the other moons are: Despina, Galatea, Halimede, Laomedeia, Larissa, Naiad, Nereid, Neso, Proteus, Psamathe, Sao, and Thalassa.

Did you know!Neptune has six rings which circle the planet. These rings are believed to be fairly new. The rings are more irregular than the rings of other planets. There are areas of varying thickness throughout the rings.