In second or third grade, I developed an intense fascination with the planets, much the same way my children do now. I would stare up at the sky in wonder imagining traveling to these distant places, wondering how long it would take me to arrive at them. I could picture Jupiter’s great red spot vividly, constantly doodling my favorite planets orbiting around the sun. My interest was compounded further when the Voyager Spacecraft sent back images of these colossal gas giants. It was in 1989 when the Voyager sent back images of Neptune complete with its own “great blue spot” (Loff, 2015), offering its first
tantalizing views without a telescope to an excited public. My science teacher came in to share the news with us, showing us a copy of the local newspaper story. It was an exciting moment!
Neptune, the 8th planet in our solar system is also the fourth largest (Neptune, 2016). Seated on the outskirts of our solar system, it’s cool ocean like surface is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium with large amounts of ice and rock, giving it the nickname “ice giant” (2016). It is also a very active place, with temperatures in its upper atmosphere reaching -218 degrees Celsius and temperatures at its core at nearly 5100 degrees Celsius, quite a huge difference (2016)! This temperature difference can cause some wicked weather, with wind speeds inside the Great Blue Spot reaching 1300 mph, the fastest known sustained winds in the solar system (2016). It is also the farthest planet from the sun at nearly 2.8 billion miles or 30 Astronomical Units (2016).
Credit for Neptune’s discovery was somewhat up in the air for quite a long time. It was noted that Galileo was aware of Neptune’s presence, but had originally mistaken it for a star (2016). Evidence suggests that he was referring to Neptune in his observations and even pointed out that it moved relative to “fixed stars” (2016). He, however, is generally not given credit for its discovery. Neptune’s discovery gained ground in 1821 when Alexis Bouvard noticed perturbations in the orbit of Uranus (2016). What proceeded this realization was the stuff of great rivalries.
A Frenchman named Urban La Verrier and an Englishman named John Couch Adams independently discovered Neptune (2016). After an examination produced no clear “first discoverer,” they were both given joint credit, an agreement that remained in place until 1998, when a review of the discovery was made (Sheehan, Kollerstrom, Waff, 2004). They found that Adams did not deserve credit for the discovery, but rather “that credit belongs only to the person who succeeded both in predicting the planet’s place and in convincing astronomers to search for it (2004). Despite this controversial giving of credit, it seems as though proper credit is in its place now.
Following Neptune’s discovery, people began to discuss a proper name for “La Verrier’s Planet” (2016). Names put forward included Janus, Oceanus, and even the published Laverrier, put forward by the French. To the victor go the spoils, however, and La Verrier claimed the right to name the planet, settling on Neptune, the Roman God of the Sea (2016). This name stuck and has been known by this internationally ever since.
As we can see, the fascination with Neptune is worth all the hype. With its colorful history of controversial claims of discovery, to its fascinating characteristics that make it a unique gem within the solar system, Neptune certainly is something to talk about. Here’s to the last planet in our solar system (sorry Pluto), and its long epic voyage around its far away star!
Works Cited
Loff, Sarah. “25 Years Ago, Voyager 2 Captures Images of Neptune.” Nasa. <http://www.nasa.gov/content/25-years-ago-voyager-2-captures-images-of-neptune>. 30 Jul. 2015. Web. 4 Aug. 2016.
“Neptune.” Wikipedia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune>. 4 Aug. 2016. Web. 4 Aug. 2016.
Pellier, Christopher. “Neptune: The New Amateur Boundary?” 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 4 Aug. 2016.
Sheehan, William; Kollerstrom, Nicholas; Waff. Craig. “The Case of the Pilfered Planet- Did the British Steal Neptune?” Scientific American. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-case-of-the-pilfered/>. Dec. 2004. Web. 04 Aug. 2016.
Williams, David. “Neptune Fact Sheet.” Nasa. <http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/neptunefact.html>. 19 May. 2016. Web. 4 Aug. 2016.
Lunas Foxchild~An Aspiring Wizard's Tale of Magickal Adventures 