Many people admit that they have never seen Mercury, the fast "divine messenger" orbiting the Sun very hastily. And we are absolutely sure that this is the case with Neptune - now officially the most distant planet in the solar system. It is also one of the planets that cannot be captured by the human eye - otherwise it was in September this year.

Neptun

Neptune is the only planet that has been discovered through mathematics. After the discovery of Uranus in 1781 by William Herschel, astronomers noticed that the newly discovered world was being dragged away by something - perhaps a more distant large planet. Two scientists have begun their calculations. French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier and Cambridge student John Couch Adams came up with an almost identical prediction of the location of the missing planet. Adams tried to convince the astronomer Royal Sir George Air of where the undiscovered world was. However, Aira demanded more detailed calculations, and Adams was known for his snail's pace.

In the end, however, Le Verrier won. 23. September 1846, German astronomer Johann Galle records a missing planet near the estimated location. To be historically correct, recognition for this discovery belongs to both mathematicians.

Neptune and its appearance

As befits his blue-green appearance, Neptune was Named after the Roman god of the sea. As with Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus, it is a gas giant — a world so far from the Sun that it can shroud itself in the gases from our star. Slightly smaller than Uranus, but 17 times heavier than Earth. It orbits the sun in an incredible 165 years.

This planet has five thin rings and a family of 14 months. The most incredible is Triton, a 2 km moon that is surprisingly geologically active for a world so far from the sun. When we were in Nasa in 700 during the collision of the spacecraft Voyager 1989 and Neptune, an image of Triton appeared on our television screens. "What is it?" We asked the scientists. The answer was "we don't know, your estimate is as likely as ours." Triton has been shown to have volcanic clouds that expel clouds of nitrogen and dust into space.

Neptune is not insignificant in itself. Compared to the boring Uranus, this planet is quite "cool". Its core reaches a temperature of up to 5 ° C, which is almost the same as the surface of the Sun. This internal hearth causes dramatic storm surges and dark spots. It also generates wind speeds of up to 000 km / h (the fastest in our solar system).

However, Neptune is a world combining fire and ice. Most of the planet is made up of water mixed with ammonia (ammonia) and methane. Scientists from California have created conditions in the internal structure of Neptune, where there is enormous pressure. And the conclusion? The planet could compress methane to lumps of solid carbon - so it's raining diamonds deep in Neptune.

How was Neptune in September 2019?

The brilliant Jupiter, who lit the southern sky all summer, is currently heading west and dropping below the horizon around 21: 30 (which is why he disappeared from the evening sky). To the left of Jupiter is Saturn, which remains above for some time. You can see the ring planet after midnight in the southwest.

Neptun

The reddish star in the west, above Jupiter and Saturn, Arcturus, is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes. In Greek, Arcturus means "bear rider," because as the Earth rotates, this star follows the constellation Ursa Major.

High in the south, you can find the brightest stars - Vega, Deneb, and Altair - forming a huge Summer Triangle. To the left, above the east, is a giant square of stars forming the body of a flying horse, Pegasus. Right star squares point down to a small pattern: three faint stars arranged around the fourth. Reminiscent of Mercedes, astronomers call them Glass of Water because they depict a stream of flowing liquid that Aquarius emits.

Tip for a book from the Sueneé Universe

Seth Shostak: Space Neighbors

Seth Shostak is an American astronomer and senior associate of SETI Institute. He specializes in extraterrestrial intelligence research. In this book he presents you with his analyzes, discusses attempts to contact other civilizations and shares his hypotheses about extraterrestrials.

Space neighbors (clicking the image you will be redirected to Sueneé Universe)