Neptune

Latest about Neptune

An artist's illustration of the K2-138 system, which contains at least five planets orbiting closely around their parent star.

'Mini-Neptunes' may be rocky water worlds

By Elizabeth Howell published

A strong greenhouse effect allows these "super-Earth" exoplanets to masquerade as "mini-Neptunes."

Neptune
Neptune's moon Triton sprays massive, dark plumes of icy material out of its surface. Voyager 2 captured this photo in 1989 during its flyby of the Neptune system.

Neptune's weird moon Triton could get a visit from a NASA spacecraft called Trident

By Samantha Mathewson published

A possible new mission called Trident aims to explore Neptune's strange moon Triton.

Neptune
The Dark Energy Camera is mounted on the Victor Blanco telescope, pictured here with other telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.

'Minor planet' bonanza: 139 new objects discovered beyond Neptune

By Mike Wall published

The list of Pluto's neighbors just got considerably longer, potentially boosting scientists' odds of finding the putative Planet Nine.

Neptune
An animation shows the paths of Naiad and Thalassa around Neptune.

Space Ballet: 2 Neptune Moons Perform an Unusual Orbital Dance

By Elizabeth Howell published

Neptune's two innermost moons are locked in an unusual "dance of avoidance," according to researchers.

Neptune
Artist's impression of Neptune

There's Something Strange Going On Inside Neptune

By David Crookes , All About Space magazine last updated

Are planetary burps to blame?

Neptune
An artist’s illustration of the exoplanet Kepler-1625b with its hypothesized moon, which is thought to be about the size of Neptune.

Neptune-Size Exomoon Candidate May Be the Captured Core of a Giant Planet

By Mike Wall published

The first serious exomoon candidate is likely the captured core of a baby giant planet, if the exotic world does indeed exist, a new study suggests.

Neptune
This image of the planet Neptune was obtained during a test of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope array in northern Chile, in July 2018.

Neptune Is at Opposition Today: Here's How to Spot the Distant Planet

By Elizabeth Howell published

This week is a great time to see the solar system's outermost gas giant planet, if you have a telescope and a little patience.

Neptune
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft captured dark streaks produced by geysers visible on the icy surface of Triton's south polar region.

Neptune's Moon Triton Has a Rare Kind of Ice

By Samantha Mathewson published

Neptune's largest moon Triton boasts a unique icy mixture of carbon monoxide and nitrogen, which could help astronomers better understand the conditions of other distant, alien worlds.

Neptune
Voyager 2 imaged less than half of the surface of Neptune's moon Triton in 1989.

Next Stop, Triton? Here's Two Wild Ideas to Explore Neptune's Weirdest Moon

By Meghan Bartels published

Neptune's moon Triton is one of the strangest worlds in the solar system — and that's why scientists are exploring mission concepts that could give them a detailed look at it.

Neptune
This composite picture shows images of storms on Neptune from the Hubble Space Telescope (left) and the Voyager 2 spacecraft (right). The Hubble image of Neptune, taken in September and November of 2018, shows a new dark storm (top center). In the Voyager image, a storm known as the Great Dark Spot is seen at the center. It is about 8,000 miles by 4,100 miles (13,000 by 6,600 kilometers) in size. The white clouds seen hovering in the vicinity of the storms are higher in altitude than the dark material.

Birth of 'Great Dark Spot' Storm on Neptune Seen for 1st Time (Photo)

By Mike Wall published

For the first time ever, astronomers have witnessed the birth of one of Neptune's enormous 'Great Dark Spot' storms.

Neptune
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