Neptune 101
Neptune is the most distant of the solar system's eight planets. Find out about the blue world's orbit, which of Neptune's moons is the largest, and how the planet is home to the most severe weather in the solar system.
Neptune may seem like a serene sapphire world at first glance. But don't let its quiet azure hues fool you: The eighth planet from the sun is a wild child.
Neptune is the windiest planet in our solar system, whipping up momentous gusts that can reach more than 1,200 miles an hour. That soothing sapphire expanse does reveal some of the whirling chaos below in the form of cloudy bands and massive gyres that look like dark smudges on its surface.
One “Great Dark Spot” captured by Voyager 2 in 1989 could have fit an entire Earth inside. Though it's since disappeared, others have taken its place. In March of 2019, astronomers revealed for the first time that
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