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Neptune

Neptune, the other blue planet, is the eighth planet in our solar system. Neptune is an ice giant.

Related Topics: Uranus, Saturn, Pluto, We Don't Planet 

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Uranus and Neptune have each only been visited by one spacecraft, Voyager 2.

A mission to Uranus and Neptune could act as massive gravitational-wave detector

By Paul Sutter

What if one mission could study the gravitational ripples triggered by some of the most violent events in the universe — on the way to observing the least-known planets of our solar system?

Astronomers were surprised to see two storms on Neptune. It’s possible the planet’s giant storm spawned another when it abruptly changed directions.

A dark storm on Neptune has reversed direction and scientists can't explain why

By Kasandra Brabaw

A dark storm on Neptune abruptly switched directions and started moving away from almost certain death, puzzling astronomers.

An artist's depiction of the Enceladus Orbilander mission concept.

Where to next in the outer solar system? Scientists have big ideas to explore icy moons and more.

By Meghan Bartels

If you had a few billion dollars and some of the most talented space scientists and engineers in the world, where would you go?

NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft captured this image of the planet Uranus on Dec. 18, 1986.

How to see Uranus in the night sky (without a telescope) this week

By Joe Rao

Just how many planets are visible without a telescope? Most people will answer "five," but there is a sixth planet that can be glimpsed without visual aid: the planet Uranus.

The Full Corn Moon will rise on Sept. 2, 2020.

September full moon 2020: The 'Corn Moon' swings by Mars

By Jesse Emspak

The Corn Moon will be full on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 1:22 p.m. EDT (1722 GMT), four days before the moon occults Mars.

In a new study, researchers have modeled the interiors of the ice giants Uranus and Neptune.

Scientists probe the weird, alien water inside of Uranus and Neptune

By Chelsea Gohd

Researchers are investigating an alien version of water inside the strange, icy interiors of Uranus and 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

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

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

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

Artist's concept of the solar system (not to scale).

NASA eyes Venus, bizarre moons of Jupiter and Neptune for low-cost space missions

By Mike Wall

Venus, Jupiter's supervolcanic moon Io and Neptune's big satellite Triton are in NASA's crosshairs.

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

Space Ballet: 2 Neptune Moons Perform an Unusual Orbital Dance

By Elizabeth Howell

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

Artist's impression of Neptune

There's Something Strange Going On Inside Neptune

By David Crookes , All About Space magazine

Are planetary burps to blame?

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

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.

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

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.

Uranus, like its neighbor Neptune, has only been studied once, by the Voyager 2 spacecraft — which captured this image on Dec. 18, 1986.

Scientists Want to Probe Atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune

By Meghan Bartels

It's been decades since a spacecraft visited either Uranus or Neptune — which means scientists are busy dreaming up instruments that could be flown out on the next probe to these ice giants.

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

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.

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

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

Orbits of distant Kuiper Belt objects and the hypothesized Planet Nine. Orbits rendered in purple are primarily controlled by Planet Nine's gravity and exhibit tight orbital clustering. Green orbits are strongly coupled to Neptune and exhibit a broader orbital dispersion. Updated orbital calculations suggest that Planet Nine is an approximately 5-Earth-mass planet that resides on a mildly eccentric orbit with a period of about 10,000 years.

Planet Nine Likely to Be Found Within a Decade

By Mike Wall

Planet Nine will probably be detected within a decade or so, if the putative world does indeed exist, a new study suggests.

An artist's illustration of Neptune's smallest moon Hippocamp in orbit around the gas giant. It's just 20 miles across.

Meet Hippocamp! Neptune's Smallest Moon Has a Name (and a Violent Past)

By Mike Wall

A faint and frigid little moon doesn't have to go by "Neptune XIV" anymore.

Uranus and Netpune

Hubble Telescope Watches the Weather on Uranus and Neptune

By Meghan Bartels

If you don't like your local weather, perhaps you would prefer the atmosphere on Uranus or Neptune — and the Hubble Space Telescope has an update on each planet's current conditions.

Planet Nine: Artist's Illustration

No Planet Nine? Weird Orbits of Distant Objects May Have Different Explanation

By Mike Wall

The weirdly clustered orbits of some far-flung bodies in our solar system can be explained without invoking a big, undiscovered "Planet Nine," a new study suggests.