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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Graphic showing Neptune's change of course as it moves across the night sky.

Planet Neptune will go into reverse as it moves in the sky on Tuesday

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Neptune will enter retrograde on Tuesday (June 28) and will appear to 'reverse its course' as it moves across the sky. Here's how to see it.

This image of the planet Uranus was taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986.

Shades of Uranus: Scientists know why the planet and Neptune are different hues of blue

By Elizabeth Howell published

The way each planet's atmosphere responds to methane might be responsible for the different hues of Uranus and Neptune.

An image of Neptune taken by the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory (on the right) and one captured by the Hubble Space Telescope (on the left).

Neptune is cooling down and scientists don't know why

By Tereza Pultarova published

Two decades worth of observations revealed unexpected cooling of the solar system's most distant planet Neptune amid astronomical summer.

The four gas giants of our solar system are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are collectively known as Jovian planets, meaning “Jupiter-like”.

Gas giants: Jovian planets of our solar system and beyond

By Elizabeth Howell published

Reference The solar system gas giants – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – also known as Jovian planets are helping us learn more about gaseous exoplanets.

This illustration shows the diamond rain on Neptune.

Yes, there is really 'diamond rain' on Uranus and Neptune

By Paul Sutter published

Hiding beneath the outer layers of some planets, there may be something spectacular: a constant rain of diamonds.

New images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope capture stunning views of the outer planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, as part of this year's "grand tour" of the solar system.

Hubble telescope's annual 'grand tour' tracks changes in outer solar system

By Samantha Mathewson published

It's time for the solar system's annual weather report!

Artist’s impression of a mushball descending through a giant planet’s atmosphere.

Stinky 'mushball' hailstones on Uranus may explain an atmospheric anomaly there (and on Neptune, too)

By Tereza Pultarova published

A recent discovery of giant ammonia-rich hailstones, dubbed mushballs, on Jupiter might explain why Uranus and Neptune seem to have no ammonia in their atmospheres.

Artist's impression of Kuiper Belt objects.

Cosmic objects with strange orbits discovered beyond Neptune

By Stephanie Pappas published

A six-year search of space beyond the orbit of Neptune has netted 461 newly discovered objects, including four that could shed light on Planet Nine.

The planet Neptune.

Neptune reaches opposition today: How to see the distant planet

By Samantha Mathewson published

The solar system's outermost planet, Neptune, reaches opposition today, and here's how you can catch a glimpse of the distant gas giant.

False-color image of Hyperion captured during Cassini's flyby on September 26 2005.

The 10 weirdest moons in the solar system

By Giles Sparrow, All About Space magazine published

Some of the most fascinating worlds in our cosmic neighborhood are not planets, but the moons that orbit around them.

A volcanic eruption on Jupiter's moon Io.

NASA has just rejected missions to moons of Jupiter and Neptune. Here's what we would have found out.

By Ashley Spindler published

It's been 30 years since NASA last visited Venus, with the Magellan orbiter in 1990.

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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