Neptune Completes First Revolution Since Discovery (PHOTOS)
Neptune, the eight planet of the solar system completed its first orbit around the sun on Tuesday, 165 years after its discovery.
Neptune, which is also the farthest planet from sun, was discovered by German astronomer Johann Galle on September 23, 1846.
Thirty times farther than Earth, the blue-green planet named after Roman God of Sea completes one revolution approximately every 165 years and July 12, 2011 was its first recorded anniversary, NASA said in a statement.
Commemorating the event, NASA has released the latest pictures of Neptune captured by Hubble telescope.
The pictures have revealed that Neptune, which experiences seasons just as Earth does, is currently having early summer in the southern hemisphere and winter in the northern hemisphere.
Check out the pictures below as we have put across some interesting facts about Neptune (Courtesy: NASA):
Neptune Fact # 1: Neptune experiences seasons just as Earth does, because it is tilted 29 degrees, similar to Earth's 23-degree-tilt.
Neptune Fact # 2: Instead of lasting a few months, each of Neptune's seasons continues for about 40 years.
Neptune Fact # 3: In December 1612, while observing Jupiter and its moons with his handmade telescope, astronomer Galileo Galilei recorded Neptune in his notebook, but as a star. More than a month later, in January 1613, he noted that the star appeared to have moved relative to other stars. But Galileo never identified Neptune as a planet, and apparently did not follow up those observations, so he failed to be credited with the discovery.
Neptune Fact # 4: Neptune can be seen using a telescope in the constellation Aquarius, close to the boundary with Capricorn.
Neptune Fact # 5: About 30 moons are known to orbit Neptune, most of which are too faint or orbit too far away.
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