Today on the Inspiration Edit, we are sharing some fun facts about Neptune along with a fun solar system Neptune craft.
Teaching kids about planets, space, and the solar system is such a fun topic. There are so many interesting things to learn about each planet.
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Fun Facts About Neptune
Neptune was the first planet to be discovered through mathematical calculations.
Up until the late 1800s, it was believed that there were only six planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
In 1846, two mathematicians independently came up with equations that predicted the existence of another planet beyond Saturn.
When Uranus was discovered in 1781, its orbit didn’t match the predictions perfectly. The discrepancy led some astronomers to believe that there might be another planet even further out.
These mathematicians, John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier, used Uranus’s orbital data to predict the location of this new planet.
Who Discovered Neptune?
In 1846, Neptune was finally discovered by Johann Galle, a German astronomer who was looking in the area predicted by Adams and Le Verrier.
Neptune is the smallest of the gas giant planets. Although it’s small compared to Jupiter and Saturn, it’s still huge compared to Earth!
How Big Is Neptune?
Neptune has a diameter of about 30,775 miles (49,532 kilometers), which is almost four times the diameter of Earth.
Neptune is the windiest planet in the solar system. Winds on Neptune can reach up to 1,300 miles per hour (2,092 kilometers per hour)!
The winds are so strong because of Neptune’s low density. The lower a planet’s density, the faster the winds can blow.
How Long Is A Day On Neptune?
Neptune has the longest day of any planet in the solar system. One day on Neptune, from sunrise to sunrise, lasts 16 hours and 6.7 minutes.
This is because Neptune takes 16 hours and 6.7 minutes to rotate once on its axis.
Neptune has the largest moon of any planet in the solar system. Triton, Neptune’s largest moon, has a diameter of 2,700 miles (4,350 kilometers).
That’s about the same size as Earth’s moon!
Neptunes Moon Triton
Triton is also unusual because it orbits Neptune in the opposite direction of Neptune’s rotation. Most moons orbit in the same direction as their planet rotates.
Triton is thought to be a captured object, meaning that it didn’t form around Neptune. Instead, it was likely formed around another planet and was later captured by Neptune’s gravity.
Neptune has the coldest temperatures of any planet in the solar system. The temperature on Neptune can get as low as -353 degrees Fahrenheit (-214 degrees Celsius)!
Solar System Neptune Craft
Today we have a fun Neptune craft to go alongside these fun and interesting facts about Neptune.
How To Make This Neptune Craft
Begin by printing out your template and and tracing onto colored paper. Cut out all the shapes for the Neptune Planet and prepare to glue.
Glue all the different template pieces onto the Plane Neptune.
Once completed you are ready to make a solar space background.
How To Make A Solar Space Background Using A Tooth Brush
Using a toothbrush, dab the brush into white paint. Then flick the end of the toothbrush so the paint will splatter on the black construction paper. This will create a out of space background.
Once the solar space background has dried, glue your Neptune planet to the background.
If you want you can create a whole wall using the toothbrush painting technique and paste all the different planets to the wall.
Your Neptune craft is now complete. Use it as a fun activity for kids, make it into a calendar or create a solar system on the classroom board using all the planet templates here on The Inspiration Edit.
Get Your neptune Template Here
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About Angela Milnes
Angela Milnes is a Qualified Early Years Teacher who has specialised in Preschool and Kindergarten teaching. She has a wealth of experience teaching young children and is passionate about kids crafts and having fun as a family. Angela has also taught cooking skills and loves to share both family recipes and easy instant pot recipes here on The Inspiration Edit. Follow her on Pinterest!
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