Uranus+&+Neptune+-+JW

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Visuals Pictures of neptune and uranus from ||  ||
 * [[image:http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/126457main_image_feature_399_ys_4.jpg width="515" height="386" caption="Neptune’s Dynamic Environment"]][[image:http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/images/Neptune.jpg width="302" height="203" caption="Voyager 2 captured this image of Neptune in 1989." link="http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=2424"]] [[image:http://galenet.galegroup.com/images/itkids/pct/00008583-t.jpg width="502" height="339" caption="Uranus is surrounded by blue gas clouds. These clouds are cold and winds blow them very fast." link="http://uranus%20is%20surrounded%20by%20blue%20gas%20clouds.%20these%20clouds%20are%20cold%20and%20winds%20blow%20them%20very%20fast./"]] || [[image:http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTv8J54qQpbgdyfwahJl_CfKw1OotWQphIAt9cvfOg9nNDVSSl5ttD0YV7aGQ width="380" height="243" caption="piture of uranus"]]

**Works Cited** **Sources** : =Iconn.com-Gale Science In Context= [] []
 * Source Citation:** "Uranus." //Kids InfoBits Presents: Astronomy//. Gale, 2008. Reproduced in Kids InfoBits. Detroit: Gale, 2012. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/KidsInfoBits


 * Your Source List:**

=Gale Science In Context= [] []

**Topic: Research Focus**

 Uranus and Neptune

**Notes** Neptune is the eighth planet in the solar system from the Sun by overall distance. As of 2006, it is the farthest known planet from the Sun; that is, after Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet. It is the fourth largest planet by diameter in the solar system, and the third largest by mass. Neptune orbits the Sun once in every 165 earth-years. It was discovered on September 23, 1846, independently by British mathematician and astronomer John Couch Adams (1819-1892) and French mathematician and astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Leverrier (1811-1877). (In 1998, the "Neptune Papers," originally from the Royal Greenwich Observatory, were discovered. Historians are now reviewing its contents to determine whether or not Adams deserves to be given equal credit along with Leverrier for the discovery of Neptune.) Neptune was the first planet to be discovered mathematically, rather than by it being directly observed by astronomers. Its existence was suspected because something seemed to be tugging at neighboring planet Uranus, causing irregularities in its orbit. Because Neptune is so far away (about 2.8 billion miles [4.5 billion kilometers] from the Sun, or 2.7 billion miles [4.3 billion kilometers] from Earth) and difficult to observe, very little was known about it until fairly recently. On August 25, 1989, Voyager 2 flew by Neptune, finally providing some answers about this mysterious, beautiful globe. As of August 2007, Voyager 2 has been the only spacecraft from Earth to visit the planet. Neptune is a large planet, seventeen times more massive than Earth and far more blue in color. Since it is the color of water, Neptune was named for the Roman god of the sea. But Neptune's blue-green color is not that of a watery sea. It is due to methane gas. Neptune has a cold (-352 degrees Fahrenheit, or -213 degrees Celsius) outer layer of hydrogen, helium, and methane. Within that lies a layer of ionized (electrically charged) water, ammonia, and methane ice, and deeper yet is a rocky, iron core. Neptune is subject to the fiercest winds in the solar system. It has a layer of blue surface clouds that whip around with the wind and an upper layer of wispy white clouds of methane crystals that rotate with the planet. Three storm systems are evident on its surface. The most prominent is a dark blue area called the Great Dark Spot, which is about the size of Earth. Another storm, about the size of Earth's moon, is called the Small Dark Spot. Then there is Scooter, a small, fast-moving white storm system that seems to chase the other storms around the planet. A magnetic field has been measured on Neptune, tilted from its axis at a 48 degree angle and just missing the center of the planet by thousands of miles. Given the planet's frigid exterior, it is surprising that this field is created by 4,000-degree-Fahrenheit (2,204-degree-Celsius) water beneath its surface, water so hot and under so much pressure that it generates an electrical field. Voyager 2 found that Neptune is encircled by at least several very faint rings, much less pronounced than the rings of Saturn, Jupiter, or Uranus. These rings are composed of particles, some of which are over a mile across and are considered "moonlets." These particles clump together in places, creating relatively bright arcs, which originally led astronomers to believe that only arcs--and not complete rings--were all that surrounded the planet. As of 2007, four rings are found encircling Neptune. The outermost ring is called Adams, which is located about 39,100 miles (63,000 kilometers) from Neptune. It contains three arcs called Equality, Fraternity, and Liberty. The Leverrier Ring, the third closest to Neptune, is about 32,900 miles (53,000 kilometers) away. The third ring, the closest to Neptune, is called the Galle Ring, which is about 26,100 miles (42,000 kilometers) away. An extension to the Leverrier Ring has been called Lassell. At its end is the fourth ring, the Arago Ring, which is located about 35,400 miles (57,000 kilometers) from Neptune, second furthest from the planet. However, observations made by astronomers with the use of ground-based telescopes show that Neptune's rings are very unstable entities, possibility existing for only short periods of time. The Moons of Neptune
 * =Facts about Uranus and Neptune=

** SIMALARATIES **
Uranus and Neptune are about the same size, and both orbit the sun in roughly circular orbits. Neptune, although slightly smaller, is more massive than Uranus and has a much more active atmosphere. Uranus 's orbital period, the amount of time it takes to revolve once around the sun, is 84 Earth years; for more-distant Neptune, it is 164.8 Earth years. Little was known of these two worlds before the Voyager 2 space probe visited Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989.

** More Facts **
Uranus and Neptune are the seventh and eighth farthest planets from the sun, respectively. Both are large, massive planets composed mostly of gaseous hydrogen, so they are classified as Jovian (Jupiterlike) planets. Uranus and Neptune are about the same size, and both orbit the sun in roughly circular orbits. Neptune, although slightly smaller, is more massive than Uranus and has a much more active atmosphere. Uranus 's orbital period, the amount of time it takes to revolve once around the sun, is 84 Earth years; for more-distant Neptune, it is 164.8 Earth years. Little was known of these two worlds before the Voyager 2 space probe visited Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989. Uranus is unusual because it is tipped on its side. Scientists think Uranus tipped long ago after running into a planet-sized body. Scientists think the core, or center, of Uranus may be rocky. The rest of the planet may be made up mostly of water and ammonia. This part is sometimes called an ocean. This ocean could be 6,000 miles (9,656 kilometers) deep. Around Uranus are clouds of gases. These clouds are cold. Winds blow them very fast. Uranus is so far away from the sun that it takes 84 years for it to make one trip around the sun. Uranus has 27 moons. Titania is the largest moon; Ariel is the brightest. One of the most unusual moons is Miranda. It looks like it was torn apart, then put back together again. It has many cracks, or valleys, that are deeper than the earth's Grand Canyon. The rings around Uranus are made mostly of large, black chunks. They look like coal. Thirteen rings have been discovered. The inner rings look gray. One outer ring is red, and the other is blue.