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  • Eye on Neptunepresented by Science@NASA

  • It is an ice giant, a planet of monster storms, and a recluse rarely seen.

  • However on the night of September 9 the planet Neptune will be at opposition,

  • the yearly event where Earth passes directly between Neptune and our Sun.

  • Sky watchers and astronomers will take the opportunity to observe this planet

  • that is invisible to the naked eye, but that scientists would love to see more clearly.

  • When it is near opposition, Neptune reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight.

  • This makes evenings in September the best time to grab your telescope or high-powered binoculars,

  • and use a sky chart or sky watching software to view this planet

  • that is 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth.

  • When you find this elusive planet that appears as a mere dot in most amateur telescopes,

  • remember that you're actually viewing a planet with a thick atmosphere

  • that is composed of massive amounts of hydrogen and helium with traces of other gasses.

  • That atmosphere surrounds a solid interior of rock and a warm mantle of dense fluid, deep beneath the clouds.

  • This opposition event also comes just after the 30th anniversary

  • of the Voyager 2 spacecraft's flyby of the planet, in 1989.

  • Voyager 2 provided our closest glimpse of Neptune, passing about 3,000 miles (5000 kilometers) above its North Pole.

  • The pictures Voyager 2 sent back gave scientists a new snapshot of weather in the extreme,

  • including a dark and violent vortex that looked similar to the great red spot on Jupiter.

  • Since then, observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope

  • have given us additional observations of the planet from afar.

  • NASA scientists have learned, for instance, that unlike Jupiter,

  • the Neptune vortex disappears for a time, and then similar storms appear later.

  • Scientists have determined that Neptune has seasons such as those on Earth,

  • but that these are much longer, spanning decades instead of months.

  • By studying these seasons on a continual basis,

  • scientists look to gain a better understanding of the similarities and differences

  • of atmospheres on other planets, including right here on Earth.

  • So consider taking a look at the ice giant planet Neptune in September,

  • and you'll see why it captures the imagination of so many scientists and astronomers.

  • Grab your telescope, step outside, and enjoy the view.

  • For more details on Neptune and the other planets in our solar system, visit science.nasa.gov.

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