What happened to that dark spot?

It disappeared in later Hubble images

How was Neptune found?

Predicted by mathematics before being seen

Neptune Quiz: Supersonic Winds and the Great Dark Spot

This Neptune quiz travels to the windy blue world at the edge of the planets. Play 10 interactive questions on supersonic winds near 2,000 km/h, the Great Dark Spot seen by Voyager 2 in 1989, its later disappearance, discovery by mathematics in 1846, Johann Galle and Urbain Le Verrier, a 165-year orbit, its first full orbit since discovery in 2011 and the moon Triton.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Rank
Which planet is farthest from the Sun?
Winds
How fast are Neptune's strongest winds?
Spot
What did Voyager 2 see on Neptune in 1989?
Gone
What happened to that dark spot?
Math
How was Neptune found?
Year
When was Neptune discovered?
Who
Which French mathematician predicted its position?
Orbit
How long is Neptune's orbit around the Sun?
Color
What gives Neptune its blue color?
Moon
What is Neptune's largest moon?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which planet is farthest from the Sun?
Answer: Neptune
Pluto is now a dwarf planet.
Q2: How fast are Neptune's strongest winds?
Answer: Around 2,000 km/h
They are the fastest of any planet.
Q3: What did Voyager 2 see on Neptune in 1989?
Answer: The Great Dark Spot
It was a huge storm.
Q4: What happened to that dark spot?
Answer: It disappeared in later Hubble images
Neptune's storms come and go.
Q5: How was Neptune found?
Answer: Predicted by mathematics before being seen
Uranus' orbit gave clues.
Q6: When was Neptune discovered?
Answer: 1846
Galle found it near the predicted spot.
Q7: Which French mathematician predicted its position?
Answer: Urbain Le Verrier
John Couch Adams also worked on it.
Q8: How long is Neptune's orbit around the Sun?
Answer: About 165 years
It finished its first orbit since discovery in 2011.
Q9: What gives Neptune its blue color?
Answer: Methane in its atmosphere
Its shade differs slightly from Uranus.
Q10: What is Neptune's largest moon?
Answer: Triton
It orbits backward.

Winds at the Edge of the Planets

Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun and has the fastest winds of any planet, reaching around 2,000 km/h. Methane in its atmosphere helps give it a deep blue color. It takes about 165 years to orbit the Sun and completed its first full orbit since discovery in 2011.

Neptune was found by mathematics. Small wobbles in the orbit of Uranus suggested another planet's pull. French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier predicted where it should be, and in 1846 Johann Galle found it near that spot. John Couch Adams in England had made similar calculations.

When Voyager 2 flew past in 1989, it saw the Great Dark Spot, a huge storm. Later Hubble images showed it had disappeared, and new dark spots have come and gone since. Neptune's largest moon, Triton, orbits backward.

What This Quiz Teaches

Space fans will enjoy these questions.

Where Neptune is
How fast its winds blow
How it was discovered
Which storms were seen
Which moon it has

Did You Know?

Neptune has faint rings with arcs.
Its interior may rain diamonds.
It radiates more heat than it gets.
It cannot be seen without a telescope.
Galileo may have sketched it unknowingly.