Neptune turns one year old today!
12 July 2011
Image courtesy of NASA
The planet Neptune turns one year old today. Rather, the human discovery of Neptune is one year old. One Neptune year, that is.
Since its discovery in 1846, Neptune has completed exactly one revolution around the Sun. That’s one orbit in 165 Earth years—a sobering reminder that the universe moves at a pace far removed from the frantic hum and bustle of human lives.
(Phil Plait, of course, has a detailed analysis of the astronomical gymnastics involved in establishing the precise moment Neptune returned to the spot at which it was discovered.)
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