Neptune what is the weather like

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Heat from the mantle mixing with the cold atmosphere drives the winds to the highest known speeds of any planet. Its strong gravity lets it retain light gases that escape from smaller planets, like Earth. The average surface temperature is about — degrees Celsius. However, it has an internal source of heat, thought to be from radioactive minerals deep in the planet.

Neptune has the highest measured wind speeds in the solar system—up to 1, miles per hour. The large temperature difference between the internal heat source mentioned above and the coldness of space is believed to be driving the winds. A similar one appeared in the northern regions. This feature is now thought to be not a storm but a hole in the methane clouds. All planetary atmospheres possess a latitudinal circulation system which should, in theory, also distribute this cloud band over wider latitudes.

It could be that these methane clouds are somehow constrained by these circulation patterns, due to altitude or chemical instability. Be sure to bring your coat, too, as temperatures at this depth are a frigid C. As strong as the winds of Uranus are, they are nothing compared to those found on the other ice giant.

Neptune boasts supersonic wind speeds of over 1,mph , and numerous storm systems. The most famous of these features was the Great Dark Spot which was observed in close up by Voyager 2 in This huge storm system covered an area roughly equivalent to one sixth of the surface area of Earth. In the latest Hubble images, a different storm system is visible near the North pole, accompanied by bright clouds of methane ice crystals. A few years later, however, the Hubble Space Telescope failed to see the Great Dark Spot, but it did see different storms.

The more active weather on Neptune might be due, in part, to its higher internal heat. In fact, Neptune radiates 2.

This is enough heat to help drive the fastest winds in the Solar System.