Neptune is the eighth and last known planet from the sun, and the fourth largest at about 45 times the radius of Earth. It's an icy gas giant with a blue-green atmosphere, composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, with some methane and other hydrocarbons. It's mostly circular in shape, and its rapid rotation gives it a distinct set of clouds and winds.
Neptune is a fascinating topic of study, often overlooked in our inner solar system focus. Here are five interesting essay topics related to it:
1. The Depths of Neptune: A look at how the levels of the atmosphere vary with pressure and temperature, and how they might be measured.
2. Exploring the Mystery of the Great Dark Spot: How this large storm that raged in the planet's southern hemisphere was studied, and what it might mean for our understanding of Neptune.
3. The Moons of Neptune: A discussion of Neptune's system of 14 moons, including descriptions of their orbits and appearances.
4. Triton's Secret Life: Examining the history of Triton, from its origin as a Kuiper Belt object to its capture by Neptune's gravity and its current position as the largest moon in the solar system.
5. Searching for Life Beyond Neptune: How discoveries on Earth, such as extremophiles, might give us clues for detecting life elsewhere in the universe, looking especially at Neptune-like planets.