Neptune celebrates first anniversary on July 12, 2011
12 Jul 2011, 08:01 UTC
On Tuesday, July 12, 2011, the planet Neptune completes its first revolution around the sun since its discovery on September 23, 1846. Neptune finally reaches this milestone at 22:27 Universal Time today. It takes Neptune 164.79 Earth-years to go full circle through the constellations of the Zodiac, whereas the Earth goes full circle in just 365.256 days.
How do I translate Universal Time into my time?
Neptune, the 8th planet outward from the sun, is presently the most distant planet in the solar system. That’s because the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a “dwarf planet” in 2006. By the way, Neptune circles the sun three times for every two times that Pluto does.
You can see Neptune with good binoculars or a telescope, but you need to know right where to look. At this time of year, you have to stay up late or wake up early to see this world. Moreover, you’ll probably need a detailed sky chart to find Neptune’s place in the sky.
Familiar with the bright star Fomalhaut or the constellation Aquarius? If so, you can try to star-hop to Neptune. Our sky chart also points out the star Skat (Delta Aquarii), the radiant point ...
