| NEPTUNE | ||||||||
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Neptune, the eighth planet, is the most remote
of the gas giants of the outer solar system. Neptune has an almost circular orbit;
since Pluto's orbit is hight leeiptical, the two orbits intersect, meaning that until
late 1999, Neptune is the outermost planet in the solar system. After then, Pluto will
be the outermost again.
The planet was named Neptune, for the Roman sea god. He is commonly equated with Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Poseidon was the son of Cronus and Rhea. Like the sea, he is raging, violent, and sudden to frequent rages. He is rarely peaceful. |
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Source: Grollier's Multimedia Encyclopedia, © 1998 Grolier Interactive Inc.
| Copyright © 2009, KET |
