Neptune explained to kids

Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in our solar system. It's also the smallest of the gas giants. Neptune was the first planet to be found by mathematics. Urbain Le Verrier, John Couch Adams, and Johann Gottfried Galle all independently calculated the position of Neptune using only mathematics and observations made by other astronomers. Neptune was finally observed through a telescope on September 23, 1846. Neptune is very similar to Uranus. They are both made of hydrogen, helium, and methane. Neptune's methane gives the planet its blue appearance. The planet experiences strong winds, up to 1,500 miles per hour! These winds blow clouds of methane around the planet's atmosphere. Neptune has a diameter of 30,775 miles, making it almost four times the size of Earth. A day on Neptune is only 16 hours long. Neptune's year is 165 Earth years long! Neptune has eight moons. The largest moon is Triton, which is almost as big as our moon. Triton is unusual because it orbits Neptune in the opposite direction of Neptune's rotation. Neptune has a very faint and hard-to-see ring system. The rings are made of dust particles. Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun, but not for long! Pluto used to be considered the ninth planet, but it was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.