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Neptune, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Neptune, in astronomy, 8th planet from the sun at a mean distance of about 2.8 billion mi (4.5 billion km) with an orbit lying between those of Uranus and the dwarf planet Pluto; its period of revolut...

Naiad, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Naiad, in astronomy, one of the natural satellites, or moons, of Neptune. ...

Larissa, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Larissa, in astronomy, one of the natural satellites, or moons, of Neptune. ...

Galatea, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Galatea, in astronomy, one of the natural satellites, or moons, of Neptune. ...

Triton , in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Triton trītˈən [key], in astronomy, innermost and largest of the eight known moons, or natural satellites, of Neptune. ...

Proteus, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Proteus prōˈtēəs, –tyo͞os [key], in astronomy, one of the natural satellites, or moons, of Neptune. ...

Neptune, in Roman religion and mythology

(Encyclopedia)Neptune, in Roman religion and mythology, god of water. He was presumably an indigenous god of fertility, but in later times he was identified with the Greek Poseidon, god of the sea. At his festival,...

Uranus , in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Uranus yo͝orāˈnəs, yo͝orˈə– [key], in astronomy, 7th planet from the sun, at a mean distance of 1.78 billion mi (2.87 billion km), with an orbit lying between those of Saturn and Neptune; its...

Pluto, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Pluto, in astronomy, a dwarf planet and the first Kuiper belt, or transneptunian, object (see comet) to be discovered (1930) by astronomers. Pluto has an elliptical orbit usually lying beyond that of ...

ring, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)ring, in astronomy, relatively thin band of rocks and dust and ice particles that orbit around a planet in the planet's equatorial plane. All four of the giant planets in the solar system—Jupiter, S...