Ruth Patrick Science Education Center Observatory
Our Solar System Series - Neptune
The RPSEC Neptune cache is part of the solar system cache series centered at the University of South Carolina Aiken. In this solar system model, the 5-meter (16.4-feet) dome of the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center (RPSEC) Observatory represents the diameter of the Sun known as Sol.
Five objects have been known since antiquity and named by the Greeks as asteres planetai or "wandering stars." Today, we know that these objets are planets orbiting the Sun that are visible to people on Earth with unaided vision. These wanderers or planets are Mercury, Mars, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. While Neptune was not one of the original wanderers, it was still included as a planet when it was discovered independently by Urbain Le Verrier & Johann Galle on 9/23/1846.
Neptune Facts:
- One of the Gas Giant Planets that includes Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune.
- Neptune is the smallest of the gas giant planets but has higher mass than Uranus.
- Neptune has rings.
- Distance from Sun: Average = 2.8 billion mi. (4.5 billion km.)
- Diameter = 30,599 mi. (49,244 km.).
- Length of year = 164 Earth years.
- Length of day = 16.1 Earth hours (average). 18 hours equator, 12 hours poles.
| Neptune Distances with Sun Diameter = 5 m. |
|
Diameter cm
|
Diameter in
|
Orbit km
|
Orbit mi
|
|
17.70
|
6.97
|
16.17
|
10.05
|
There is limited parking, but there is one very nice paved parking spot a few feet from the road. You may pull onto the bike path to access the parking spot. Access the cache from the bike trail and not from the road. You will need to go down the bank and then back up the other side.
Be sure to obtain the code from the cache container in order to find the final Sun cache location.
All First Day Finders (FDF) receive a prize of two complementary planetarium tickets and a FDF Award Card. Visit http://rpsec.usca.edu/planetarium/ for schedule information.
Congratulations to kathybw who sought and was FTF RPSEC - Neptune
Congratulations to TheCultCaching crew for FTF on the new container in the new spot on 5/29/20
RPSEC Solar System Series: