This is the eighth cache in a series dedicated to our Solar System. Each cache page will have information about the planet it represents. The series is sponsored by the Carolina Caching Club.
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the fourth largest (by diameter). Neptune is smaller in diameter but larger in mass than Uranus. In Roman mythology Neptune (Greek: Poseidon) was the god of the Sea. If Neptune were hollow, it could contain nearly 60 Earths. Neptune orbits the Sun every 165 years. It has eight moons, six of which were found by Voyager. A day on Neptune is 16 hours and 6.7 minutes.
Neptune was first observed by Galle and d'Arrest on 1846 Sept 23 based on the observed positions of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. More than two centuries earlier, in 1613, Galileo observed Neptune when it happened to be very near Jupiter, but he thought it was just a star. Neptune has been visited by only one spacecraft, Voyager 2 on Aug 25 1989. Much of we know about Neptune comes from this single encounter. Because Pluto's orbit is so eccentric, it sometimes crosses the orbit of Neptune making Neptune the most distant planet from the Sun for a few years.
Neptune's composition is probably similar to that of Uranus: various "ices" and rock with about 15% hydrogen and a little helium. Neptune's blue color is largely the result of absorption of red light by methane in the atmosphere.Like a typical gas planet, Neptune has rapid winds confined to bands of latitude and large storms or vortices. Neptune's winds are the fastest in the solar system, reaching 2000 km/hour. Neptune also has rings. Earth-based observations showed only faint arcs instead of complete rings, but Voyager 2's images showed them to be complete rings with bright clumps. One of the rings appears to have a curious twisted structure.
Cache Information
This cache is located on the Six Mile Greenway, one of Mecklenburg County's newest. This trail parallels the County's southern border and will provide linkages to many neighborhoods within Mecklenburg and Union counties (download a map).
I'm not much for fighting the natural wonders (briars mostly) of NC, so the walk to the cache was very easy and on the paved path for about 3/4th the way to cache. The last 20 feet to the cache could be considered 'bushwacking' by some. If you don't end up going the way I did, raise the terrain rating to 3.0.
Links to the other caches in this series:
The Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Eris