When Was Neptune Discovered? — Reading Comprehension

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun, and it is one of the giant gas planets in our solar system. Neptune is so far away that no one could see it without a telescope. For a long time, people did not even know it existed. It was discovered in 1846 by two astronomers named Johann Galle and 

. They found Neptune by studying the motion of another planet, Uranus, and noticing something was pulling on its orbit. By using math and science, they predicted where Neptune should be and then found it with a telescope.

Neptune’s discovery is an amazing example of patterns in the solar system and how scientists use observations and models to learn about space. Scientists noticed a pattern in how Uranus moved, and that pattern did not match what they expected. Instead of ignoring it, they made a model to explain what was happening. Their model helped them discover a whole new planet!

Neptune is about 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth. It is a giant planet made mostly of gases, with strong winds and storms. One of its famous features is the Great Dark Spot, which is like a huge storm similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.

The discovery of Neptune shows how scientists observe, look for patterns, and make predictions to learn about the universe. By watching how planets move, they can discover new things even if those things are very far away. This is an important part of Earth and space science, which encourages students to observe patterns in the sky to learn about objects in space.

Fun Fact: Neptune takes 165 Earth years to travel once around the Sun!

When was Neptune discovered?

Who helped discover Neptune?

Why couldn’t people see Neptune before telescopes?

What is the Great Dark Spot?

What did scientists study to find Neptune?

What is the main idea of the passage?

If scientists found a new planet today by seeing a pattern in another planet’s orbit, what would they be using?