Neptune: Nine nifty facts about the farthest planet from the Sun

Neptune is so far away from us that we still know very little about it.
Christopher McFadden
Proteus orbiting around NeptuneIanm35/iStock

Neptune, like any planet, has its own unique characteristics and attributes. Compared to the only planet we know very well, it is very strange by comparison to Earth. 

Named after the Roman god of the sea (Poseidon in the Ancient Greek pantheon), Neptune is around 2.8 billion miles (4.47 billion kilometers) from the Sun and has only been visited by a single human-made object. 

Relative to some of the other planets, we know next to nothing about this distant planet. However, from what we have been able to glean since its relatively late discovery, is truly a fascinating place. 

So, what do we know about this most remote of our planetary neighbors?  

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