Neptune is very cold.
Neptune, the eighth and farthest-known planet from the Sun, experiences extremely low temperatures. While its atmosphere is dynamic and possesses strong winds, its surface is intensely frigid.
Temperature on Neptune
The average temperature on Neptune is around -214 degrees Celsius (-353 degrees Fahrenheit). This makes it one of the coldest planets in our solar system, although Uranus can sometimes be colder. This extreme cold is due to Neptune's great distance from the Sun, which limits the amount of solar radiation it receives.
Factors Contributing to Neptune's Coldness:
- Distance from the Sun: Neptune is approximately 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth, which significantly reduces the amount of solar energy it receives.
- Atmospheric Composition: While Neptune has a thick atmosphere composed primarily of hydrogen, helium, and methane, it doesn't trap heat effectively enough to significantly warm the planet. Methane absorbs red light, giving Neptune its blue color, but it's not a strong enough greenhouse gas to counteract the effects of distance.
- Internal Heat: Though Neptune does radiate more heat than it receives from the Sun, this internal heat source doesn't significantly impact the surface temperature.
Therefore, considering the significantly low temperatures, the answer is definitively that Neptune is cold.