Weird Facts About The Planets in Our Solar System

Weird Facts About The Planets in Our Solar System

There are many weird and mysterious things in outer space, especially outside of our solar system. Regardless, you don't have to look that far for things to get wild and very weird. There are many mysteries and anomalies to be found on the planets that orbit our sun.

Read on to discover some of them for yourself.

Neptune's Seasons Last Decades

If you think we have long winters here, be grateful that they don't last half a lifetime. That's how long they last on Neptune, which takes 165 earth years to orbit the sun. Since a planet's seasons are determined by it's orientation the sun, Neptune takes 165 times longer to go through all 4 seasons.

Photography: L. Sromovsky and P. Fry

Neptune Has The Fastest Winds in The Solar System

If you think the 40-year winters are extreme, wait until you hear about the winds on Neptune. Gusts can reach up to 1,250 miles per hour, making the weather very inhospitable.

Photography: Voyager 2/NASA

Jupiter Has an Endless Hurricane

Neptune isn't the only planet with wild weather. Jupiter has a raging constant hurricane that is twice the size of earth. We're not sure how long it's been going on, but it doesn't seem to be dissipating.

Photography: Amy Simon/Hubble Heritage Team

One of Jupiter's Moons Is Glowing Yellow

I never understood how anyone could believe earth's moon was made of cheese. But if you told me that Jupiter's moon, Io, was made of cheese I'd believe you. The yellow glowing color comes from its mixture of sulfur and molten silicate rock, fueled by active volcanoes. So it may not be made of cheese, but it is a little spicy.

Photography: Galileo Project, JPL/NASA

Saturn's Colors Are a Mystery

Most of Saturn's atmosphere is blue like earth's, but in the southern hemisphere it's overpowered by gold. We're not sure why the hemispheres are different in Saturn, but we do know that it's clouds are gold. Some believe that the golden hue in the south comes from clouds that sit higher in the atmosphere. But even then, it isn't clear why the could are gold.

Photography: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, EAS, NASA

Uranus Has Hidden Moons and Rings

Unlike Saturn, which has rings that can be seen with reflected light, you have to look at Uranus through an infrared filter to see it's rings and moons. Not only does it sport a ring system, but the giant planet has eight moons orbiting its surface.

Photography: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Uranus is Mysteriously Tilty

The moons and rings aren't the only thing mysterious about Uranus. It's also inexplicably lopsided. Astronomers aren't sure why, but Uranus has such a tilted axis, that it sometimes points toward the sun.

Photography: Voyager 2 Team/NASA

Pluto is The Farthest Planet From The Sun... Usually

Of all the planets in our solar system, Pluto is the one we know the least about. For example, we're not sure why it orbits the Sun in such a weird way. But this weird orbit does have the odd side-effect of changing it's order in our lineup of planets. When it does, Neptune replaces it as the farthest planet from the sun, but only for a short time.

Photography: R. Albrecht/NASA

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