The last two planets in the outer Solar System are Uranus and Neptune.
These two planets are very similar.
Both planets are classified as Gas Giants, have similar overall appearances, have many
moons, faint rings, and are very cold.
While they have similar atmospheric compositions, there is a difference in their overall density,
as Uranus is slightly larger in diameter but Neptune is slightly more massive.
Each planet presents some unique characteristics as we consider their roles in the Solar System.
First, Uranus is a sideways planet.
Where Jupiter’s poles have only a very slight tilt of 3 degrees and Earth’s axis is tilted
23.5 degrees, Uranus is tilted about 98 degrees from vertical.
This extreme planetary tilt means the Sun’s light shines directly on the Polar Regions
for much of its orbit.
Since the planet rotates in this sideways fashion, each hemisphere experiences constant
daylight for one half of its orbit, which totals 84 Earth-years.
When we consider the most distant planet, Neptune, we find that it has a highly active
atmosphere.
While Jupiter’s winds reach speeds 400 mph, Neptune has the highest atmospheric wind speed
in the Solar System with speeds reaching nearly 1,200 mph.
Like all of the Gas Giant planets, Neptune has a rapid rotation, especially for its size,
completing one rotation every 16 hours.
Like Jupiter, with its Great Red Spot, Neptune has also been observed to host a giant storm.
One such storm, observed by the Voyager 2 space probe in 1982 was named the Great Dark
Spot.
This storm had a size equal to Earth’s diameter.
In contrast to the persistence of Jupiter’s large storm, Neptune’s Great Dark Spot has
since disappeared, but with violent atmospheric winds it won’t be the last disturbance seen.
An additional quirk seen for both Uranus and Neptune, is that their global magnetic fields
are significantly tilted with respect to their rotation axes.
So the poles of the magnetic field are substantially different than the poles of rotation.
This contrasting alignment results in both planets having a highly complicated magnetosphere,
caused by the magnetic field becoming twisted and distorted as it is rotated onto itself.
As we see on Earth, the magnetic field plays a vital role in protecting and shielding the
planet from high-energy charged particles.
Life on Earth would have serious complications if this type of scenario existed.
Now when we consider the role these two planets have in our Solar System, their existence
is forever intertwined.
Through history many civilizations have made noted the existence and positions of the inner
planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
These 5 objects would be known as “wandering stars” because although their appearance
in the sky was like a star, their movements wandered along different paths.
Thus the discovery of Uranus, as a similarly wandering object in 1781 was the first planet
discovered in thousands of years and the first to be discovered by telescopic studies.
Uranus became intensely studied over the next half century, and its orbital parameters were
slowly calculated and refined.
However by the early 1800s, astronomers had noticed significant differences between the
calculated and the observed locations of Uranus.
Now the law of gravitational interaction supplied by Newton and the laws of planetary orbits
described by Kepler had aided astronomers for nearly 200 years to make accurate calculations
and predictions on the known planets.
Acknowledging that the Cosmos is orderly and operates through regular functionality, astronomers
and mathematicians began calculating and predicting the position of an unseen planet as the culprit
inducing the differences in Uranus’ location.
From these precise predictions, the planet Neptune was discovered in 1846.
During the Creation Week, God set laws in motion that govern our physical Universe,
including the planets.
These laws serve as regular and calculable guides to the functioning of our Solar System.
Utilizing hundreds of years of knowledge from scientists studying God's creation, 19th century
astronomers were able to observe and predict clues that lead to the planet Neptune's discovery.
Uranus and Neptune provide intriguing examples of planetary dynamics and have served well
in a role of proving the Intelligent Design of the Cosmos.