What Is the Chemical Makeup of Neptune?

Core

• The inner core of Neptune, according to the Enchanted Learning website, is most likely composed of silicate rocks that are similar to those on Earth.

Comparison

• Although Neptune could contain as many as 60 planets as large as the Earth if it were a hollow sphere, scientists believe its core of rock equals the size of just one Earth, according to Solarviews.com.

Mantle

• The layer that surrounds the inner rocky core, called the "mantle," is composed of frozen water, methane gas and ammonia.

Atmosphere

• A dense, compressed layer of liquid hydrogen encompassed by a poisonous atmosphere of methane, helium and hydrogen completes Neptune's makeup. The clouds in the atmosphere of Neptune have methane areas over them that reflect red light, making the planet appear blue to an observer on Earth.

Chemical Breakdown

• The breakdown of the gases in Neptune's atmosphere is about one fourth helium, a little less than three fourths hydrogen and about one percent methane.

Nitrogen Geysers

• One of Neptune's larger moons, Triton, is a rocky body with geysers that spurt forth nitrogen.