Finally found Neptune!

I believe I finally found Neptune after a few weeks of trying to locate it. It was difficult because the object is so much fainter than Uranus. Also, it is much smaller than Uranus. When I first saw it I thought it was an out of focus star!
But what really was unexpected for me was how the disk brightness per unit area of the planets disk was lower than that of Uranus. I thought it would appear just like Uranus only smaller. Not so, it has a more blue-green-gray appearance versus blue-green for Uranus .
My guess is this because the planet lies some 10 AU farther away from the sun than Uranus? I would welcome some input from this forum for I want to know other observers opinions.

-Stephen

:S Oh yes, I forgot to mention I may have seen the moon Triton when observing Neptune. It was to the lower left of the planet when viewing at the eyepiece of my Lightbridge newtonian. I say I may have seen because my 5mm Baader Hyperion displays a halo around the planet when using averted vision. This complicates things. I sat observing continuously for an hour to allow my eyes to be completely dark adapted.
I find it hard to believe people can see the satellites of Uranus and Neptune with telescopes as small as 8 inches. I can barely see these objects with my 12 inch from my backyard. But then again I live near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Will really dark skies make a difference? Please tell me, I want to know.

I viewed Neptune for the first (and, so far, only) time last year. If Uaranus is moreorless bluish green, or light aqua color, I describe Neptune as more of a violet blue, or purplish blu. Less the green side of the blue spectrum and more of the red side of blue. Actually, both planets looke to me through the ep pretty much just like the little renderings of them in the monthly planet section of S&T.

Bruce