Neptune
Neptune
Planet · 30.07 AU from the Sun
Neptune facts
- Type
- Planet
- Distance from the Sun
- 30.07 AU (4.5 × 10⁹ km)
- Orbital period (year)
- 165 Earth years
- Diameter
- 49,244 km
- Mass
- 1.02 × 10²⁶ kg
- Moons
- 16
- Rotation period (day)
- 16.1 hours
- Axial tilt
- 28.32°
- Mean temperature
- -200 °C
- Discovered
- 1846, by Le Verrier, Galle and Adams
Orbit
About Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and most distant planet, a deep-blue ice giant with the fastest winds in the Solar System, exceeding 2,000 km/h. It was the first planet found by mathematical prediction rather than observation, from the way it tugged on Uranus's orbit.
- Named after the Roman god of the sea
- Discovered: 1846, by Le Verrier, Galle and Adams
Neptune: frequently asked questions
- What is Neptune?
- Neptune is a planet in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun at an average distance of 30.07 AU (4.5 × 10⁹ km). Neptune is the eighth and most distant planet, a deep-blue ice giant with the fastest winds in the Solar System, exceeding 2,000 km/h.
- How far is Neptune from the Sun?
- Neptune orbits the Sun at an average distance of 30.07 AU, about 4.5 × 10⁹ km. One AU is the Earth-Sun distance, so Neptune is roughly 30.1 times Earth's distance from the Sun.
- How long is a year on Neptune?
- Neptune takes 165 Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun, which is one Neptune year. By Kepler's third law, bodies farther from the Sun take longer to go around.
- How many moons does Neptune have?
- Neptune has 16 known moons.
- How big is Neptune?
- Neptune has a diameter of about 49,244 km and a mass of roughly 1.02 × 10²⁶ kg.
See Neptune in motion
Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.