Neptune
Neptune is in the constellation of
Pisces,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Neptune is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Neptune?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Neptune in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Neptune from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- Neptune is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the East-South-East direction at an altitude of 20.13° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, Neptune is visible with the help of a binocular with a 30-40mm aperture, easy with a small telescope.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Neptune from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Neptune from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of Neptune from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499, the closest approach of Neptune to Earth happens on Thu Nov 8 2373 at a distance of 28.806366 Astronomical Units, or 4,309,370,997 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Neptune, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Neptune. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 49244 km | 3.8647 |
| Mass | 102.41 x 1024 kg | 17.1478 |
| Density | 1.638 gr/cm3 | 0.2971 |
| Escape Velocity | 23.56 km/s | 2.1055 |
| Sideral Rotation | 16.1100 hours | 0.6731 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -6.87 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.41 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Neptune computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Apparent DiameterDiameter | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 16 | 00h 07m 37s | -00° 34’ 30” | 7.80 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 17 | 00h 07m 43s | -00° 33’ 57” | 7.80 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 18 | 00h 07m 48s | -00° 33’ 24” | 7.80 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 19 | 00h 07m 54s | -00° 32’ 52” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 20 | 00h 07m 59s | -00° 32’ 20” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 21 | 00h 08m 04s | -00° 31’ 50” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 22 | 00h 08m 09s | -00° 31’ 19” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 23 | 00h 08m 14s | -00° 30’ 50” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 24 | 00h 08m 19s | -00° 30’ 21” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 25 | 00h 08m 24s | -00° 29’ 53” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 26 | 00h 08m 29s | -00° 29’ 25” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 27 | 00h 08m 33s | -00° 28’ 59” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 28 | 00h 08m 38s | -00° 28’ 33” | 7.79 | 2.2” | Pisces |
| 2025 May 29 | 00h 08m 42s | -00° 28’ 07” | 7.78 | 2.2” | Pisces |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Neptune: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Neptune?: Key information on locating Neptune in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Neptune is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Neptune?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Neptune's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Neptune's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Neptune's computed ephemeris.
- Physical Data. Detailed information about physical properties of Neptune, such as mass and geometric properties.