EVERYLAUNCH // PLANETARY FIX
Neptune is 4,365 million km away
That’s 29.18 astronomical units, and its light takes 4.04 hours to reach you. The figure is worked out for right now. Neptune’s distance from Earth keeps changing, so an average would be wrong on almost every day.
COMPUTED 2026-11-11 06:29:36Z · RECOMPUTED EVERY 15 MINUTES
Drag the globe to spin it, or use the view buttons. The shaded side is night, set from the real angle between the Sun, Neptune and Earth. Surface features are drawn at their real coordinates. We don't work out which side faces Earth right now, so the side you see is just where you've turned it.
Right now
- DISTANCE
- 29.18 AU
- 4,365 million km · 2,712 million mi
- NEXT CLOSEST
- September 27, 2027
- 4,317 million km · 2,682 million mi, computed
- LIGHT TIME
- 4.04 h
- one way
- BRIGHTNESS
- +7.8
- optics needed
- APPARENT SIZE
- 2.3″
- 769× smaller than the Moon
- LIT
- 100%
- of the disc
- FROM THE SUN
- 133°
- angular separation
- IN THE SKY
- evening
- sets after the Sun
- SUN DISTANCE
- 29.86 AU
- its own orbit
What Neptune is like
The windiest planet. It was found in 1846, in the spot where maths said it should be.
- TEMPERATURE
- -200 °CMean, at the 1-bar level, since there's no surface
- PRESSURE
- 1 barQuoted at the 1-bar level. It keeps rising the deeper you go
- WINDS
- 2,100 km/hFastest sustained winds recorded
- ONE DAY
- 16.1 hoursSunrise to sunrise
- ATMOSPHERE
- 80% hydrogen, 19% helium, 1.5% methane
PUBLISHED REFERENCE VALUES FROM NASA FACT SHEETS · NOT LIVE READINGS · NO SPACECRAFT REPORTS LIVE WEATHER FROM NEPTUNE
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Common questions
How far away is Neptune right now?
Neptune is 4365 million kilometres (2712 million miles) from Earth right now. That's 29.18 astronomical units, or 4.0 light-hours. The figure keeps changing as both planets move. This page works it out fresh instead of quoting an average, because an average is wrong on almost every day.
When is Neptune closest to Earth?
Neptune's next closest approach is around September 27, 2027, at about 4317 million kilometres (2682 million miles). It's worked out to the nearest day from the same orbit model as the live figure on this page.
Can I see Neptune tonight?
Only with a telescope or binoculars. Neptune is at magnitude +7.8 and 133 degrees from the Sun. It's in the evening sky and sets after the Sun. You won't see it with the naked eye.
How long does light take to reach us from Neptune?
4.04 hours right now. You always see Neptune as it was that long ago. The delay changes as the distance does, and right now there are 4365 million kilometres between us.
How hot is Neptune?
-200°C on average, measured at the 1-bar level, since there's no surface. Quoted at the 1-bar level. It keeps rising the deeper you go. That's a published reference value, not a live reading. No spacecraft sends live weather from Neptune right now.
How big does Neptune look from Earth?
2.3 arcseconds across right now. The full Moon is about 1,800 arcseconds, so Neptune looks about 769 times smaller than the Moon. That's why it's just a point of light without a telescope.