Neptune

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

clouds in Neptune's atmosphere

Witness the arrival of Voyager 2 at Neptune after a 12-year journey, August 25, 1989

Neptune's Great Dark Spot

Neptune: Great Dark Spot

clouds on Neptune

moons of Neptune: Triton

Neptune's ring system

For Students

Neptune summary

Read Next

Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles

Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?

Solar system illustration. (Sun; planets)

A Model of the Cosmos

solar eclipse, sun, moon, astronomy, space

How Do You Tell the Difference Between Total, Annular, Solar, and Lunar Eclipses?

Solar system illustration. (planets; sun)

Why Are Planets Round?

This close-up image of a dust storm on Mars was acquired by the Mars Color Imager instrument on NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Nov. 7, 2007. This image is centered on Utopia Planitia

Do Hurricanes Happen on Other Planets?

Discover

Space race (1957-1969) infographic between United States (U.S.) and Russia. America, Soviet Union, U.S.S.R., space exploration

Timeline of the Space Race, 1957–69

NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.

10 Great Sports Rivalries

Statue of Nostradamus

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

Agnes with a lamb near her feet. St. Agnes (Saint Agnes) design drawing for stained glass window by J&R Lamb Studios, ink, mount size 10.5 x 14.5 in.

Roman Catholic Saints

All Saints Day. All Souls Day. Candles in cemetery in Poland on All Saints Day, November 1. All Souls Day, November 2. Christian church, All Hallows, Solemnity of All Saints, Feast of All Saints, purgatory, Roman Catholic church

7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World

Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics

10 Best Hockey Players of All Time

Neptune: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

If another planet is out there, this telescope could help find it : Short Wave • Apr. 25, 2025, 10:16 AM ET (NPR)

Dark Spot on Neptune • Apr. 17, 2025, 11:08 PM ET (NASA Science (.gov))

James Webb Space Telescope captures first images of Neptune's auroras • Apr. 12, 2025, 2:07 AM ET (Jerusalem Post)

Auroras on Neptune seen for the first time, thanks to the Webb Telescope • Apr. 4, 2025, 1:20 AM ET (Earth.com)

Photos and Videos

clouds in Neptune's atmosphere

Neptune's Great Dark Spot

Neptune: Great Dark Spot

clouds on Neptune

moons of Neptune: Triton

Neptune's ring system

moons of Uranus: Ariel

Neptune: atmospheric changes

Witness the arrival of Voyager 2 at Neptune after a 12-year journey, August 25, 1989

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

Earth Mars Venus Jupiter Mercury Saturn Uranus

Quiz

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

All About Astronomy

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

Astronomy and Space Quiz

This artist's concept illustrates Kepler-16b, the first planet known to definitively orbit two stars -- what's called a circumbinary planet. The planet, which can be seen in the foreground, was discovered by NASA's Kepler mission. The two orbiting stars r

Extrasolar Planets

The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet

Space Odyssey

Saturn. Saturn and its rings. Second largest planet of the solar system. Space Art

Planets and the Earth’s Moon

Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11. Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin, photographed July 20, 1969, during the first manned mission to the Moon's surface. Reflected in Aldrin's faceplate is the Lunar Module and astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took the picture.

Can You Match The Moon To Its Planet? Quiz

1 July 2002: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite reveals a massive solar eruption more than 30 times the Earth's diameter. The eruption formed when a loop of a magnetic field over the surface of the Sun trapped hot gas.

Brightest Star in the Solar System

M101 (NGC 5457, The Pinwheel Galaxy). Hubble Space Telescope image of face-on spiral galaxy Messier 101 (M101). Largest most detailed photo of a spiral galaxy that has ever been released from Hubble. Created from 1994-2003

Everything in Space in a 25-Minute Quiz

Demystified

Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles

Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?