Neptune

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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

Solar system illustration. (Sun; planets)

A Model of the Cosmos

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 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

New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.

Why Is It Called Black Friday?

Normandy Invasion: Omaha Beach. World War II. D-Day. Infographic. SPOTLIGHT VERSION

Facts and Figures About the Landings on Omaha Beach During the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944

Nelson Mandela, undated photo.

15 Nelson Mandela Quotes

airplane in flight (plane, aircraft, flying)

7 Puzzling Plane Disappearances

Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan

6 Animals That Eat Their Mates

Scolex (head) of the tapeworm Taenia solium. The hooks of the scolex enable the tapeworm to attach to the intestinal wall.

Uninvited Guests: The 7 Worst Parasitic Worms

Estimated battle casualties, Normandy invasion, World War II. WWII, D-Day

Estimated Battle Casualties During the Normandy Invasion and Campaign to Liberate Paris (June–August 1944)

Neptune: Related Content

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

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2025

News •

Webb telescope detects water vapor on a planet outside the solar system smaller than Neptune • June 6, 2025, 8:00 AM ET (Earth.com)

Planet Nine? Not quite, but some astronomers think they've spotted a new dwarf planet • June 4, 2025, 6:12 AM ET (NBC)

Astronomers discover potential dwarf planet 2017 OF201 beyond Neptune • May 31, 2025, 12:54 AM ET (Jerusalem Post)

Astronomers Discover a Possible Dwarf Planet Far Beyond Neptune, Where There Should Have Only Been Empty Space • May 30, 2025, 12:54 AM ET (Smithsonian Magazine)

Potential dwarf planet spotted in space search • May 29, 2025, 6:09 AM ET (Taipei Times)

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

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Quiz

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

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

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

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

Planets and the Earth’s Moon

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

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

Space Odyssey

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

Astronomy and Space Quiz

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

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?