Neptune (Planet)
© NASA/Voyager 2
Finder chart
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From Cambridge , Neptune is visible in the evening sky, becoming accessible around 17:30 (EST), 35° above your south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. It will then reach its highest point in the sky at 19:54, 46° above your southern horizon. It will continue to be observable until around 23:45, when it sinks below 21° above your south-western horizon.
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|
Name
Neptune
|
Object type
Superior planet
|
Current position
| Computed for: | 17 November 2025 |
| Right ascension: | 23h59m [2] |
| Declination: | −01°34' [2] |
| Constellation: | Pisces |
| Magnitude: | 7.84 (V) [1] |
| Angular diameter: | 2.3 arcsec[2] |
| Distance: | 29.32 AU 243.81 lightmin [2] |
| Angular motion (speed): | 5.02 deg/yr[2] |
| Angular motion (pos ang): | 248.8° |
Orbital elements [2]
| Semi-major axis: | 30.07 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.008590 |
| Inclination: | 1.77° |
| Longitude ascending node: | 131.78° |
| Argument of perihelion: | -86.82° |
| Epoch of elements: | 01 January 2000 |
| Mean Anomaly at epoch: | -100.08° |
| Absolute mag (H): | -6.87 [1] |
| Slope parameter (n): | 2.00 [1] |
Derived quantities
| Perihelion: | 29.81 AU |
| Aphelion: | 30.33 AU |
| Orbital period: | 164.89 years |
Sources
| [1] | Robin M. Green, Spherical Astronomy, 1985, ISBN 0-521-31779-7 |
| [2] | Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac, 2013, Urban & Seidelmann, Eds., Table 8.7, ISBN 978-1-891389-85-6 |
Visibility from Cambridge
All times shown in Cambridge local time.
Events
| 10 Dec 2025 | – Neptune ends retrograde motion |
| 22 Mar 2026 | – Neptune at solar conjunction |
| 07 Jul 2026 | – Neptune enters retrograde motion |
| 25 Sep 2026 | – Neptune at opposition |
| 12 Dec 2026 | – Neptune ends retrograde motion |
| 24 Mar 2027 | – Neptune at solar conjunction |
| 09 Jul 2027 | – Neptune enters retrograde motion |
| 28 Sep 2027 | – Neptune at opposition |
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