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| 8th planet from the Sun, the fourth largest planet in the solar system | |
| Average distance from the Sun | 4,504,000,000 km / 30.06 AU |
| Diameter | 49,532 km (equatorial) |
| Mass | 1.0247e26 kg |
| Orbital period around the Sun | 164.8 Earth years / 60,150 Earth days |
| Number of moons | about 13 moons |
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| Neptune is smaller in diameter than Uranus, but larger in mass. It is the first planet found from calculations based on the observed positions of the other planets. Because Pluto's orbit is so eccentric, it crosses the orbit of Neptune, making Neptune the most distant planet from the Sun for a few years. Like Uranus, it is difficult for beginners with small telescopes to find it. Neptune usually appears simply as a bluish-green star. In slightly larger scopes it will look more like a disk and less like a point of light. Neptune has at least 13 moons. The biggest is named Triton. | |
Our Solar System
Our solar system is located on the edge of a spiral arm called Orion’s Arm, and is one-half to two-thirds of the way (28,000 light-years) from the center of our Milky Way galaxy.The Sun, Sol
The Inner Planets
Mercury
Venus
Earth
The Moon
Mars
The Asteroid Belt
Dwarf planet, Ceres
Asteroid, Ida
Asteroid, Vesta
Asteroid, Eros
The Outer Planets
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
The Kuiper Belt
Dwarf planet, Pluto
Dwarf planet, Eris
The Oort Cloud
Dwarf planet, Sedna
Comet Halley
Comet Hale-Bopp
Glossary of Terms
