Live · Neptune

How far is Neptune from Earth right now?

Centre-to-centre distance from Earth to Neptune, computed in this browser. Neptune is the outermost planet, and Earth’s orbit barely changes the gap.

See Neptune in 3DAll distances

Computing the distance from your device’s clock…

Why the distance changes

Neptune orbits at about 30 AU. Adding or removing Earth’s 1 AU changes the distance by only about 9%. NASA’s Neptune Fact Sheet lists 4,319 million km at the minimum and 4,711 million km at the maximum. The live number moves, but not by much from one week to the next.

The figure uses the JPL 3000 BC–3000 AD elements on the distance table. The nominal distance error for Neptune is about 4 million km. Light takes about 4.0 hours at the near end and about 4.4 hours at the far end. Neptune is too faint for the naked eye. Among the eight planets it is always the farthest from Earth. Pluto, a dwarf planet, is usually farther still, except near Pluto’s perihelion, and has its own distance page.

Other distances

Back to every body on the distance table. The same clock also fills these pages:

• Sun
• Moon
• Mercury
• Venus
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune
• Pluto

Frequently asked questions

How far is Neptune from Earth right now?

The figure is the centre-to-centre distance at the time shown, from JPL’s approximate Keplerian elements for 3000 BC–3000 AD. The nominal distance error for Neptune is about 4 million km. It is not a Horizons ephemeris.

Why does Neptune’s distance barely change?

Neptune is about 30 AU from the Sun, and Earth’s orbit is only 1 AU. NASA’s range is 4,319 million km to 4,711 million km, a change of about 9%. The week-to-week movement is a small fraction of that.

Is Neptune the farthest planet from Earth?

Among the eight planets, yes. Pluto is a dwarf planet and is usually farther than Neptune. Around Pluto’s 1989 perihelion, Pluto’s distance from the Sun dipped inside Neptune’s orbit, so “farthest” depends on which bodies you count and on the year.

How long does light take to reach us from Neptune?

About 4.0 hours at 4,319 million km and about 4.4 hours at 4,711 million km. The live light-travel time uses the distance on this page divided by 299,792.458 km/s.

Sources: JPL Approximate Positions of the Planets · NASA Neptune Fact Sheet for the 4,319 and 4,711 million km range.