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How far is Neptune from Earth right now?
Neptune is 4,320,868,932 km from Earth right now, moving away at 3.85 km/s.
Neptune from Earth, right now
Centre to centre. Worked out in your browser from JPL's orbital elements, the same maths that moves the planets in the 3D viewer, and updated ten times a second.
Where Earth and Neptune are today
Why the distance keeps changing
Neptune takes 165 years to orbit the Sun, so it hardly moves in a year. The distance changes because Earth moves around the Sun, closest at opposition every 367 days.
Its light takes about four hours to reach us, so we always see Neptune as it was four hours ago.
Neptune ranges from about 4.31 billion km to about 4.69 billion km from Earth.
Questions
How far is Neptune from Earth right now?
On 2 October 2026, Neptune was 4.32 billion km from Earth (2,684,863,480 miles, 28.8832 AU), and moving away at 3.85 km/s. The figure at the top of this page is worked out live in your browser, so it is current whenever you read it.
When is Neptune next closest to Earth?
Neptune next comes closest to Earth on 27 September 2027, at about 4.32 billion km. Close approaches like this, at opposition, come round about every 367 days.
How long does light take to travel from Neptune to Earth?
Right now light from Neptune takes 4 h 0 min to reach us, so we see Neptune as it was that long ago. Radio signals to a spacecraft there take the same time.
What is the closest and farthest Neptune gets from Earth?
Neptune can come as close as about 4.31 billion km and be as far as about 4.69 billion km, worked out from the sizes and shapes of the two orbits.