Neptune

Astronomical Facts

Information about the planets is constantly being updated. For example, the number of known Moons for some planets has increased over the years. The following data is current as of 1995.
Average Distance from Sun (Earth = 1.0): 30.1
Radius (Earth radii): 3.9
Number of known Moons: 8
Rotation Period (length of day): 0.6 days
Revolutionary Period (length of year): 164.79 years
Mass (Earth masses): 17
Atmosphere: 84% hydrogen, 14% helium, 3% methane.
Density (g/cm3): 1.7 Neptune's largest Moon is Triton, which has a diameter of 2,760 kilometers. It was discovered by astronomer William Lassell in 1846. Proteus is the second largest Moon of Neptune and has a diameter of 415 kilometers. Information about the planets is constantly being updated. For example, the number of known Moons for some planets has increased over the years.

Astrological Meaning

The planet Neptune has an almost perfectly circular orbit. It represents the part of our nature that strives for perfection, that looks to some higher ideal. The planet Neptune rules the ocean and the part of us that is beyond the limits of the shores of personal existence. The culture moves with the cycles of
Neptune and it is the primary indicator of your connection to the culture that you live in.

The sign of Neptune shows an ideal that you desire to manifest. The house placement of Neptune shows thearea of your life that you want to express this ideal in. The aspect patterns of Neptune indicate the most direct connections yet most subtle networking of your personality into the world at large.

Historical Myth & Legend

The planet Neptune is named after the Roman god Neptune, who is the Roman version of the Greek god Poseidon. Poseidon was the god of the seas. The Greeks were seafaring people and traveled by boat, which was a vitally important, but dangerous part of their lives.

Poseidon was a strong and powerful god, who could cause storms, earthquakes, and other catastrophes. Before embarking on a journey by boat, Greeks would say prayers to Poseidon, asking for safety and protection, and upon returning give thanks to him.

Poseidon's great strength and ferocity were evident from his earliest days, when he fought with his brothers Zeus and Hades against the Titans. After their victory, Zeus, the leader of the battle, claimed the sky for himself, and he rewarded Hades with ruler ship of the underworld and Poseidon with ruler ship of the ocean.

The strong, easily angered god Poseidon does not seem to exhibit the astrological qualities of Neptune: intuition, receptivity, idealism, and passivity. Some of the beings who accompanied Poseidon were magical and sensitive and therefore, Neptunian in their character: Poseidon was attended by sea goddesses called Nereids and an elderly man named Proteus, who could change his shape and foretell the future.