The second of the three ‘outer planets,’ Neptune is impossible to see with the naked eye, and was not discovered until 1846. Neptune is about the same size as Uranus but is twice as far away from the Sun. It is the outermost of the ‘gas giants’ -- planets composed only of gases, with no solid core.
Neptune orbits the Sun every 165 years, and has a nearly perfect circular orbit. A day on Neptune is roughly sixteen hours. It has eight moons. Like Saturn, it has outer rings, and it also radiates more than twice as much energy as it receives from the Sun, another similarity to Saturn. The ‘blue planet’ has wild storms with the strongest winds of all planets.
From our perspective here on Earth, Neptune appears to be retrograde 44% of the time, and as always, the most important times are the stationary points, when the planet appears to be standing still as it changes direction.
During the stations, it’s best to take stock of your emotional state. Consider your feelings and how you respond to crises. You may need to process your emotions, especially concerning a loss of something or someone in your life.
Neptune’s orbit is longer than the human life span, so astrologers don’t look at Neptune Returns. However, shorter divisions of the Neptune cycle, such as the Neptune Square that occurs around age forty to forty-two years of age, are important milestones.
During the Neptune Square, dreams and illusions get a reality check. No longer following pipe dreams, we tend to go for more realistic goals.