Scrub through 3 real observation eras to see when Neptune's Great Dark Spot was actually there - and when it was not - drawn on a Neptune sphere shaded near the storm's real 20 degree south latitude.
Each stop on the slider is a real, independently documented observation era - not a smoothly interpolated storm lifespan. Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom on the scene above.
For Jupiter's own storm-size history, see the Great Red Spot Jupiter 3D Explorer.
Neptune Supersonic Winds 3D Explorer
This browser explorer scrubs through 3 real observation eras of Neptune's Great Dark Spot and compares Neptune's real peak measured winds against Saturn, Jupiter, and Earth, so you can see why Neptune has the fastest winds ever measured on a planet.
Neptune's equatorial diameter is about 49,528 km, and it completes one rotation in about 16.1 hours on average - with different latitudes actually spinning at different rates, about 18 hours at the equator and about 12 hours near the poles, because the planet is not a rigid body. Neptune orbits roughly 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth does, so it receives about 900 times less sunlight - yet peak measured winds near its Great Dark Spot reached roughly 2,000-2,400 km/h, the fastest winds ever recorded on any planet in the solar system. Why a planet with so little solar energy has the strongest winds is an open research question tied to Neptune's internal heat, fast rotation, and low atmospheric drag. In 1989, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft discovered the Great Dark Spot, an anticyclonic storm roughly the size of Earth, centered around 20 degrees south latitude; consecutive Voyager 2 images captured full rotations of the storm system about 18 hours apart. Unlike Jupiter's Great Red Spot, which has been observed continuously since at least 1831, the Great Dark Spot was not permanent - Hubble Space Telescope observations in the mid-1990s found no trace of it. These figures come from NASA's Neptune Facts page, the NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheet, NASA/JPL's Great Dark Spot image sequence, and NASA's reporting on the Hubble storm-lifecycle observations.
- Era slider (3 stops) redraws Neptune with the Great Dark Spot present or absent at each real, documented observation era
- Facts panel shows the era, what was observed, and a running table of all 3 eras with the active one highlighted
- A wind-speed comparison table ranks Neptune's peak measured winds against Saturn, Jupiter, and Earth
- A small glowing dot ring marks the storm's fixed latitude when present, and spins with Neptune's rotation
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Body | Peak measured wind | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Neptune | about 2,000-2,400 km/h | NASA - fastest measured winds of any planet in the solar system |
| Saturn | about 1,800 km/h | NASA Saturn Facts - equatorial jet stream |
| Jupiter | typically 320-640 km/h; polar jets up to about 1,450 km/h | NASA/Voyager and Juno data |
| Earth | about 396 km/h (110 m/s) | NASA Saturn Facts - fastest winds ever measured on Earth |
For Jupiter's own storm-size history rather than Neptune's winds, open the Great Red Spot Jupiter 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation - Neptune's cloud bands are drawn as artistic color stripes, not a photographic texture, and the storm's oval shape and on-screen size are stylized. Whether the storm appears in each era, and its approximate 20 degree south latitude, reflect the real published observations cited above.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast are Neptune's winds?
Peak measured winds near the Great Dark Spot reached roughly 2,000-2,400 km/h (about 1,200-1,500 mph) - the fastest winds ever recorded on any planet in the solar system.
Why does Neptune have the strongest winds despite so little sunlight?
Neptune receives about 900 times less sunlight than Earth because it orbits roughly 30 times farther from the Sun. Why it still has the strongest winds is an open research question tied to internal heat, fast rotation, and low atmospheric drag.
What was the Great Dark Spot?
An anticyclonic storm roughly the size of Earth, discovered by NASA's Voyager 2 in 1989, centered around 20 degrees south latitude in Neptune's southern hemisphere.
Is the Great Dark Spot still there?
No. Hubble Space Telescope observations in the mid-1990s found no trace of it - unlike Jupiter's Great Red Spot, which has been observed continuously since at least 1831, it was not a permanent feature.
How fast does Neptune rotate?
About 16.1 hours on average. Neptune is not a rigid body, so different latitudes rotate at different rates - about 18 hours at the equator and about 12 hours near the poles, based on Voyager 2 data.
How does Neptune's wind speed compare to Saturn and Jupiter?
Neptune's peak measured winds (about 2,000-2,400 km/h) are the fastest known. Saturn's equatorial jet reaches about 1,800 km/h, and Jupiter's winds typically run 320-640 km/h with polar jets recorded up to about 1,450 km/h.
How big is Neptune compared to Earth?
Neptune's equatorial diameter is about 49,528 km, compared to Earth's about 12,742 km - roughly 3.9 times wider.
Is the on-screen storm shape to scale?
No. Neptune's cloud bands are drawn as flat artistic color stripes, not a photographic texture, and the storm's oval shape and on-screen size are stylized. Whether the storm appears at all in each era, and its approximate 20 degree south location, reflect the real published observations.
Where do these figures come from?
NASA's Neptune Facts page, the NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheet, NASA/JPL's Great Dark Spot image sequence (PIA00045), and NASA's reporting on Hubble's storm-lifecycle observations.