Neptune currently has 16 known moons , according to the latest astronomical data as of early 2026.

Discovery Timeline

Neptune's moons have been uncovered gradually over nearly two centuries. Triton, the largest and first discovered in 1846 just 17 days after Neptune itself, orbits retrograde and shows geysers of nitrogen. Voyager 2 in 1989 revealed six more small inner moons like Naiad and Proteus. Recent additions like S/2002 N5 and S/2021 N1 pushed the count to 16, with ongoing telescope surveys likely to find more.

Key Moons Overview

Moon| Diameter (km)| Notable Features| Discovery Year
---|---|---|---
Triton| ~2,700| Largest; icy geysers, retrograde orbit 18| 1846
Proteus| ~420| Second-largest; irregular shape 46| 1989
Nereid| ~340| Highly eccentric orbit 1| 1949
Larissa| ~200| Inner shepherd moon 1| 1989
Hippocamp| ~34| Smallest named; near Proteus 6| 2013

These 14 named moons draw from Greek water deities, fitting Neptune's sea-god theme; the rest are provisional designations.

Recent Updates

As of February 2026, NASA confirms 16 moons, unchanged since provisional discoveries around 2021–2022—no major announcements in the past year. Ground- based telescopes like Hubble continue spotting faint outer irregulars, but confirmation takes time due to their dimness. Fun fact: Triton may be a captured Kuiper Belt object, hinting at Neptune's wild past collisions.

TL;DR: 16 moons total, led by dramatic Triton; count stable recently but expect future adds.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.