Planets in Order from the Sun: A Complete Guide to Our Solar System
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Eight planets in order from the sun, each one wildly different from the last. Some are small and rocky. Others are gas giants so massive they could swallow Earth a thousand times over. Here is everything you need to know about each one.
Mercury: The Smallest Planet Closest to the Sun
Mercury sits just 58 million kilometers from the Sun. It is the smallest planet in our solar system, only slightly larger than Earth's Moon. A year on Mercury lasts 88 Earth days, but a single day (sunrise to sunrise) takes 176 Earth days. That means you'd experience fewer than two sunrises per year. Surface temperatures swing from 430°C during the day to -180°C at night because Mercury has almost no atmosphere to trap heat. NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft orbited Mercury from 2011 to 2015 and found water ice hiding in permanently shadowed craters near the poles. For a planet this close to the Sun, that is a wild discovery.
Venus: Earth's Evil Twin
Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the hottest planet in our solar system. Not Mercury. Venus. Its thick carbon dioxide atmosphere creates a runaway greenhouse effect that pushes surface temperatures to 465°C, hot enough to melt lead. The atmospheric pressure on Venus is 90 times what you feel on Earth. That is like being 900 meters deep in the ocean. Venus also spins backwards compared to most planets, so the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east. A day on Venus (243 Earth days) is actually longer than its year (225 Earth days). Soviet Venera probes landed on Venus in the 1970s and 1980s and survived just minutes before being crushed and cooked.
Earth: The Only Planet with Known Life
Third from the Sun, Earth sits in the habitable zone where liquid water can exist on the surface. That might sound like a small detail, but it changes everything. Water enables the chemistry that supports life as we know it. Earth is 4.5 billion years old, has a magnetic field that shields it from solar radiation, and an atmosphere that balances oxygen and nitrogen perfectly for complex life. About 71% of the surface is covered in water. Earth is the densest planet in the solar system and the largest of the four rocky planets. We take this for granted, but from a cosmic perspective, Earth is spectacularly rare.
Mars: The Red Planet and Future Human Destination
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the most explored planet besides Earth. Its red color comes from iron oxide (rust) covering the surface. Mars has the tallest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, which stands 21.9 km high. That is nearly three times the height of Mount Everest. Mars also has Valles Marineris, a canyon system stretching 4,000 km long and up to 7 km deep. A day on Mars lasts 24 hours and 37 minutes, almost identical to Earth. But a year takes 687 Earth days. Mars has two tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are likely captured asteroids. Multiple rovers have explored the surface, including Perseverance, which landed in 2021 and is currently searching for signs of ancient microbial life.
Jupiter: The King of Planets
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest by far. You could fit 1,321 Earths inside Jupiter. It is a gas giant made mostly of hydrogen and helium, and it has no solid surface. The Great Red Spot is a storm that has been raging for at least 350 years and is larger than Earth. Jupiter rotates faster than any other planet, completing a full spin in just under 10 hours. That fast rotation creates powerful bands of clouds and massive wind patterns. Jupiter has at least 95 known moons. The four largest, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, were discovered by Galileo in 1610. Europa is especially exciting because it has a subsurface ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust, making it one of the best candidates for extraterrestrial life.
Saturn: The Ringed Giant
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and famous for its stunning ring system. The rings are made of billions of chunks of ice and rock, ranging from tiny grains to house-sized boulders. They stretch up to 282,000 km from the planet but are only about 10 meters thick on average. Saturn is the second-largest planet but also the least dense. It is less dense than water, which means it would technically float in a bathtub big enough to hold it. Saturn has 146 known moons. Titan, the largest, has a thick atmosphere and lakes of liquid methane on its surface. Enceladus shoots geysers of water ice from its south pole, hinting at a subsurface ocean.
Uranus: The Sideways Planet
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and one of the strangest. It rotates on its side, with an axial tilt of 98 degrees. Scientists believe a massive collision billions of years ago knocked it over. This sideways tilt means each pole gets 42 years of continuous sunlight followed by 42 years of darkness. Uranus is an ice giant, made of water, methane, and ammonia ices surrounding a small rocky core. The methane in its atmosphere absorbs red light, giving Uranus its pale blue-green color. It has 27 known moons, all named after characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. Uranus was the first planet discovered with a telescope, spotted by William Herschel in 1781.
Neptune: The Windiest Planet in the Solar System
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun, orbiting at 4.5 billion kilometers away. Light from the Sun takes over 4 hours to reach Neptune. Despite being so far from the Sun, Neptune has the strongest winds of any planet, reaching speeds up to 2,100 km/h. Nobody fully understands why. Neptune is slightly smaller than Uranus but more massive, making it denser. Its deep blue color comes from methane, like Uranus, but an unknown compound gives Neptune a more vivid blue. Neptune has 16 known moons. Triton, the largest, orbits in the opposite direction of Neptune's rotation, suggesting it was captured from the Kuiper Belt. A year on Neptune lasts 165 Earth years. It completed its first full orbit since discovery in 2011.
Inner Planets vs Outer Planets: What Is the Difference?
The solar system splits neatly into two groups. The inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) are small, rocky, and close to the Sun. They have solid surfaces you could stand on, few or no moons, and no rings. The outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are enormous, made mostly of gas and ice, and orbited by dozens of moons and ring systems. Between these two groups sits the asteroid belt, a region containing millions of rocky objects left over from the solar system's formation. The largest object in the asteroid belt is Ceres, a dwarf planet about 940 km across. This inner-outer divide exists because closer to the young Sun, it was too hot for gases to condense, so only rock and metal could form planets.
What About Pluto and the Dwarf Planets?
Pluto lost its planet status in 2006 when the International Astronomical Union created a formal definition requiring a planet to clear its orbital neighborhood of debris. Pluto shares its orbital region with thousands of Kuiper Belt objects, so it was reclassified as a dwarf planet. That decision remains controversial, but the science is straightforward. Besides Pluto, there are four other recognized dwarf planets: Ceres (in the asteroid belt), Eris (larger than Pluto, orbiting beyond it), Haumea (egg-shaped, with a ring), and Makemake (cold and distant). NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto in 2015 and revealed a complex world with mountains of water ice, nitrogen glaciers, and a thin atmosphere. Pluto might not be a planet, but it is fascinating.
How Far Apart Are the Planets? Solar System Distances Explained
The distances between planets are staggering. Mercury orbits at 58 million km from the Sun. Venus at 108 million. Earth at 150 million. Mars at 228 million. Already that is a big jump. Then Jupiter sits at 778 million km, more than three times farther from the Sun than Mars. Saturn is at 1.4 billion km. Uranus at 2.9 billion. Neptune at 4.5 billion km. To put this in perspective, light from the Sun reaches Earth in about 8 minutes. It takes light over 4 hours to reach Neptune. If you drove a car at highway speed (100 km/h) nonstop toward Neptune, you would arrive in about 5,100 years. The solar system is mostly empty space.
How to Remember the Planets in Order: Mnemonics That Work
The classic mnemonic is "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos." Each first letter matches a planet: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. If you grew up before 2006, you might remember "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas," where the P stood for Pluto. Some people create their own mnemonics for better recall. "Many Vicious Elephants Munch Jam Sandwiches Under Newspapers." "Most Volcanoes Erupt Marshmallows Joyfully, So Unicorns Navigate." The sillier the sentence, the easier it sticks.
Make a Planet Yours: Symbolic Planet Naming
If the solar system fascinates you (or someone you care about), here is a fun idea. BuyMyPlanet lets you symbolically name a planet for $24.99. You pick the planet, add a custom name, and get a certificate with real NASA data including orbital parameters and coordinates. It is not official IAU naming, but it is a real certificate tied to a real celestial body. People use it as a birthday gift, anniversary present, or just something cool for a space-obsessed friend. Instant digital delivery, so you can do it right now.
Solar System Size Comparison: How Big Are the Planets?
Earth has a diameter of 12,742 km. Mercury is the smallest at 4,879 km. Mars is slightly bigger at 6,779 km. Venus is nearly Earth-sized at 12,104 km. Then the scale jumps dramatically. Neptune is 49,528 km across. Uranus is 51,118 km. Saturn is 116,460 km. And Jupiter dominates at 139,820 km, roughly 11 times Earth's diameter. If Earth were the size of a grape, Jupiter would be a basketball, and the Sun would be a 9-foot ball. Saturn's rings would extend another basketball-width beyond the planet itself.
Planets to explore
Mercury
The smallest planet and closest to the Sun, with scorching days and freezing nights.
Mars
The Red Planet — a dusty, cold desert world that may have once harbored ancient rivers and lakes.
Jupiter
The king of planets — a colossal gas giant with a Great Red Spot storm raging for centuries.
Saturn
The jewel of the Solar System — a majestic gas giant adorned with stunning rings.
Related articles & guides
Explore our full catalog on the planets page. You can also buy a star as a gift. Learn about exoplanets or get started with stargazing for beginners. Check out these solar system facts. Got questions? Check our FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 8 planets in order from the Sun?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. A good way to remember: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos.
Why is Pluto no longer a planet?
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union defined three criteria for a planet. Pluto meets two but fails to clear its orbital neighborhood, so it was reclassified as a dwarf planet.
Which planet is the biggest in our solar system?
Jupiter, with a diameter of about 139,820 km. You could fit over 1,300 Earths inside it.
Which planet is closest to Earth?
On average, Mercury is closest to Earth more often than Venus, because Mercury orbits close to the Sun and never strays far. But Venus makes the closest approach of any planet to Earth at about 38 million km.
Can you name a planet after someone?
Not officially through the IAU, but services like BuyMyPlanet offer symbolic naming certificates tied to real planets with NASA data, coordinates, and orbital parameters for $24.99.
Got Questions?
Here's everything you need to know about buying a planet
Here's the deal: this is symbolic ownership. Nobody can legally own a planet (there's actually a UN treaty about it). But what you DO get is a gorgeous personalized certificate with real astronomical data and a unique registration number. Think of it as the most original gift you can possibly give someone.
The planet's real name, your personalized owner name, a custom message if you want one, a unique registration number, and the date. It's designed to look premium enough to frame and hang on a wall.
It shows up in your email as a PDF within a few minutes of buying. You can print it at home, take it to a print shop for a nicer version, or just share it digitally. Simple.
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Right now we do instant digital PDF certificates. You can print them at home or at any print shop. We're working on framed physical versions that'll ship to your door. Stay tuned.
Totally. Symbolic planet ownership is a novelty gift, kind of like star naming services. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty says no country can claim a planet, but personalized certificates are perfectly fine. It's a beloved gift worldwide.
Name Your Own Planet
Pick any planet in our solar system and put your name on it. Real NASA data, real coordinates, $24.99. Instant digital delivery.
Digital product. Symbolic ownership certificate.