Kosmoskop Deutsch Open 3D model

Home › Planets › In the right order

The planets in order from the Sun

From the inside out: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. The four inner ones are rocky planets, Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants, Uranus and Neptune are ice giants. Pluto has been a dwarf planet since 2006.

Planets in order: names and pictures

No.PlanetTypeDistance from the SunLight takesOrbital period
1MercuryMercuryRocky planet57.9 million km
0.39 AU		3.2 minutes88 days
2VenusVenusRocky planet108.2 million km
0.72 AU		6 minutes224.7 days
3EarthEarthRocky planet149.6 million km
1 AU		8.3 minutes365.3 days
4MarsMarsRocky planet227.9 million km
1.52 AU		12.7 minutes687 days
5JupiterJupiterGas giant778.5 million km
5.2 AU		43.3 minutes11.9 years
6SaturnSaturnGas giant1,434 million km
9.59 AU		79.7 minutes29.4 years
7UranusUranusIce giant2,871 million km
19.19 AU		2.7 hours83.7 years
8NeptuneNeptuneIce giant4,495 million km
30.05 AU		4.2 hours163.7 years

Planet distance from the Sun: the planet closest to the Sun, Mercury, is 57.9 million km from the Sun on average, the outermost, Neptune, 4.5 billion km. The further out you go, the bigger the gap between two planetary orbits.

AU = astronomical unit, the average distance of the Earth from the Sun (about 150 million km).

Planet mnemonic: a memory aid for the order

The first letters of the well-known mnemonic are the first letters of the planets, from the inside out:

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles.

My = Mercury, Very = Venus, Educated = Earth, Mother = Mars, Just = Jupiter, Served = Saturn, Us = Uranus, Noodles = Neptune. A sentence of your own works even better: make one up with the same eight initials M, V, E, M, J, S, U, N.

Planet sizes: sorted by diameter

Jupiter is 139,820 km across, more than 10 times as wide as the Earth. Mercury is the smallest planet at 4,879 km, smaller than the moons Ganymede and Titan.

RankPlanetDiametercompared with Earth
1JupiterJupiter139,820 km11×
2SaturnSaturn116,460 km9.14×
3UranusUranus50,724 km3.98×
4NeptuneNeptune49,244 km3.86×
5EarthEarth12,742 km1×
6VenusVenus12,104 km0.95×
7MarsMars6,779 km0.53×
8MercuryMercury4,879 km0.38×

Frequently asked questions about the planets

How many planets does the Solar System have?

The Solar System has eight planets. Pluto counted as the ninth planet until 2006 and has been classed as a dwarf planet since the International Astronomical Union's decision.

Which planet is closest to the Sun?

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun, at an average of 57.9 million km.

Which is the largest and which the smallest planet?

Jupiter is the largest planet (139,820 km across) and Mercury the smallest (4,879 km).

Which planet is the hottest?

Venus is the hottest planet, at about 464 °C on average, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. Its dense atmosphere traps the heat.

Which planets can you see with the naked eye?

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible to the naked eye. Uranus and Neptune need binoculars or a telescope.

How far is it to the outermost planet?

Neptune is 4.5 billion km from the Sun on average. Sunlight takes about 4.2 hours to get there.

Read on

▶ See all the planets in the 3D model

Books on this topic

Children's bookKnowledge Encyclopedia Space!DKYearbookNight Sky Guide 2027Nicole MortillaroChildren's bookThere's No Place Like Space!Tish RabeChildren's bookSpace EncyclopediaNational Geographic KidsBookUniverseDKBookBackyard Guide to the Night SkyAndrew Fazekas

See all books

Advertisement As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.