Mercury
The smallest planet and closest to the Sun. Its surface is scarred by countless craters, resembling our Moon. With virtually no atmosphere, temperatures swing wildly—scorching 800°F during the day, plunging to −290°F at night. A single day on Mercury lasts 59 Earth days.
- Diameter
- 3,032 mi
- Distance
- 36M mi
- Day
- 59 Earth days
Venus
Earth’s “evil twin”—similar in size but wrapped in thick sulfuric acid clouds that trap heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet at 900°F. Venus rotates backwards and so slowly that a day on Venus is longer than its year.
- Diameter
- 7,521 mi
- Distance
- 67M mi
- Day
- 243 Earth days
Earth
The only world known to harbor life. 71% of its surface is covered in liquid water—unique in the solar system. A magnetic field shields it from solar radiation, while a thin atmosphere keeps temperatures just right. Home to 8 million species and counting.
- Diameter
- 7,918 mi
- Distance
- 93M mi
- Day
- 24 hours
Mars
The Red Planet, colored by iron oxide dust covering its surface. Home to Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system at 72,000 ft. Evidence of ancient rivers and lakes suggests water once flowed freely. Humanity’s next frontier.
- Diameter
- 4,212 mi
- Distance
- 142M mi
- Day
- 24h 37m
Jupiter
The king of planets—more massive than all other planets combined. Its Great Red Spot is a storm larger than Earth that has raged for over 350 years. Jupiter has at least 95 moons, including four planet-sized worlds discovered by Galileo in 1610.
- Diameter
- 86,881 mi
- Distance
- 484M mi
- Day
- 9h 56m
Saturn
Adorned with the most spectacular ring system in the solar system—billions of particles of ice and rock orbiting in a disc just 30 feet thick but 175,000 miles wide. Despite being the second-largest planet, Saturn is less dense than water.
- Diameter
- 72,367 mi
- Distance
- 886M mi
- Day
- 10h 42m
Uranus
An ice giant knocked on its side by an ancient collision—it rolls around the Sun with a 98-degree axial tilt. Its pale blue-green color comes from methane in its atmosphere. Uranus has 13 faint rings and 27 known moons, all named after Shakespeare characters.
- Diameter
- 31,518 mi
- Distance
- 1.8B mi
- Day
- 17h 14m
Neptune
The windiest planet in the solar system, with storms reaching 1,200 mph. Its vivid blue color comes from methane absorbing red light. Neptune takes 165 Earth years to complete one orbit—it has completed just one trip around the Sun since its discovery in 1846.
- Diameter
- 30,599 mi
- Distance
- 2.8B mi
- Day
- 16h 6m