A selectable model of the Sun, eight planets, dwarf planets, belts, and a comet. Every body is also available as a button in the Bodies list; selecting one presents its description and facts in the information panel.

Charting the planets…
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Planets of the Solar System

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Guide · kids, parents & teachers

The planets of the solar system: a guide for kids

Our solar system is the Sun and everything that travels around it: eight planets, their moons, dwarf planets like Pluto, and huge numbers of asteroids and comets. The Grand Tour lets you fly to each one.

What are the eight planets, in order from the Sun?

  1. Mercury: the smallest planet and the closest to the Sun. A year there lasts just 88 Earth days.
  2. Venus: the hottest planet, hot enough to melt lead, because its thick clouds trap heat. It is almost the same size as Earth.
  3. Earth: our home, and the only planet known to have life and liquid water oceans on its surface.
  4. Mars: a cold, red, dusty desert with the tallest volcano in the solar system.
  5. Jupiter: the biggest planet. More than 1,300 Earths could fit inside it, and its Great Red Spot is a storm bigger than Earth.
  6. Saturn: famous for its rings of ice and rock. It is so light for its size that it would float in a big enough bathtub.
  7. Uranus: an ice giant tipped right over, so it rolls around the Sun on its side.
  8. Neptune: the farthest planet, with the fastest winds in the solar system. One trip around the Sun takes about 165 Earth years.

A sentence to remember the order: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos.

Rocky planets and giant planets

The four inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) are small and rocky. The four outer planets are giants. Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants, made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Uranus and Neptune are ice giants, with lots of water, methane and ammonia beneath their clouds. Between Mars and Jupiter lies the asteroid belt, and far beyond Neptune is the icy Kuiper Belt.

Why isn’t Pluto a planet any more?

In 2006, astronomers agreed on what counts as a planet. A planet goes around the Sun, is big enough to be pulled into a round shape, and has cleared its path of other objects. Pluto is round and goes around the Sun, but it shares its region, the Kuiper Belt, with many other icy worlds. So it is called a dwarf planet. The tour also visits Ceres, the biggest object in the asteroid belt, and faraway Eris.

What is a comet?

A comet is a chunk of ice and dust. When its orbit brings it near the Sun, some of the ice turns to gas and glows as a fuzzy cloud with long tails that point away from the Sun. Visit the Halley-like comet in the tour.

How to use the Grand Tour

Tap any world, or choose it from the list, to see its facts. Press Tour for a guided trip, then Quiz to test what you spotted. Distance View spaces the orbits by each planet’s average distance from the Sun. To feel how far apart the planets really are, take the Scale Walk.

For teachers

Ages
7–14 (grades 2–8)
Time
20–45 minutes
Standards
NGSS MS-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-3 · England KS2 Year 5 Earth and space

Learning goals

  • Name the eight planets and put them in order from the Sun.
  • Compare rocky planets with giant planets using real data.
  • Explain why Pluto is now called a dwarf planet.

Try this in class

  1. Before starting, ask students to list every planet they can remember, in order.
  2. Run the Tour on the projector while students note one fact for each planet.
  3. Planet trading cards: each group takes one planet, collects four facts from its panel, and presents them to the class.
  4. Finish with the Quiz as a whole-class game.
  5. Turn on Distance View and ask which gap between neighbouring planets is the biggest.

Discussion questions

  • Mercury is closest to the Sun. So why is Venus the hottest planet?
  • On which planet would you wait longest for your next birthday? Why?
  • Would you rather visit a rocky planet or a giant planet? What would you need to survive there?
  • Should Pluto be a planet? Use the three-part definition to argue your case.

Sources NASA Solar System NASA Solar System facts JPL Physical values NASA Pluto Reviewed Sep 27, 2026