The planets that orbit the sun are (in order from the Sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter (the biggest planet in our Solar System), Saturn (with large, orbiting rings), Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (a dwarf planet). A belt of asteroids (many minor planets made of rock and metal) orbits between Mars and Jupiter. These objects all orbit the Sun in roughly circular orbits that lie in the same plane, called the ecliptic (Pluto is an exception to this; it has an elliptical orbit that is tilted over 17° from the ecliptic).

The inner planets (those planets that orbit close to the Sun) are quite different from the outer planets (those planets that orbit far from the Sun). The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. They are relatively small, composed mostly of rock, and have few or no moons. The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (a dwarf planet). They are mostly huge, mostly gaseous, ringed, and have many moons (again, the exception is Pluto which is small, rocky, dwarf planet with one moon).

Go to more on the Solar System