Diameter: ~4,880 km

Orbital period: 88 Earth days

Average temperature: -173°C to 427°C

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system and the one closest to the Sun. Its lack of atmosphere means temperatures swing wildly from blistering heat to freezing cold. Covered in craters, it resembles our Moon and has no moons of its own.

Diameter: ~12,104 km

Orbital period: 225 Earth days

Surface temperature: ~465°C

Venus is Earth’s “twin” in size but a furnace in climate, with thick clouds of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid. Its crushing pressure and runaway greenhouse effect make it the hottest planet in our solar system.

Diameter: ~12,742 km

Orbital period: 365.25 days

Moons: 1

Earth is the only known world to harbor life, with a breathable atmosphere and vast oceans. Its climate and ecosystems are diverse, from icy poles to lush rainforests, sustained by a delicate balance of conditions.

Diameter: ~6,779 km

Orbital period: 687 Earth days

Moons: 2 (Phobos, Deimos)

Known as the “Red Planet,” Mars has iron-rich dust and a thin atmosphere. Once possibly home to flowing water, it now hosts frozen polar caps and towering volcanoes, with ongoing exploration seeking signs of past life.

Diameter: ~139,820 km

Orbital period: ~12 Earth years

Moons: 95+ confirmed

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, a gas giant with a powerful magnetic field. Its swirling clouds and the iconic Great Red Spot are storm systems that have raged for centuries.

Diameter: ~116,460 km

Orbital period: ~29 Earth years

Moons: 145+ confirmed

Saturn is famous for its stunning ring system made of ice and rock. Another gas giant, it’s less dense than water and home to moons like Titan, which has rivers and lakes of liquid methane.

Diameter: ~50,724 km

Orbital period: ~84 Earth years

Tilt: 98° (rotates on its side)

Uranus is an ice giant with a pale blue-green hue from methane in its atmosphere. Its extreme tilt gives it unusual seasons, with one pole facing the Sun for decades at a time.

Diameter: ~49,244 km

Orbital period: ~165 Earth years

Winds: up to 2,100 km/h

Neptune, the farthest known planet, is a deep blue ice giant with supersonic winds. It has a dynamic atmosphere with giant storms and faint rings, and it radiates more heat than it receives from the Sun.