The 8 planets of the solar system: names, order and facts
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in order — the largest, the hottest and the coldest planet, and an easy trick to remember them.
Rohit Tandon · 20 October 2026 · 4 min read
The Sun and the planets, moons, dwarf planets, asteroids and comets that circle it together make up the solar system. It was born about 4.6 billion years ago from a huge cloud of gas and dust. Here are the planets of the solar system in order of their distance from the Sun, with the most interesting thing about each of them.
The planets of the solar system, in order
| No. | Planet | Type | One year (one trip round the Sun) | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercury (Budh) | Rocky | 88 days | The smallest, and the closest to the Sun |
| 2 | Venus (Shukra) | Rocky | 225 days | The hottest planet; spins the opposite way |
| 3 | Earth (Prithvi) | Rocky | 365.25 days | The only planet known to have life |
| 4 | Mars (Mangal) | Rocky | 687 days | The "Red Planet"; the tallest volcano, Olympus Mons |
| 5 | Jupiter (Brihaspati) | Gas giant | About 12 years | The largest planet |
| 6 | Saturn (Shani) | Gas giant | About 29.5 years | The most beautiful rings; lighter than water |
| 7 | Uranus (Arun) | Ice giant | About 84 years | Rolls around the Sun on its side |
| 8 | Neptune (Varun) | Ice giant | About 165 years | The fastest winds; the farthest from the Sun |
An easy way to remember them
In English the order of the planets is remembered with the sentence "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos" — the first letter of each word is the first letter of a planet. In Hindi you can sing the first syllables of the planets' Hindi names in a rhythm: "Bu-Shu Pri-Man, Bri-Sha A-Va".
Rocky planets and giant planets
The four planets closest to the Sun — Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars — are small and rocky; they are called the "terrestrial planets". After them comes a belt of asteroids. Beyond it are four giant planets: Jupiter and Saturn are "gas giants" made mainly of hydrogen and helium, while Uranus and Neptune contain more ices of water, ammonia and methane, so they are called "ice giants". All four giants have rings, but Saturn's rings are by far the brightest and largest.
Did you know? A day on Venus (one turn on its axis) lasts about 243 Earth days, while its year lasts only 225 days. So on Venus a day is longer than a year! Venus also spins the opposite way, so there the Sun rises in the west.
The largest, the hottest and the coldest
- Largest — Jupiter: its diameter is about 11 times Earth's, and more than 1,300 Earths could fit inside it. A storm called the "Great Red Spot", bigger than Earth, has been raging on it for hundreds of years.
- Smallest — Mercury: it is only a little bigger than our Moon.
- Hottest — Venus: although it is not the closest to the Sun, its temperature is about 465 °C, because heat is trapped in its thick carbon dioxide atmosphere.
- Coldest — Uranus: the lowest temperature recorded (about −224 °C) was found in the atmosphere of Uranus, even though Neptune is farther away.
- Most moons — Saturn: more than 250 of its moons have been identified, while Mercury and Venus have none at all.
How were new planets discovered?
The five planets from Mercury to Saturn can be seen with the naked eye, so they have been known since ancient times — they are described in Indian astronomy too. Uranus was discovered with a telescope by William Herschel in 1781 — the first planet found with a telescope. Neptune was found in 1846 with the help of mathematics: noticing irregularities in the motion of Uranus, scientists calculated that another planet lay beyond it, and it was then found with a telescope right where they predicted.
Pluto used to be counted as the ninth planet, but in 2006 it was called a "dwarf planet" — read the full story in our article "Why Pluto is no longer a planet". Learn to recognise stars in the night sky: Why the pole star never moves. India's journey to Mars: Mangalyaan.
Key points
- The solar system has 8 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
- The largest planet is Jupiter and the smallest is Mercury.
- The hottest planet is Venus, not Mercury, which is closest to the Sun.
- Saturn has the most moons; Mercury and Venus have none.
- Uranus was the first planet discovered with a telescope (1781).
Frequently asked questions
Which is the hottest planet in the solar system?
Venus, because its thick carbon dioxide atmosphere does not let heat escape.
Which planet is called the "Red Planet"?
Mars, because its soil contains iron oxide.
More articles: Science · Practise: Science questions.
Sources
Found this useful? Share it.