Solar System
The Sun and eight planets
Nov 2, 2026 · approximate positions
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Bodies to scale · Orbits compressed · Belts schematic
Star
Sun
Nuclear fusion in the Sun’s core releases the energy that lights and warms the planets. Its gravity holds the solar system together.
- Mean diameter
- 1,400,000 km · approx.
2012 chromosphere mosaic at 304 Å, shown in false colour; not the Sun in visible light or a current image. NASA JPL · SDO/STEREO ↗
Terrestrial planet
Mercury
The smallest planet circles closest to the Sun. Its rocky, cratered surface records a long history of impacts.
- Mean diameter
- 4,879 km
- Year
- 87.969 Earth days
- Mean distance from Sun
- 0.39 AU
No known natural moons.
Terrestrial planet
Venus
A dense atmosphere hides Venus’s solid surface. Its thick clouds reflect sunlight, while trapped heat makes the surface hotter than Mercury’s.
- Mean diameter
- 12,104 km
- Year
- 224.701 Earth days
- Mean distance from Sun
- 0.72 AU
No known natural moons.
Terrestrial planet
Earth
Oceans cover most of Earth’s surface. Its atmosphere, liquid water and active geology support the only life we know of.
- Mean diameter
- 12,742 km
- Year
- 365.256 Earth days
- Mean distance from Sun
- 1 AU
Terrestrial planet
Mars
River channels, layered rocks and water-altered minerals record a wetter past.
- Mean diameter
- 6,779 km
- Year
- 686.98 Earth days
- Mean distance from Sun
- 1.52 AU
Gas giant
Jupiter
The largest planet has cloud bands above a deep hydrogen-and-helium atmosphere. Its Great Red Spot is a long-lived storm.
- Mean diameter
- 139,822 km
- Year
- 11.9 Earth years
- Mean distance from Sun
- 5.2 AU
Gas giant
Saturn
Saturn’s rings are made mostly of pieces of ice. The gas giant beneath them has no solid surface to stand on.
- Mean diameter
- 116,464 km
- Year
- 29.4 Earth years
- Mean distance from Sun
- 9.54 AU
Ice giant
Uranus
Uranus is an ice giant with an extreme axial tilt. It rotates almost on its side as it travels around the Sun.
- Mean diameter
- 50,724 km
- Year
- 84 Earth years
- Mean distance from Sun
- 19.19 AU
Ice giant
Neptune
The most distant planet is an ice giant. Clouds and strong winds move through its atmosphere, far beyond the inner rocky worlds.
- Mean diameter
- 49,244 km
- Year
- 164.8 Earth years
- Mean distance from Sun
- 30.07 AU
About this view & sources
All nine bodies share one size scale based on their reference diameters. Orbital distances use a separate logarithmic compression; sizes and distances do not share a scale.
Approximate JPL planetary positions for the displayed UTC date. Earth uses the Earth–Moon barycentre. These fits are intended for visualization, not navigation.
Planet maps show representative appearances, not current photographs. The Sun uses an actual NASA JPL SDO/STEREO 2012 mosaic at 304 Å: false-colour ultraviolet imaging of the chromosphere, not visible-light colour or current activity. Its glow is illustrative.
Belts and Trojan groups are schematic populations, not measured positions or density. The proposed Oort Cloud lies outside this diagram’s scale.
- JPL · approximate planetary positions, 1800–2050 ↗
- JPL · planetary physical parameters ↗
- NASA · the eight planets ↗
- NASA · Sun facts ↗
- Mercury · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Venus · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Jupiter · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Saturn · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Uranus · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Neptune · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗
- Earth · NASA Visible Earth · Blue Marble ↗
- Mars · NASA/JPL/USGS · NASA Trek ↗
- NASA JPL SDO/STEREO 304 Å Carrington mosaic (2012; false colour) ↗