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Nov 18, 2015 · In the time it takes the Earth to complete one orbit, the planets closer to the Sun (Mercury and Venus) orbit at least once. The more distant planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) which move slower and have a greater distance to travel, complete just a fraction of their orbits in this time.
The largest objects that orbit the Sun are the eight planets. In order from the Sun, they are four terrestrial planets ( Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars ); two gas giants ( Jupiter and Saturn ); and two ice giants ( Uranus and Neptune ). All terrestrial planets have solid surfaces.
NASA’s Solar System Interactive (also known as the Orrery) is a live look at the solar system, its planets, moons, comets, and asteroids, as well as the real-time locations of dozens of NASA missions.
6 days ago · Solar system, assemblage consisting of the Sun and those bodies orbiting it: 8 planets with about 210 known planetary satellites; many asteroids, some with their own satellites; comets and other icy bodies; and vast reaches of highly tenuous gas and dust known as the interplanetary medium.
May 2, 2024 · Kepler's three laws describe how planets orbit the Sun. They describe how (1) planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun as a focus, (2) a planet covers the same area of space in the same amount of time no matter where it is in its orbit, and (3) a planet’s orbital period is proportional to the size of its orbit.
About the Planets. The solar system has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There are five officially recognized dwarf planets in our solar system: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.
Of the eight major planets, Venus and Neptune have the most circular orbits around the Sun, with eccentricities of 0.007 and 0.009, respectively. Mercury, the closest planet, has the highest eccentricity, with 0.21; the dwarf planet Pluto, with 0.25, is even more eccentric.
