List of planets - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of two types of planets: standard planets and dwarf planets, in the Solar System.

• Terrestrial planets
  • Mercury – The planet with the second highest temperature in the Solar System and the closest planet to the Sun.
  • Venus – The warmest planet. Sometimes called "Earth's twin" because Venus and Earth are very similar.
  • Earth – The only planet that is known to have life. It has one natural satellite, the Moon.
  • Mars – Sometimes called the "red planet" and "the brother of Earth".
  • Pluto – The only telluric planet that is known to be farther from the Sun than Mars. The smallest planet, Pluto is now considered a "Dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) since August 24, 2006.
• Ice planets
  • Ganymede, the largest moon.
  • Callisto, the second largest moon of Jupiter.
  • Europa, sometimes as such
  • Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.
  • Rhea
  • Iapetus
  • Dione
  • Tethys
  • Enceladus
  • Mimas
  • Titania, the largest moon of Uranus.
  • Oberon, the second largest moon of Uranus
  • Ariel the third largest moon of Uranus
  • Umbriel
  • Miranda
  • Triton, the largest moon of Neptune
• Gas giants
  • Jupiter – The largest planet in the Solar System.
  • Saturn – Sixth planet from the Sun. It has giant rings around it.
  • Uranus - Seventh planet from the Sun. It has 11 rings around it.
  • Neptune – The farthest planet that we know from the Sun.

• Theia – A planet which some think crashed into Earth and created the Moon.
• Opposite Earth – A hypothetical planet which has a opposite aspect of the Earth.
• Planet X – a planets beyond Neptune
• Tyche – a hypothetical planet thought to be found in the edges of the Oort Cloud.
• Planet Nine – a hypothetical planet beyond Neptune. It has not been found, but some astronomers think its gravity pulls on the orbits of many dwarf planets. It is thought to be a gas giant.

• Ceres is the largest asteroid (not to mention plutinos) in the Solar System's main asteroid belt.
• Haumea is shaped like an egg.
• Makemake crosses paths with Eris.
• Quaoar has rings.
• Orcus is one of the plutinos.
• Sedna has a elongated orbit.
• Gonggong also crosses paths with Eris.
• Eris follows the most elliptical path of any planet.

• Salacia
• 2002 MS4
• 2003 AZ84
• 2013 FY27
• Varda
• Ixion
• Varuna
• G!kùn'hómdimà
• Chaos
• 2014 UZ224 "Deedee"
• Dziewanna
• 2018 VG18 "Farout"
• 2018 AG37 "Farfarout"
• 2012 VP113 "Biden"
• Hygiea

Technically, there was never a scientific definition of the term planet before 2006. When the Greeks observed the sky thousands of years ago, they discovered objects that acted differently than stars. These points of light seemed to wander around the sky throughout the year. The term "planet" derives from the Greek word "planets" - wanderer.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) convened a Planet Definition Committee, deliberated, and ultimately reached a consensus on a new definition of a planet which leaves us with the eight planets we today consider to comprise the Solar System (thus the exit of Pluto). That new definition: " A “planet” is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit [meaning: 'there are no other bodies in its path that it must sweep up as it goes around the Sun'.]"