Quick answer · Updated October 2026
How many planets are in the solar system?
There are eight planets in the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto, once classified as the ninth planet, was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 because it shares its orbital region with thousands of other Kuiper Belt objects.
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- The four inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) are terrestrial — small, rocky, dense.
- The four outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are giant — Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants, Uranus and Neptune are ice giants.
- There are five officially recognised dwarf planets: Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres.
- Astronomers continue to search for a hypothetical "Planet Nine" beyond Neptune; nothing confirmed yet.
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This is part of Our Solar System — an interactive 3D solar system viewer with photoreal textures, real orbital motion, and a dedicated page for every planet, moon, and major body.