Name and order the eight Solar System planets
Identify the Sun as the single star and name all eight planets in outward order.
Core and Extended; Physics 0625, 2026–2028. Use supplied distances, periods and stated orbital models. Drawings are not to scale. Written practice is self-checked.
Before you begin
- Distinguish stars from planets.
- Read an ordered list.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which object is the Solar System’s star?
What you will learn
- Identify the Sun as the single star and name all eight planets in outward order.
- Recall the complete outward planet order and the limits of an inventory drawing.
Build an ordered inventory
The Solar System contains one star, the Sun. Moving outward, the eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The order refers to their orbits’ distance from the Sun, not to the positions they happen to occupy in a photograph.
The planets are not normally lined up in one straight row. An ordered strip is a memory aid, not a scale map or a snapshot of their current positions. Its equal gaps must not be read as equal physical separations.
Distinguish membership from classification
Pluto belongs to the Solar System but is classified as a dwarf planet, rather than one of these eight planets. Moons, asteroids and comets also belong to the system. Knowing the eight-planet list does not mean the system contains only eight orbiting objects.
Earth is the third planet in this list. The asteroid belt lies mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It does not add a ninth planet to the order; it contains many smaller bodies, which the next lesson distinguishes from planets and moons.
Pause and explain
Which outward sequence is correct?
Worked example
Fill the missing names in Mercury, Venus, Earth, __, Jupiter, Saturn, __, Neptune.
Show the worked solution
- Read the order outward from the Sun.
- Mars follows Earth and precedes Jupiter.
- Uranus follows Saturn and precedes Neptune.
Answer Mars and Uranus.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Write all eight planets in order from the Sun.
Give me a hint
Start with the inner four and then the outer four.
Compare my reasoning
- Name Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
- Continue Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
- Check that the list has exactly eight planets.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Look for these in your work
- Include every name.
- Retain the outward order.
Name the planets immediately inward and outward of Saturn.
Give me a hint
Locate Saturn between two entries in the ordered list.
Compare my reasoning
- Jupiter precedes Saturn.
- Uranus follows Saturn.
- Interpret preceding and following as inward and outward orbital order.
Jupiter inward; Uranus outward.
Look for these in your work
- Identify both neighbours.
- Use Sun-relative order.
An equally spaced poster is used to claim Earth–Mars and Uranus–Neptune have equal orbital separations. Evaluate it.
Give me a hint
Check whether the poster supplies a distance scale.
Compare my reasoning
- The strip records order only.
- Equal graphic gaps are not measured gaps.
- A scaled distance table is needed for a separation claim.
The order poster cannot establish equal physical separations.
Look for these in your work
- Distinguish order from scale.
- State the missing evidence.
Common mistakes
- Pluto is a dwarf planet, not the ninth member of the eight-planet list.
- An ordered strip is not a scale drawing.
- A star and a planet are different object classes.
What can you explain now?
Which outward sequence is correct?
Compare with the explanation
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
These five follow Earth in increasing orbital distance from the Sun.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Recall the complete outward planet order and the limits of an inventory drawing.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.