The Order Of The Planets In The Solar System
The order of the planets from closest to the sun to farthest
from the sun is:
Mercury
Venus
Earth Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus Neptune
The term planet comes from the Greeks for "wanderer".
To ancient astronomers who didn't have telescopes to
view the skies, these five wanderers(Uranus and Neptune had yet to be discovered) were always
in different places along with the moon.
The other stars were fixed in their positions in the sky.
The planet names came from ancient Roman Gods with Greek influences.
Mercury(Hermes):fleet footed messenger of the gods.
Venus(Aphrodite):goddess of beauty.
Mars(Ares):fiery red god of war.
Jupiter(zeus):king of the gods.
Saturn(Kronus):father of Jupiter.
Uranus(Ouranos):father of Saturn.
Neptune(Poseidon):god of the sea.
Uranus and Neptune weren't
discovered until after the invention of the telescope.
And yes, you too will need a telescope or a good set of binoculars if you wish to see them yourself.
Along with other deep sky objects such as the former planet
Pluto.
If you think it's time for a telescope read my page about
stargazing for beginners
... if you feel you or your child is ready, here is a nice simple beginners scope to check out...
Orion GoScope 70mm Backpack Telescope
Unlike stars which are suns, the planets do not make their own light they simply,
like the moon reflect light from the sun.
The 4 smaller inner planets are similar to Earth as they have rocky surfaces and land.
The gas giants on the other hand have no solid surfaces to stand on.
There are also hundreds of planets in other solar systems. These are known as
extra-solar planets.Currently there are 373.
order of the planets to constellations and backyard stargazing home