Fast Facts for Kids
Planet Facts for Kids

Planet Facts for Kids

  • Common Name: Planet
  • Description: Large Rounded Astronomical Body That is Not a Star
  • Astronomical Body Type: Celestial Body
  • Types of Planets: Terrestrial (Rocky) or Gas
  • Total Planets: 8
  • Smallest Planet: Mercury
  • Largest Planet: Jupiter

19 Planet Facts For Kids

  1. A planet is a large rounded astronomical body within our Solar System that orbits the Sun and is not a star.
  2. The International Astronomers Union (IAU) defines a planet as an astronomical body that orbits are Sun, is nearly round shaped due to its own mass, and has cleared out the region of its orbit.
  3. Planets are found in our Solar System, while exoplanets are found outside of our Solar System.
  4. The common term planet is Greek for “wanderers”.
  5. Planets are believed to form from the protoplanetary disk created by the collapse of a nebula.
  6. There are eight planets in our Solar System and they Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
  7. The smallest planet in our Solar System is Mercury with a radius of 1,515 miles.
  8. The largest planet in our Solar System is Jupiter with a radius of 43,440 miles.
  9. Four of the planets in our Solar System are terrestrial (rocky) planets and they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
  10. Four of the planets in our Solar System are gas planets and they are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
  11. Jupiter and Saturn are classified as gas giant planets and Uranus and Neptune are classified as ice giant planets.
  12. All the planets in our Solar System have an atmosphere, though the density and composition vary by planet.
  13. Six of the planets in our Solar System have natural satellites, more commonly called moons.
  14. The two planets that have no known moons are Mercury and Venus.
  15. The planet with the most moons is Saturn with 83 moons, followed by Jupiter with 80 moons.
  16. Four of the planets in our Solar System have a planetary ring system, or simply called a ring system.
  17. The four planets with ring systems are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
  18. The only planet known to support life in the Universe is Earth.
  19. Earth can support life because it is in the habitable zone, has a magnetic field to block harmful solar radiation, has an atmosphere that keeps the planet warm via insulation, and has all the right chemical elements for life, like carbon and water.

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Planet Pictures

Pictures are one of the best ways for people to learning about something. That is why we are providing you with the below images to help you with your research on planets. Below you will find three pictures that represent planets. These pictures should help you better understand planets and what they look like.

The Terrestrial Planet Mercury

A picture of the terrestrial planet Mercury.

The Gas Giant Planet Jupiter

A picture of the gas giant planet Jupiter.

The Ice Giant Planet Neptune

A picture of the ice giant planet Neptune.

Planet Resources

Hopefully the above planet facts, data, stats, and pictures were helpful with your research. If you need to continue researching planets you can use one of the below websites. We selected the below websites for their credibility and accurate data on planets.