Planets and Dwarf Planets
49 entries in the Planets and Dwarf Planets compendium.
Planets of the Solar SystemEight planets orbit the Sun, from rocky worlds to gas giants.Classical planetSeven naked-eye wanderers known since antiquity.Definition of planetA contested term for celestial bodies, defined by orbit, roundness, and dominance.Inferior and superior planetsTerms distinguishing planets by orbit size relative to Earth.Planetary mnemonicPhrases used to remember Solar System bodies in order of sidereal period.Planetary nomenclatureIAU system for naming surface features on planets and satellites.Fictional planets of the Solar SystemHypothetical planets persist in fiction beyond scientific refutation.Planets beyond NeptuneHypothetical planets beyond Neptune, from Planet X to Planet Nine.EarthThe only known planet with liquid surface water and life.JupiterLargest planet in the Solar System, a gas giant with a Great Red Spot.MarsThe fourth planet from the Sun, a desert world with polar ice caps.Mercury (planet)Smallest planet, closest to the Sun, with extreme temperature swings.NeptuneThe only planet discovered through mathematical prediction, not direct observation.SaturnSaturn is a gas giant with rings and the lowest density in the Solar System.UranusThe seventh planet, a tilted ice giant with extreme seasons.VenusEarth's twin, hottest planet, shrouded in sulfuric acid clouds.Dwarf planetA rounded solar orbiter that has not cleared its orbit.MesoplanetA planetary body intermediate in size between Mercury and Ceres.Ceres (dwarf planet)Dwarf planet in the main asteroid belt, first discovered asteroid.Eris (dwarf planet)Most massive dwarf planet, second-largest, and unvisited by spacecraft.Exploration of dwarf planetsDwarf planet exploration began in earnest after Pluto's 2006 reclassification.Gonggong (dwarf planet)A red, slowly rotating dwarf planet beyond Neptune.HaumeaDwarf planet with rings, rapid rotation, and disputed discovery.IAU definition of planetIAU definition reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006.MakemakeA Kuiper belt dwarf planet with a subsurface ocean possibility.Orcus (dwarf planet)A Kuiper belt dwarf planet and the 'anti-Pluto'.PlutoDwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, once the ninth planet.QuaoarRinged dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt with an unstable ring system.Sedna (dwarf planet)A distant dwarf planet with the longest known orbital period.2012 VP113A distant sednoid with the farthest perihelion known.2014 UZ224A distant possible dwarf planet in the scattered disc.2017 OF201Extreme TNO and dwarf planet candidate discovered in 2025.2018 AG37Farthest currently observable known object in the Solar System.2018 VG18A distant trans-Neptunian object nicknamed Farout.10 HygieaA large, nearly spherical asteroid possibly qualifying as a dwarf planet.704 InteramniaFifth-largest asteroid, possibly a dwarf planet in equilibrium.(303775) 2005 QU182A large scattered-disc object with an unstable orbit.20000 VarunaA large, rapidly rotating Kuiper belt object.28978 IxionA large plutino in the Kuiper belt.55565 AyaA large, spheroidal Kuiper belt object and dwarf planet candidate.78799 XewiosoA dark, mid-sized trans-Neptunian object at the Kuiper belt's inner edge.(84522) 2002 TC302A red, icy possible dwarf planet in the scattered disk.90568 GoibniuA large, hot classical Kuiper belt object and possible dwarf planet.120347 SalaciaA possible dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt with a dark, icy surface.174567 VardaA large, possibly dwarf, Kuiper belt object.208996 AchlysThird largest member of the plutinos, elongated by rapid rotation.(278361) 2007 JJ43A large, unnamed trans-Neptunian object and possible dwarf planet.307261 MániA large Kuiper belt object with extreme topography.(523692) 2014 EZ51A rapidly rotating trans-Neptunian object in the scattered disc.
Browse Planets and Dwarf Planets in the interactive codex →