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Last Updated: Apr 24, 2025 • Article History

Key People:

Isaac Newton

Johannes Kepler

Galileo

Eudoxus of Cnidus

Apollonius of Perga
Related Topics:

Mars

Saturn

Venus

Jupiter

Uranus
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News •
Astronomers Discover Planet With a Tail • Apr. 22, 2025, 5:25 AM ET (Newsweek)

planet, (from Greek planētes, “wanderers”), broadly, any relatively

large natural body that revolves in an orbit around the Sun or
around some other star and that is not radiating energy from
internal nuclear fusion reactions. In addition to the above
description, some scientists impose additional constraints
regarding characteristics such as size (e.g., the object should be
more than about 1,000 km [600 miles] across, or a little larger than
the largest known asteroid, Ceres), shape (it should be large
enough to have been squeezed by its own gravity into a sphere—
i.e., roughly 700 km [435 miles] across, depending on its density),
or mass (it must have a mass insufficient for its core to have
experienced even temporary nuclear fusion). As the term is applied
to bodies in Earth’s solar system, the International Astronomical
Union (IAU), which is charged by the scientific community with
classifying astronomical objects, lists eight planets orbiting the
Sun; in order of increasing distance, they
are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
and Neptune. Pluto also was listed as a planet until 2006. Until the
close of the 20th century, the only planets to be recognized were
components of Earth’s solar system. At that time astronomers
confirmed that other stars have objects that appear to be planets in
orbit around them.
Planets of the solar system
The idea of what exactly constitutes a planet of the solar system
has been traditionally the product of historical and
cultural consensus. Ancient sky gazers applied the term planet to
the seven celestial bodies that were observed to move appreciably
against the background of the apparently fixed stars. These
included the Sun and Earth’s Moon, as well as the five planets in
the modern sense—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn—
that were readily visible as celestial wanderers before the invention
of the telescope. After the idea of an Earth-centred cosmos was
dispelled (see Copernican system) and more distinctions were made
about the nature and movement of objects in the sky, the
term planet was reserved only for those larger bodies that orbited
the Sun. When the giant bodies Uranus and Neptune were
discovered in 1781 and 1846, respectively, their obvious kinship
with the other known planets left little question regarding their
addition to the planetary ranks. So also, at first, appeared to be the
case for Pluto when, during a concerted search for a ninth planet, it
was observed in 1930 as a seemingly lone object beyond the orbit
of Neptune. In later decades, however, Pluto’s planetary status
became increasingly questioned by astronomers who noted that its
tiny size, unusual orbital characteristics, and composition of ice
and rock made it an anomaly among the other recognized planets.
After many more Pluto-sized and smaller icy objects were found
orbiting beyond Neptune beginning in the 1990s, astronomers
recognized that Pluto, far from being unique in its part of the solar
system, is almost undoubtedly one of the larger and nearer pieces
of this debris, known collectively as the Kuiper belt, that is left over
from the formation of the planets. (See also planetesimal.)

Why isn't Pluto a planet?Being a dwarf planet isn't really a downgrade.

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In August 2006, after intense debate over the question of Pluto’s

planetary status, the general assembly of the IAU approved a
definition for a solar system planet that excluded Pluto. At the same
time, it defined a new distinct class of objects called dwarf planets,
for which Pluto qualified. Following the IAU proclamations, many
scientists protested the definitions, considering them flawed and
unscientific and calling for their reconsideration.

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 27 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Most Difficult Science Quizzes

According to the 2006 IAU decision, for a celestial body to be a

planet of the solar system, it must meet three conditions: it must be
in orbit around the Sun, have been molded by its own gravity into a
round or nearly round shape, and have “cleared the neighbourhood
around its orbit,” meaning that its mass must be large enough for
its gravity to have removed rocky and icy debris from its orbital
vicinity. Pluto failed on the third requirement because it orbits
partially within, and is considered to be part of, the Kuiper belt.

Learn about the dwarf planets within our solar systemLearn about dwarf
planets.
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To be a dwarf planet under the IAU definition, the object must meet
the first two conditions described above; in addition, it must not
have cleared its neighbourhood, and it must not be a moon of
another body. Pluto falls into this category, as do the asteroid Ceres
and the large Kuiper belt object Eris, which was discovered in 2005
beyond the orbit of Pluto. By contrast, Charon, by virtue of its being
a moon of Pluto, is not a dwarf planet, even though its diameter is
more than half that of Pluto. The ranks of dwarf planets will likely
be expanded as other objects known or yet to be discovered are
determined to meet the conditions of the definition.

In June 2008 the IAU created a new category, plutoids, within the
dwarf planet category. Plutoids are dwarf planets that are farther
from the Sun than Neptune; that is, they are the largest objects in
the Kuiper belt. Two of the dwarf planets, Pluto and Eris, are
plutoids; Ceres, because of its location in the asteroid belt, is not.

Of the eight currently recognized planets of the solar system, the

inner four, from Mercury to Mars, are called terrestrial planets;
those from Jupiter to Neptune are called giant planets or Jovian
planets. Between these two main groups is a belt of
numerous small bodies called asteroids. After Ceres and other
larger asteroids were discovered in the early 19th century, the
bodies in this class were also referred to as minor planets or
planetoids, but the term asteroid is now used most widely.

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Planets of other stars

Explore exoplanets and the techniques used to detect them Learn about
extrasolar planets (exoplanets) and the techniques used to detect them.(more)
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The planets and other objects that circle the Sun are thought to
have formed when part of an interstellar cloud of gas and dust
collapsed under its own gravitational attraction and formed a disk-
shaped nebula. Further compression of the disk’s central region
formed the Sun, while the gas and dust left behind in the midplane
of the surrounding disk eventually coalesced to form ever-larger
objects and, ultimately, the planets. (See solar system: Origin of the
solar system.) Astronomers have long wondered if this process of
planetary formation could have accompanied the birth of stars
other than the Sun. In the glare of their parent stars, however, such
small, dim objects would not be easy to detect directly in images
made with telescopes from Earth’s vicinity. Instead, astronomers
concentrated on attempting to observe them indirectly through the
gravitational effects they exert on their parent stars. After decades
of searching for such extrasolar planets, astronomers in the early
1990s indirectly identified three planets circling a pulsar (i.e., a
rapidly spinning neutron star) called PSR B1257+12. The first
discovery of a planet revolving around a star more like the Sun
came in 1995 with the announcement of the existence of a massive
planet orbiting the star 51 Pegasi. More than 5,000 planets around
other stars are known, and in 2005 astronomers obtained the first
direct infrared images of what were interpreted to be extrasolar
planets. In size these objects range from about the size of
Earth’s Moon to more than a dozen times the mass of Jupiter.
Astronomers have yet to develop a rigorous, generally accepted
definition of planet that will successfully accommodate extrasolar
planets and distinguish them from bodies that are more starlike in
character (e.g., brown dwarfs).
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.
Does It Rain on Other Planets?
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ScienceAstronomy

Venus The planet Venus experiences sulfuric acid rain, but due to the planet's heat, it
evaporates before reaching the surface.(more)
Does It Rain on Other Planets?
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Article History

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Mars

Saturn

Venus

Jupiter

planet
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News •
Astronomers Discover Planet With a Tail • Apr. 22, 2025, 4:43 AM ET (Newsweek)

Planets of the solar systemA rendering of the planets in Earth's solar system.

Unlike Earth, where water falls as rain, other planets in our solar
system experience vastly different precipitation. On Venus,
the atmosphere is thick with carbon dioxide, and the clouds are
composed of sulfuric acid. This means that instead of water, Venus
experiences sulfuric acid rain. However, this acid rain does not
reach the surface because the planet’s extreme heat causes it to
evaporate before it can hit the ground. So, while it technically rains
on Venus, the rain never actually touches the surface of the planet.
Mars, on the other hand, has a very thin atmosphere, mostly made
up of carbon dioxide, with traces of water vapor. While it does not
rain water on Mars, the planet does
experience weather phenomena like dust storms and clouds. There
is also evidence that liquid water once flowed on Mars, suggesting
that rain in the form of water might have been possible in the
planet’s distant past. However, in its current state, Mars does not
have the conditions necessary for rain to fall as it does on Earth.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
What’s the Difference Between Planets and Stars?
Table of Contents

IntroductionReferences & Edit HistoryRelated Topics

Images

Read Next

Where Did the Moon Come From?

How Do You Tell the Difference Between Total, Annular, Solar, and Lunar Eclipses?
9 Celestial Omens

Why Are Planets Round?

Do Hurricanes Happen on Other Planets?

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ScienceAstronomy

Open cluster NGC 290 Stars in the open cluster NGC 290, as seen by the Hubble
Space Telescope.

What’s the Difference Between

Planets and Stars?
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 star

nuclear fusion

planet
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Stars are essentially cosmic furnaces, burning bright and hot due
to nuclear fusion reactions occurring in their cores. This process
involves the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium, releasing a
tremendous amount of energy in the form of light and heat. Stars,
such as the Sun, are the celestial celebrities of the universe,
shining brightly and often stealing the spotlight in the night sky. In
contrast, planets are more like the supporting actors, reflecting the
light of their star rather than producing their own. They lack the
mass and temperature required to initiate nuclear fusion, which is
why they do not glow with their own light.