The name the planets quiz that is out of this world.

Our Solar System has eight planets that orbit the sun and naming the planets is a staple of most early science classes. But before you practice learning the planets, it would help to learn a thing or two about them.

What is a planet?

The International Astronomical Union defined a planet as having the following characteristics:

• orbits the sun
• has sufficient mass to be round, or nearly round
• is not a satellite (moon) of another object
• has removed debris and small objects from the area around its orbit

This is why Pluto (along with Ceres and others) are no longer considered planets. Sure Pluto is round and orbits the sun, but turns out Pluto is actually part of a larger groups of bodies called the Asteroid and Kuiper Belts.

• Mercury: Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and also one of the densest planets in the Solar system.
• Venus: Despite not being as close to the Sun as Mercury, Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System.
• Earth: Home, the 3rd rock from the sun, and the only known planet with life.
• Mars: Named after the Roman god of war, Mars is also known as the “Red Planet” due to its reddish appearance. Mars is the second smallest planet in the solar system.
• Jupiter: Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System and has the most number of satellites for any given planet.
• Saturn: Saturn is well known for its rings, but it is also the least dense planet in the Solar System.
• Uranus: Uranus orbits the Sun titled at a 180 degree angle.
• Neptune: Neptune is the farthest known planet in the Solar System; it takes Neptune 164.8 Earth years to orbit the Sun.

Quiz yourself.

Now that you have the facts on the planets, play this simple name the planets quiz to make sure you know them in order from the sun.

Looking for another fun science quiz, try the 100 Digits of Pi quiz.