Planets in Order From the Sun | Learn About The Solar System
Updated: Mar 21
Our solar system is made up of 8 planets that orbit the Sun. Learn about all the planets in order from closest to farthest! Find images, facts, and useful information about each planet, and its moons if it has any, and go over some interesting facts about our solar system.
What is the Order of the Eight Planets from the Sun?
The names of planets in order from the Sun:
Why isn't Pluto considered a planet? Find out more below and discover more about the composition of each planet, their distance, temperature, and how many moons they have.
Toward the bottom of this page, we also list information about planetary astrophotography and see which planets are the easiest to photograph with a telescope!
What is the Solar System?
The Solar System hosts the Sun, the planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets all within the same gravitational boundaries. The Sun is the most important object in our solar system, and is what holds it all together! Without the gravity of the Sun, every planet and millions of other objects in our solar system would drift randomly into space. There is only one solar system in the universe, but a gigantic number of planetary systems within the Milky Way galaxy. Our solar system got its name from the scientific name of the Sun, "Sol."
Our Solar System was born 4.6 billion years ago and is located in the Orion spiral arm of the Milky Way. It orbits our galaxy at a speed of 515,000 miles per hour, or 828,000 kilometers per hour. Even at this speed, our solar system takes 230 million years to fully orbit the Milky Way's galactic center!
No extra-terrestrial life has ever been found in our solar system, but NASA and other space agencies are always looking deeper and farther in the hopes of finding evidence of life on other planets. Two spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched in 1977, have now escaped the boundaries of our Solar System and are officially "interstellar." Three others, Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and New Horizons are also expected to leave our solar system in the future.
What is a Planet?
A planet is a spherical object that orbits a star. It has a strong enough gravity that it clears away other bodies in the vicinity of its orbital path around the Sun.
The exact definition of a planet has changed many times over the years. In ancient Greek times, the Moon and the Sun were considered planets... while Earth wasn't. Some dwarf planets, like Ceres and, most famous of all, Pluto, were once considered planets until being reclassified.
As of today, the official definition of a planet by the IAU (International Astronomical Union) states that:
A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.
A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, (c) has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.
All other objects, except satellites, orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar System Bodies".
Don't worry, if the rules change and Pluto is included in the list of official planets again, we'll update this post! Below you'll find other dwarf planets in the Solar System.
Types of Planets
Each of the planets can be categorized into one of three buckets: terrestrial planets, giant planets, and dwarf planets.
Terrestrial Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Giant Planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
Dwarf Planets: Pluto, Ceres, Haumea, Makemake, Eris
Find out more about dwarf planets in the section after the planet Neptune.
Terrestrial Planets
The four closest planets to the Sun are called terrestrial planets. They are often called the Inner Planets as they lie before the asteroid belt of the Solar System. These rocky planets have a solid surface and are mostly made up of silicate rocks and metals. Earth is the largest terrestrial planet in the Solar System.
All inner planets have a metallic core which is mostly made up of iron and surrounded by a silicate mantle. The image above shows what the interior structure of the inner planets in the solar system looks like. In some circles, Earth's moon is also considered a terrestrial planet based on its physical structure.
The inner planets in our Solar System in order from the Sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Learn about each of them below!
Mercury
Type: Terrestrial
Name Origin: Roman God of Speed
Discovered in: Ancient Times
Radius: 2,439.7 km
Temperatures: -173, 427°C
Distance from Sun: 58 million km
Day: 59 Earth days
Orbit: 88 Earth days
Natural Satellites (moons): 0
Light speed from Sun: 3.88 min
Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System and is the closest planet to the Sun. Being the nearest planet to the Sun, you might think that Mercury is also the hottest, but its temperature is just under Venus'. This is because the atmosphere on Mercury is much less dense than the atmosphere of Venus.
Mercury does not have any moons. The planet rotates much slower than Earth does but orbits faster because of its proximity to the Sun. It takes 59 Earth days for Mercury to complete a spin around itself, and a year on Mercury equals 88 days on Earth.
Could There be Life on Mercury?
Finding life on Mercury is extremely unlikely. Because of its proximity to the Sun, the planet faces extreme temperatures and solar radiation all year round, making survival almost impossible.
The planet does not have a layered atmosphere like the Earth to retain heat, instead, it has a surface boundary exosphere meaning the surface temperatures vary from one extreme to the other, and range from -173 °C during the night to 427 °C in the daytime (-280 °F to 800 °F).
It is possible that microorganisms could have lived on the planet millions of years ago, but it is believed that no living thing can survive on the planet today.
Interesting facts about Mercury:
Mercury is the fastest planet in the Solar System and completes an orbit around the Sun in 88 Earth days going 29 miles (47 kilometers) per second.
From the ground, the Sun would be three times larger and seven times brighter than it is from the surface of Earth.
Mercury is only slightly larger than our moon and it is 2.6x smaller than Earth.
2 NASA spacecraft explored Mercury, Mariner 10, and MESSENGER.
Venus
Type: Terrestrial
Name Origin: Roman Goddess of Love
Discovered in: Ancient Times
Radius: 6,051.8 km
Temperatures: 462°C
Distance from Sun: 108 million km
Day: 243 Earth days
Orbit: 225 Earth days
Natural Satellites (moons): 0
Light speed from Sun: 5.97 min
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It orbits between Mercury and the Earth. Venus has a very thick atmosphere that is full of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide that traps all the heat coming from the Sun, making Venus the hottest planet in our solar system. Surface temperatures on Venus reach 475 degrees Celsius (900 degrees Fahrenheit). The planet has a rusty-colored surface that hosts thousands of volcanoes and extreme mountains.
Venus's rotation is very interesting. The planet spins in the opposite direction of most other planets, and does so very slowly, making a Venusian day longer than an Earth year!
Could There Be Life on Venus?
Venus is similar in size and structure to our planet, and is often called: "Earth Twin." A better name for it would be Toxic Twin. There is simply no way that living organisms could survive on Venus. Aside from the extreme heat, Venus is home to clouds of sulfuric acid and an overall toxic atmosphere. If that wasn't bad enough, also know that the air pressure on Venus is 90 times more crushing than on Earth.
Despite this, scientists do not reject the possibility of life for tiny organisms and theorize that microbes could exist high within the clouds, where the temperatures are cooler.
Interesting facts about Venus:
One day on Venus is longer than one Earth year.
On Venus, the Sun rises in the West and sets in the East.
In 1962, Venus was the first planet to be explored by a spacecraft, Mariner 2.
The toxic clouds on Venus are believed to smell like rotten eggs.
Because of the intense heat on the surface, the spacecraft that landed on Venus only survived for a couple of hours at most.
Earth
Type: Terrestrial
Name Origin: "Ground"
Discovered in: N/A
Radius: 6,371 km
Temperatures: -88, 58°C
Distance from Sun: 150 million km
Day: 1 Earth day
Orbit: 365 Earth days
Natural Satellites (moons): 1
Light speed from Sun: 8.4 min
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the largest of the four terrestrial planets. In our Solar System, Earth is the fifth largest planet. Earth is, as you know, our home planet and the only planet so far where life and liquid water have been discovered.
Water covers 70% of the Earth's surface. The atmosphere is made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other things. This miraculous mix is what creates the perfect balance to sustain life on Earth.
The Moon
Earth only has one natural satellite, the Moon, but is orbited by thousands of artificial satellites that help study our planet, provide Internet and cellular connection, spy on other countries, and more.
The Moon is the only place in the universe besides Earth where humans have walked. More than a hundred spacecraft have visited the Moon so far, but only a few had a crew. It is located at a distance of 240,000 miles (385,000km) from Earth and is the fifth-largest moon in the Solar System. Because of its weak atmosphere (called the exosphere), the air is not breathable, and the lack of liquid water means that life on the Moon is not possible.
Interesting facts about Earth:
Contrary to some beliefs, the Earth is not flat.
Mars
Type: Terrestrial
Name Origin: Roman God of War
Discovered in: Ancient Times
Radius: 3,390 km
Temperatures: -153, 20°C
Distance from Sun: 228 million km
Day: 24.6 Earth hours
Orbit: 687 Earth days
Natural Satellites (moons): 2
Light speed from Sun: 11.73min
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is smaller than Earth. Also called the Red Planet, it is believed to have been much more active in the past, with water and warm weather. Today, Mars is mostly a large desert with cold temperatures and a very thin atmosphere. After Earth, it is the most studied planet in our solar system and several landers have roamed its surface. In 2021, a helicopter named Ingenuity began flying around the Red Planet. After 72 flights, a damaged rotor blade was spotted ending Ingenuity's mission in January 2024.
Could There be Life on Mars?
Despite a large number of missions to Mars, no proof of life has been found so far. Today, the planet's environment is too harsh for a living organism to survive. If that's not enough, its thin atmosphere is made up of carbon dioxide, argon, and nitrogen; the planet is often hit by meteorite impacts, strong winds, volcanic activity, and crust movement.
The question scientists ponder isn't if there is life on Mars today, but rather "Was there ever any life on Mars?" and "Will there ever be life?" The planet was much more habitable millions of years ago and life could have been present. As for the future, life may be possible if the planet can be terraformed. If it is, will humans ever colonize the planet?
Dive deep into stats and history about Mars in our post all about the Red Planet.
Interesting facts about Mars:
Mars is known to have sunrises and sunsets that appear blue. Earth is known as "the Blue Planet" although its sunrises and sunsets appear red.
The two moons orbiting Mars are called Phobos and Deimos, named after the two horses that pulled the chariot of the Greek god of war, Ares.
The Martian moons are potato-shaped and may have been asteroids captured by the planet's gravity.
Giant Planets
Giant planets, also known as the outer planets or the Jovian planets, are the four farthest planets from the Sun, located beyond the asteroid belt. The giant planets in order from closest to farthest are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Together, they make up 99% of the total mass of all objects orbiting the Sun.
Giant planets are made up of volatile gases, making them very different than terrestrial planets. It is not possible to land on any of these four planets, as it is theorized that they do not have a solid surface. If you tried landing on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune, you would likely sink through the gases forever until you reached some sort of core - either a rocky center or dense liquid.
Within the outer planets, there are further classifications regarding structural makeup. Jupiter and Saturn are known as Gas Giants and are mostly composed of Hydrogen and Helium.
Uranus and Neptune are known as Ice Giants and are mostly composed of Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Sulfur.
Jupiter
Type: Gas Giant
Name Origin: King of the Roman Gods
Discovered in: Ancient Times
Radius: 69,911 km
Temperatures: -110°C
Distance from Sun: 778 million km
Day: 10 Earth hours
Orbit: 4,333 Earth days
Natural Satellites (moons): 79
Light speed from Sun: 41.23 min
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. Named after the King of Gods, Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System and is twice as massive as all the other planets combined! It has beautiful rust-colored bands that run horizontally around the planet. However, the "bands" we see from a distance are not found on the planet itself, they are dense clouds of ammonia and water, mixed with hydrogen and helium.
Life is nonexistent on the planet, but several of Jupiter's 79 moons are believed to be home to oceans beneath their surface, which could potentially support life.
The Great Red Spot of Jupiter
The most famous aspect of Jupiter is its Great Red Spot. It is a massive storm with 400mph+ winds that have been active for several centuries, and is larger than Earth itself!
The first ever report of this anticyclonic storm dates from, May 1664 after being observed by Robert Hooke. A year later, Giovanni Cassini confirmed the sighting.
The Great Red Spot rotates counter-clockwise and measures 16,350 km (10,160 mi). The highest clouds are 8 km (5 miles) higher than other clouds on Jupiter.
Learn more about the planet Jupiter in our article for a deep dive into the mysterious planet.
Interesting facts about Jupiter:
You could line up 11 Earths across Jupiter to reach both sides of the planet.
Jupiter has a ring system, discovered in 1979.
Jupiter is the fastest-spinning planet in the Solar System.
Saturn
Type: Gas Giant
Name Origin: Roman God of Agriculture and Wealth
Discovered in: Ancient Times
Radius: 58,232 km
Temperatures: -140°C
Distance from Sun: 1.4 billion km
Day: 10.7 Earth hours
Orbit: 29 Earth years
Natural Satellites (moons): 83
Light speed from Sun: 82 min
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System. Just like Jupiter, it is not known to have a solid surface and is made entirely of gas.
Saturn is the most beloved planet in the Solar System, by both visual astronomers and amateur astrophotographers. Why? It's iconic, recognizable rings, of course!
Saturn has a total of 7 rings, each home to millions of chunks of ice and rocks that orbit the planet. What's more interesting is that from afar the rings seem like solid pieces but that's the beauty of the illusion. Saturn's rings have gaps between them, one gap in particular, known as the Cassini Division, is very noticeable in both professional and amateur observations. The ring system is just about 30 feet (10 meters) thick, but extends up to 175,000 miles (282,000 kilometers)!
Life on Saturn is not possible, due to the lack of solid ground, and its atmosphere comprised of mainly hydrogen (H2) and helium (He). There is a much better chance to find traces of life on several of Saturn's moons, where water has been discovered and conditions are less "harsh."
The Moons of Saturn
Saturn has the most moons in the Solar System with a count of 83! Jupiter follows right behind with 79 moons. Some of these moons are huge (larger than Mercury!) but some others are tiny (the size of a football arena). There are two moons important for science today: Enceladus and Titan.
Titan (left) and Enceladus (right) by NASA
Saturn's Moon - Titan
Titan is the only moon in our solar system with a dense atmosphere, clouds with rain, and liquids in the form of lakes, rivers, and seas on the surface. The liquids on Titan's surface are mostly methane and so are not believed to be able to host life, but there is water under the crust of the moon where life could be more likely to form. The atmosphere on Titan is similar to Earth, but the pressure is 50% higher.
Saturn's Moon - Enceladus
Enceladus is a smooth ice moon where the temperatures are extremely cold due to how much sunlight the surface reflects instead of absorbing. The reason why Enceladus is so interesting scientifically is that it has vast oceans of water underneath its icy surface. The moon also ejects liquid from the ocean into space, which has been captured as samples by spacecraft before. The water captured revealed that Enceladus does possess the required chemical ingredients for life to form.
Interesting facts About Saturn:
You could line up 9 Earths across Jupiter to reach both sides of the planet, and that's without counting the rings.
Saturn is not the only planet to have rings.
The planet's name also means "Father of Jupiter."
Uranus
Type: Ice Giant
Name Origin: Greek God of the Sky
Discovered in: 1781
Radius: 25,362 km
Temperatures: -195°C
Distance from Sun: 2.8 billion km
Day: 17 Earth hours
Orbit: 84 Earth years
Natural Satellites (moons): 27
Light speed from Sun: 164 min
We can hear your laughter already...
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and is the third largest planet in the Solar System. It is an ice giant and is comprised of ice, water, methane, and ammonia. Believe it or not, Uranus has rings - 13 to be exact! They are less apparent than Saturn's rings but equally as stunning.
Only one spacecraft has flown by Uranus to study it, Voyager 2. So far, no other mission has been sent to the planet, but the James Webb Space Telescope took a photo of the planet in 2023 that revealed the beauty of Uranus' rings.
The most unique feature of Uranus is its rotation. Just like Venus, Uranus rotates the opposite way other planets do, East to West, but to make it even more unique, Uranus rotates on its side!
Interesting facts about Uranus:
Uranus was the first planet found using a telescope, by William Herschel.
Uranus could have instead been called "Georgium Sidus", which was William Herschel's idea to honor King George III. Instead, the scientific community decided to go with Bode's idea: Uranus, from the Greek God of the Sky.
Neptune
Type: Ice Giant
Name Origin: Roman God of the Sea
Discovered in: 1846
Radius: 24,622 km
Temperatures: -200°C
Distance from Sun: 4.5 billion km
Day: 16 Earth hours
Orbit: 165 Earth years
Natural Satellites (moons): 14
Light speed from Sun: 249 min
Neptune is the eighth and last planet in order from the Sun. It is a cold icy world with fast supersonic winds. It is the only planet in the Solar System not visible to the naked eye when looking up at the sky.
Like the other Ice Giant Uranus, only the Voyager 2 spacecraft has flown by the planet. No other mission has gone to study Neptune. Another similarity with Uranus is that Neptune has faint rings - 5 main ring systems plus four ring arcs have been discovered.
Interesting facts about Neptune:
Neptune is so far from the Sun that the days are 900 times darker than Earth.
Neptune was the first planet to be discovered using mathematical equations.
Why Isn't Pluto a Planet?
Not long ago, Pluto was considered a planet in our Solar System. Why is that no longer the case?
Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930, and was officially classified as the ninth planet. It remained that way until the 1990s when more discoveries were made thanks to better scientific equipment.
One of these discoveries was the Kuiper Belt in 1992, where thousands of icy objects (called Kuiper Belt Objects or "KBO") were found orbiting the Sun.
The Kuiper Belt happens to be in the same region as Pluto, which led scientists to wonder if Pluto should instead be classified as a large KBO rather than a planet.
When you think about it, Pluto is significantly smaller than the other eight planets and even smaller than several of the planetary moons. It is very different in composition compared to the other planets, and cannot be in any of the three categories (rocky, gas, or ice planet). On top of that, Pluto's large moon, Charon, does not orbit around Pluto but rather shares its orbit, making Pluto-Charon a double planetary system.
After reviewing these facts, scientists agreed that it was better to classify Pluto as the largest Kuiper Belt Object and not a planet. In 2006, after more discoveries (Eris, a large body similar to Pluto), the IAU decided on a new category of space objects, dwarf planets, to which Pluto and four other objects were added.
Pluto isn't the only body downgraded from planet to dwarf planet. Another example is Ceres, discovered in 1801, and was immediately classified as a planet and then changed to an asteroid until 2006 when it became a dwarf planet. Many other objects found in that region were reclassified, including asteroids and large bodies that resemble planets.
Dwarf Planets in the Solar System
As of today, there are a total of five dwarf planets in the Solar System recognized by the IAU. They are Pluto, Ceres, Makemake, Haumea, and Eris. But what makes these objects dwarf planets and not planets?
Dwarf planets are large objects that are round and orbit the Sun but have not cleared their orbital path from other similar objects. All dwarf planets are located in the Kuiper Belt, besides Ceres which lies in the main asteroid belt.
Although only five dwarf planets have been officially classified so far, several hundred more may be present in the Solar System. The order of the dwarf planets from closest to farthest from the Sun is Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. Find out more about the five main dwarf planets.
Ceres
Ceres is the only dwarf planet located in the inner Solar System and is the largest object in the asteroid belt. It was classified as an asteroid for a long time after its discovery by Giuseppe Piazzi on January 1st, 1801. It lies at an average distance of 413 million kilometers from the Sun, and daytime temperatures fluctuate between -136°F to 28°F (-93°C to -2°C).
Ceres spins relatively fast, one day on Ceres is equivalent to just 9 hours on Earth. A full orbit of Ceres around the Sun equals 1682 days on Earth or 4.6 Earth years.
Ceres got its name from the Roman Goddess of corn and harvests. Scientists are very interested in Ceres because it contains water, and it was the first dwarf planet to be scanned by a spacecraft in 2015.
Pluto
Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930, and was classified as a planet before being categorized as a dwarf planet in 2006. It has a radius of 1,188 kilometers and cold temperatures that go below -235°C.
It is far away from the Sun and has an elongated orbit with an average distance of 5.8 billion km. This large orbital path makes one year on Pluto equal to 248 years on Earth. Pluto also rotates approximately 6 times slower than Earth.
Pluto has 5 moons, including a very large one, Charon, with strong enough gravity that both bodies rotate around each other. This makes it a double planetary system.
The name "Pluto" comes from the Roman God of the Underworld, and was suggested by 11-years old Venetia Burney. Pluto is the brightest object in the Kuiper Belt visible from Earth.
Haumea
Haumea is about the same size as Pluto but has the shape of a football as a result of its very fast rotation. One full day on Haumea is just four hours on Earth! It is very cold on the surface of the planet. It is believed to be made of rock with a thick layer of ice atop.
Haumea is one of the fastest-spinning objects in the Solar System. Haumea was discovered in 2003 using ground-based telescopes. Two years later, 2 moons were discovered orbiting Haumea.
It was in 2008 that Haumea officially became a dwarf planet, and received its name from the Hawaiian Goddess of Fertility.
Haumea has a radius of 385 miles (620 kilometers) and is located at an average distance of 6,452,000,000 kilometers. It takes the dwarf planet 285 Earth years to orbit the Sun.
In 2017, scientists discovered Haumea had rings, making it the first object in the Kuiper Belt to possess rings.
Makemake
Makemake is the second brightest object in the Kuiper Belt visible from Earth. It has a radius of 715 kilometers and completes an orbit around the sun in 305 Earth years.
Because of its distance, scientists do not know much about Makemake.
Makemake was discovered on March 31, 2005, but was announced four months later.
The dwarf planet received its name from the Rapanui God of Fertility and spins slightly faster than Earth.
Eris
Eris was discovered on January 5, 2005, when data acquired in 2003 was processed. It was first named "Xena" after the television warrior, but later renamed Eris as the Greek Goddess of Discord. Eris is the reason why the IAU decided to remove Pluto from the list of planets and created the new "Dwarf Planets" category in 2006.
Eris is similar in size to Pluto but is three times farther from the Sun at 10 billion kilometers on average. Eris completes its path around the sun in 557 Earth years and spins a bit slower than Earth. It has a radius of 1,163 kilometers, and one moon has been discovered orbiting the planet so far.
Planets in Order of Size from Smallest to Largest
In case you are interested in knowing the order of the Solar System planets according to size, we'll list them from smallest to largest:
How to Remember the Order of the Planets
There are several ways of remembering the order of the planets, but the most popular way is to use a mnemonic device. A mnemonic device is a phrase where the first letter of each word represents something a part of larger information, in this case, planets.
You can create your own and it can be as silly or educational as you want, as long as it's memorable! Another thing you can do is associate one planet for each of your fingers in order, with the asteroid belt and the Pluto assigned to your thumbs.
Some clever mnemonic phrases to remember the planets are:
"My Violent Evil Monster Just Scared Us Nuts"
Example: "My (Mercury) Violent (Venus) Evil (Earth) Monster (Mars) Just (Jupiter) Scared (Saturn) Us (Uranus) Nuts (Neptune)"
"My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos"
"My Very Easy Memory Jingle Seems Useless Now"
"Mary's Violet Eyes Make John Stay Up Nights"
Another way of remembering the correct order of the planets is by remembering a song! This is popular among kids, and several songs can be found on YouTube, like the one below for example! Happy singing! 💃🕺
Interesting Facts about the Solar System
There have been 24 American astronauts so far who have gone to the Moon.
More than 200 moons are orbiting planets in the Solar System.
More than 300 spacecraft have been sent to explore other objects in our Solar System.
On Venus, a day is longer than a year.
Planetary Astrophotography: The Easiest Planets to Photograph
Taking a picture of a planet is easy and can be done with a DSLR camera attached to a telescope. If you do not own a telescope, it's possible to photograph the large planets with just a camera and a lens on a tripod.
If you are a complete beginner and have never attempted planetary astrophotography before, the three easiest planets in order we recommend you try are Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.
Both Jupiter and Saturn can be photographed without a telescope, although all you'll likely see in your image is a bright dot, with a few other dots nearby. These other dots are the moons, and are what makes an exciting image of a planet even without a telescope!
The image on the left shows the planet Jupiter photographed with just an old Canon T3i camera, a stock 300mm lens, and a tripod. This was taken from a parking lot in the city.
I have annotated the image to show you the three bright moons present in the frame.
We do not recommend imaging Mars without a telescope. The moons are too dim to be seen and the planet is much smaller than Jupiter and Saturn.
Planetary astrophotography is more fun with a telescope, especially if it has a long focal length! We have captured Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter several times using our beginner 8" reflector telescope at 800mm of focal length. We started with the Canon T3i and are now using a QHY462C.
If you plan to dig deeper into planetary astrophotography, here are what we believe are the most important tips:
Get a long focal-length telescope
Take pictures on a night with good Seeing
Use a camera with a fast frame rate
Our Premium Astrophotography Course
Want to learn all aspects of astrophotography in the most efficient way possible?
The Galactic Course includes a LIFETIME membership that gives you unlimited access to all current and upcoming astrophotography content.
Step into an ever-growing realm of knowledge and learn at your own pace. Make life-long friends and connections with other members, and get tips from instructors who truly care about your journey and progress under the night sky.
We hope this post about how to learn the names of the planets in order was useful for you, and be sure to check out our other pages for each planet to see our astrophotography attempts!
Antoine & Dalia Grelin
Galactic Hunter
