Planet Guide

Moving past the asteroid belt, we find massive worlds made mostly of hydrogen and helium gas with no true solid surfaces. About the Planets - NASA Science

: The rust-covered desert. Iron oxide (rust) in its soil gives it its signature reddish hue. It is home to Olympus Mons, a volcano three times taller than Mount Everest, and features massive dried-up riverbeds proving water once flowed there. ☁️ The Gas Giants planet

: Our perfect oasis. It is the only known place in the universe to harbor life, actively recycling its crust through plate tectonics and maintaining vast oceans of liquid water. Moving past the asteroid belt, we find massive

: The ultimate land of extremes. Because it has virtually no atmosphere to trap heat, daytime temperatures soar to a blistering 840°F (450°C), while nights plummet to a frozen -275°F (-170°C). It is home to Olympus Mons, a volcano

From metal-melting surface temperatures to sideways magnetic fields, the planets in our cosmic neighborhood are anything but boring. This guide breaks them down by their distinct groups. 🪨 The Rocky Realm (Terrestrial Planets)

: Earth's toxic twin. It is blanketed by a thick, heavy atmosphere of carbon dioxide that traps heat like a runaway greenhouse. This makes it the hottest planet in the solar system at a steady 900°F (475°C)—hot enough to melt lead.

These are the four planets closest to the Sun. They are made of rock and metal and have solid surfaces you could actually walk on.