Feb 3, 2026 · A more modern definition can be found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which defines a planet as “any of the large bodies that revolve around the Sun in the solar system.”

Discover how Planet's daily satellite imagery and insights empower global decisions and actions with a multidimensional view of our changing planet.

The word planet comes from the Greek πλανήται (planḗtai) 'wanderers'. In antiquity, this word referred to the Sun, Moon, and five points of light visible to the naked eye that moved across the background of …

Explore our free interactive 3D solar system map! View all 8 planets, moons & dwarf planets as a 3D planet viewer. Click any planet for facts.

The smallest and fastest planet, Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and whips around it every 88 Earth days. Spinning in the opposite direction to most planets, Venus is the hottest planet, and one …

Apr 11, 2026 · Planet, 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. …

The ongoing debate over planet classification persists amidst our expanding knowledge of the universe, which includes the discovery of numerous exoplanets, potentially including habitable ones within the …

Jul 21, 2025 · 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 …

May 3, 2025 · Every planet in the solar system lives under the Sun’s rule. Closest to the Sun lie four rocky planets known as the terrestrial planets. These worlds are relatively small compared to the …

But what exactly is a planet? It seems like an easy question. After all, you’re standing on one right now! But the scientific definition was fairly loose until recently. The discovery of other...