How do the planets move around the Sun?

The eight planets orbit the Sun in the same direction, in nearly the same flat plane. The farther out a planet is, the slower it moves and the longer its path, so a year on Mercury lasts 88 days while Neptune needs almost 165 years to go around once. The distances are huge: Neptune is about 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth.

Tool description

This tool animates the Sun and the eight planets, with the Moon circling Earth, the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and Saturn's rings. It opens on today's date, shown in the top left corner, with each planet where it is now on its average orbit, from the mean longitudes in JPL's "Approximate Positions of the Planets".

Time starts at 1 month per second. Slower and Faster switch between 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 1 year per second, Pause stops the clock, and Today jumps back to the current date. Orbits, Labels and 3D view turn the orbit lines, the names and the tilted view on or off. With 3D view off, you look straight down on the solar system.

Click a planet or the Sun, or step through them with the arrows, to see a short fact, its diameter, distance from the Sun, how long one orbit and one spin take, its known moons and its average temperature in °C and °F.

Sizes and distances are not to scale, and the positions are approximate because the planets follow average orbits. If your system is set to reduce motion, the animation starts paused.

Features

  • Planets placed where they are on the date shown, at 1 day to 1 year per second
  • Key facts and numbers for the Sun and every planet
  • Top view or tilted 3D view, with orbit lines and labels