ATLAS / 03EIGHT
EIGHT
WORLDS.
One star, eight planets, and vast distances between them. Select a world to compare its essential characteristics.
003 / 006Illustrated sizes, lighting and distances are not to scale.
SELECT A PLANET / 01—08
ILLUSTRATION / 01OBJECT 01 / SOLAR SYSTEM
Mercury
The closest planet to the Sun, with impact craters and almost no atmosphere. Its days and years follow an unusual rhythm.
Mean distance from the Sun0.39 AU
Orbital period88 days
Approx. diameter4,879 km
TypeTerrestrial
BEYOND / THE OUTER PLANETS
Beyond Neptune is not the end.
The Kuiper Belt lies beyond the outer planets. Farther still, scientists infer the Oort Cloud — an immense, distant reservoir of icy bodies.
NASA / SOLAR SYSTEM FACTS ↗