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Photograph courtesy NASA
This view of Earth was taken in 1972 by astronauts on their way to the moon. Can you tell what continent that is through the clouds? (Answer: Africa.) -
Photograph courtesy NASA
This bright-blue world is Neptune, the eighth planet from the sun. The big smudge in the middle is a powerful storm swirling on the planet. -
Photograph courtesy of NASA
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures a rare view of the entire ring system of the planet Uranus, tilted edge-on to Earth.
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Photograph courtesy NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Saturn is the second-largest planet in our solar system. It also has the most spectacular rings of any planet and more than 50 moons. -
Photograph courtesy NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, is the biggest planet in our solar system. It could fit more than 1,300 Earths inside it! -
Photograph courtesy NASA
Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, is sometimes called the "red planet" because iron oxide (rust) in its soil turns the dirt red. -
Photograph courtesy L. Esposito (University of Colorado, Boulder)/NASA
Venus, the second planet from the sun, is partly covered by clouds in this picture. It is very bright in our night sky. In fact, the only thing brighter is our moon. -
Photograph courtesy NASA
Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. It has no water on its surface, but it has cliffs and valleys, just like Earth. -
Photograph courtesy NASA/JPL
There are eleven planets in our solar system. From top to bottom, they are Mercury, Venus, Earth (and our moon), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (dwarf planets Pluto, Ceres, and Eris not shown in this image).
© 1996-2013 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.
