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- Mercury : named after the Roman god of messengers ; closest to the sun; the great difference between day and night temperatures (about 400 °C and -170°C); has no moon .
- Venus : named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty ; second planet from the sun; almost the same size as Earth (known as the ‘Earth’s Twin’); visible after sunset or before sunrise (Evening Star or Morning Star); very hot; has no moon .
- Mars : named after the Roman god of war ; known as the ‘Red Planet’; about half the size of Earth; has almost the same period of rotation as Earth; has two moons .
- Jupiter : named after the ruler of the Roman gods ; largest planet in the solar system; has 53 known moons (described by NASA as a mini solar system) but the numbers increased between 80 and 95 moons as of 2023.
- Saturn : named after Jupiter’s father in Roman mythology ; a most beautiful planet in the solar system; has bright rings made of icy particles around its equator; has 53 known moons.
- Uranus : named after the Greek god of the sky ; discovered in 1781 by William Herschel; has rings around its equator; has 27 known moons.
- Neptune : named after the Roman god of the sea ; similar to Uranus in size and structure (called the Twin Giants); has eight known moons.
