How many planets are in the solar system?

Answer 1

The solar system comprises the Sun and the retinue of celestial objects gravitationally bound to it: nine planets and their 158 currently known moons, as well as asteroids, meteoroids, planetoids, comets, and interplanetary dust. Astronomers are debating the classification of a potential tenth planet and other trans-Neptunian objects.
The major planets are, in order, Mercury (☿), Venus (♀), Earth (♁), Mars (♂), Jupiter (♃), Saturn (♄), Uranus (♅/), Neptune (♆), and Pluto (♇).
The area beyond Neptune, often referred to as the outer solar system or simply the "trans-Neptunian region", is still largely unexplored.

This region's first formation, which actually begins inside the orbit of Neptune, is the Kuiper belt, a great ring of debris, similar to the asteroid belt but composed mainly of ice and far greater in extent, which lies between 30 and 50 AU from the Sun.
Overlapping the Kuiper belt but extending much further outwards is the scattered disc. Scattered disc objects are believed to have been originally native to the Kuiper belt, but were ejected into erratic orbits in the outer fringes by the gravitational influence of Neptunes migration
One particular scattered disc object, originally found in 2003 but confirmed two years later by Mike Brown (Caltech), David Rabinowitz (Yale University), and Chad Trujillo (Gemini Observatory), has renewed the old debate about what constitutes a planet since it is at least 5% larger than Pluto with an estimated diameter of 2400 km (1500 mi). It currently has no name, but has been given the provisional designation 2003 UB313, and has been nicknamed "Xena" by its discoverers, after the television character. [17]


The object has many similarities with Pluto: its orbit is highly eccentric, with a perihelion of 38.2 AU (roughly Pluto's distance from the Sun) and an aphelion of 97.6 AU, and is steeply inclined to the ecliptic plane, at 44 degrees, more so than any known object in the solar system except the newly-discovered object 2004 XR190, also known as "Buffy". [18] Like Pluto, it is believed to consist largely of rock and ice, and has a moon [19] Whether it and the largest Kuiper belt objects should be considered planets or whether instead Pluto should be reclassified as a minor planet has not yet been resolved.

Answer 2

The current answer is 9. But there is some debate whether or not pluto should be a planet. There are also 2 known and probably more pluto sized objects beyond pluto. These have not been given planet status. I don't think they will. Pluto will probably lose its status as a planet, if they can ever decide on what the definition of a planet is. There were many astronomers that didn't think Pluto should have been named a planet when it was discovered. But there was reluctance to change its status. They didn't want to hurt the feelings of the guy that discovered it. He's been dead for a number of years now, so they don't have to worry about his feelings anymore. For now tradition keeps Pluto as the 9th planet.

Answer 3

No one knows. It is either eight, ten, or eleven. There are as many as 14 (I think that's what it said) large bodies orbiting around he sun, but, technically, there are only eight planets. Astronomers are debating whether to make Pluto and Xena planets, and whether the eleventh, Sedna, is a planet.

But, unlike everyone thinks, there is NO WAY there are 9 planets.

Answer 4

9...Mercury, Mars, Earth, Saturn, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter, Pluto.
I know a 10th planet was discovered last year but I don't think it has been named yet or offically put into text books.

Answer 5

9, but their is a new rock thing the scientists think it a planet. I don't know the name of it though. The names of them are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupitar, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, + the one they haven't named yet.

Answer 6

9 - Mecury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, Uranus

Answer 7

You could look it up.
But since you're here: 9. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto

Answer 8

That really depends on how you define "planet", but the most accepted answer is 9.

Answer 9

9.. but there is a debate going on about wheither or not Pluto is a planet... it's offical title could change any day

Answer 10

9 planets
mercury
venus
earth
mars
saturn
uranus
jupiter
neptune
pluto