The solar system is nearly five billion yearls old. It is made up of eight planets, a handful of so-called dwarf planets, and more than 170 moons, as well as dust, gas, and thousands of asteroids and comets, all orbiting around a central sun.
The order of the planets, starting nearest the sun and working outward through the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
What was once recognized as the ninth solar planet, Pluto, was just recently reclassified as a dwarf planet. It was placed in this category along with Eris, Vespa, and Ceres.
The four planets closest to the sun—Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars—are called the terrestrial planets because they have solid rocky surfaces. The four large planets beyond the orbit of Mars—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—are called gas giants.
You can learn more about the planets and our solar system at the following sites:
National Geographic
SPACE.com
Check out top 6 tips for using ordinary binoculars for stargazing at EarthSky.