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Planets

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Neptune, foreground, with Jupiter in the upper left and Saturn on the right
Neptune, foreground, with Jupiter in the upper left and Saturn on the right

Planets are celestial bodies located within solar systems across the Universe. Current definitions by the International Astronomical Union define a planet that is in orbit around the Sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibirum (nearly round) shape, and has cleared the neighborhood arounds its orbit or within another system.

The Earth's solar system consists of eight planets. (A former ninth planet, Pluto, was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, and reclassified again as a plutoid -- celestial objects that lie within the solar system's Kuiper belt -- in 2008.)

The planets in Earth's solar system have long been a subject of fascination for humans. Many of them have been named after mythological gods, and fantastic stories have been written about them through history. One of the most prominent appearances in art during the beginning of the 20th century was Gustav Holst's The Planets, a symphonic suite inspired by the celestial bodies.

Extraterrestrial Planet Index

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