How many planets are there?

There are eight planets in our solar system, in order from the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto was once considered the ninth planet, but in 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined what constitutes a planet and Pluto was reclassified as a “dwarf planet.” The eight planets vary in size, composition, and other characteristics, and all but two (Uranus and Venus) have moons orbiting them. There may be many more planets beyond our solar system, but they have not been directly observed yet and are mostly inferred through other means such as detecting their gravitational influence on other objects.