Planets

The Solar System contains eight planets orbiting the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They are divided into the four inner rocky planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars — and the four outer giant planets — Jupiter and Saturn, mainly composed of gas, and Uranus and Neptune, classified as ice giants.

From Earth, planetary imaging can reveal remarkable details such as Mars’ surface features and polar caps, Jupiter’s atmospheric bands and Great Red Spot, Saturn’s rings, and the phases of Mercury and Venus. Their moons can also become important photographic subjects, particularly the four large Galilean moons of Jupiter and Saturn’s brightest satellites.