Inner Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars)
- Rocky composition: Primarily composed of silicate rocks and metals (iron, nickel).
- Smaller in size and mass: Mercury is the smallest planet (4,880 km), while Earth is the largest (12,756 km).
- Dense: Have relatively high densities, with Earth being the densest (5.51 g/cm³).
- Fewer moons: Mars has two small moons (Phobos and Deimos), while Venus and Mercury have no moons.
- Thin or no atmospheres: Venus has a thick, carbon dioxide atmosphere, while Mercury and Mars have very thin atmospheres.
- Little to no surface water: Earth has liquid water on its surface, while Mars has some water ice at its poles.
- Hotter surface temperatures: Closer to the Sun, so they experience higher surface temperatures, especially Venus (462°C).
Outer Planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
- Gaseous composition: Primarily composed of gases (hydrogen, helium), with a small rocky core.
- Larger in size and mass: Jupiter is the largest planet (142,984 km), while Neptune is the smallest (49,244 km).
- Lower densities: Have relatively low densities, with Saturn being the least dense (0.687 g/cm³).
- Many moons: Jupiter has 80 known moons, Saturn has 62, Uranus has 27, and Neptune has 14.
- Thick atmospheres: Have thick, gaseous atmospheres that contain clouds and storms.
- Presence of liquid water: Suspected to have subsurface oceans of liquid water, especially Jupiter and Saturn.
- Colder surface temperatures: Farther from the Sun, so they experience colder surface temperatures, especially Neptune (-200°C).