The Planet Quiz Show

The closer a planet is to the sun, the stronger the sun’s gravity pulls on that planet. The only way that a nearer planet can escape from being pulled into the sun is by orbiting the sun at a higher rate of speed. Also, the farther away a planet is from the sun, the greater its orbital path becomes. Closer planets have shorter orbital paths and are moving faster. Planets farther from the sun have longer orbital paths and are moving slower. It is no wonder that Mercury is the speed demon of the solar system while Neptune is the slowpoke.

The eight planets in our solar system are not drawn to scale, but they sure are pretty.