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Memorizing all the planets around our sun can be done easily – with practice, and without having to learn anything else about them. To remember the order of planets in our solar system, try the following method.

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    Write down the sentence: "My very easy method just speeds up naming planets."
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    Next to each word in the sentence, write down the name of a planet. In order from closest to farthest from the Sun, these are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Notice how each word its corresponding planet start with the same letter? This is called a mnemonic device, which is a way of turning a list into an easy-to-remember sentence. Try making your own using the guide below:
    • M = Mercury
    • V = Venus
    • E = Earth
    • M = Mars
    • J = Jupiter
    • S = Saturn
    • U = Uranus
    • N = Neptune
    • P = Pluto(no longer considered a planet)
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    Mind your Ms. There are two “M” planets: Mercury, which is first, and Mars, which is fourth. In Roman mythology, Mercury was the swiftest runner of the Olympic gods; just like the planet Mercury, he was always in first place. (This is also why mercury, the silvery substance in old-fashioned thermometers, is sometimes known as quick silver.)
    • You can work the word “Mercury” right into the mnemonic to guarantee that you won’t forget where it goes. Ex. Mercury's Volcanoes Erupt Mulberry Jam Sandwiches – Umbrellas Needed!
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    If you’re a visual learner, make sure to write the words in different colors. This can make even a confusingly written mnemonic easier to follow.
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    Include Pluto if desired. Though Pluto has officially been deemed a dwarf planet and therefore not one of the eight planets for quite some time, some of us aren’t ready to let go. If you insist on including Pluto in your mnemonic, simply add a “P” word to the end. (Note that if you’re being tested on this, including Pluto may lose you points.)
    • My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.
    • My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets.
    • My Very Evil Mummy Just Sat Upon Nathan’s Potty.
    • My Very Educated Mother Just Saved Us Nine pence.
    • My Viscous Elephant Makes Jelly Secretly Under Neil's Pillow.
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    You can also learn songs to help you memorize the order of the planets. Some examples are below.
    • Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Jupiter, Saturn, they're not stars! Uranus Neptune, Pluto's last, now let's sing it very fast!
    • The Sun's a hot star, mercury's hot too, Venus is the brightest planet, and Earth's home to me and you! mars is the red one, Jupiter is most wide, Saturn has those icy rings, and Uranus spins on it's side. Neptune is extremely windy, Pluto's rocky and small. We wanted to name the planets, so now we've named them all!

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Featured Article

Categories: Featured Articles | Astronomy

Recent edits by: Ron D, Crasher, Lutherus

In other languages:

Nederlands: de volgorde van de planeten onthouden, Español: Cómo recordar el orden de los planetas del sistema solar, Deutsch: Wie man sich die Reihenfolge der Planeten im Sonnensystem merkt

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