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There are a total of 13 known planets in our solar system:

There are 8 major planets in our solar system. Since the recent re-definition of 'planet', Pluto is a dwarf planet (along with 4 others in that classification).

The 8 major planets in the solar system:

1. Mercury

2. Venus

3. Earth

4. Mars

5. Jupiter

6. Saturn

7. Uranus

8. Neptune

The 5 dwarf planets:

1. Ceres (a large asteroid)

2. Pluto

3. Haumea (Kuiper Belt Object)

4. Makemake (Kuiper Belt Object)

5. Eris (Kuiper Belt Object)

Pluto was designated a dwarf planet when it became obvious that there were several other objects of its size within the outer regions of the solar system. Three of them are now also dwarf planets: Eris, Haumea, and Makemake, and others (Quaoar, Sedna) are candidates to be named dwarf planets.

There were 9 planets following the discovery of Pluto in 1930. But with the improvements in telescopes in the 21st century, a surprising number of sizable planetoids found past Neptune, and astronomers realized that there could be dozens of objects being called planets. So in 2006, Pluto was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union. The asteroid Ceres and 3 other trans-Neptunian objects (Haumea, Makemake and Eris) were also classified as dwarf planets and there are several other pending candidates.
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There were nine planets in our solar system, but in 2005, the International Astronomical Union finally devised some criteria for determining what astronomical bodies can be called a "planet". (There had never been an official definition for "planet".

The planet Pluto was demoted from "planet" to "dwarf planet", because Pluto had not "cleared its orbit" of other objects, which left only eight official planets. Pluto became a "dwarf planet", as did the asteroid Ceres, and three trans-Plutonian objects Makemake, Haumea, and Eris.
There were eight... Mercury, Venus, Earth,Mars, Jupiter Saturn, Neptune, Uranus & Pluto. However - recently, Pluto has been 'downgraded' to a 'minor planet' - since it's distance from the sun places it closer to the Kuiper belt.

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7y ago

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