1
Mercury
The innermost planet completes an orbit in 0.241 Earth years, about 88 days, the shortest year of any planet or dwarf planet.
type: Planet (terrestrial)discovered: Known since antiquity
Top 10 Planets and Dwarf Planets by Shortest Orbital Period
Mercury circles the Sun in 0.241 Earth years (88 days); Neptune needs 164.79 years and Pluto 247.94. The ten shortest years among the Solar System's planets and dwarf planets.
Quick answer
Mercury has the shortest orbital period in the Solar System, circling the Sun once every 0.241 Earth years (about 88 days), according to NASA's planetary fact sheets. Venus is second at 0.615 years and Earth third at 1.000. Among the eight planets and five recognised dwarf planets, Pluto rounds out the ten shortest at 247.94 years. Figures checked October 2026.
A planet's orbital period, the length of its year, depends mainly on its distance from the Sun: Kepler's third law says the square of the period is proportional to the cube of the orbit's size. The inner planets take months, while the outer giants take decades or centuries. This list covers the eight planets and the five dwarf planets recognised by the International Astronomical Union (Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake and Eris) and ranks the ten with the shortest orbital periods. All eight planets make the cut, plus Ceres and Pluto. Haumea, Makemake and Eris all take longer than Pluto to orbit the Sun, so they fall outside the ten.
Sidereal orbital period (Earth years)
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Ceres
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
0.11101001K
The ranking
2
Venus
Venus takes 0.615 Earth years, about 225 days, to orbit the Sun.
type: Planet (terrestrial)discovered: Known since antiquity
3
Earth
Earth's sidereal year of 365.256 days is the yardstick for every other value on this list.
type: Planet (terrestrial)discovered: Known since antiquity
4
Mars
A Martian year lasts 1.881 Earth years (686.980 days), almost twice as long as Earth's.
type: Planet (terrestrial)discovered: Known since antiquity
5
Ceres
The largest object in the asteroid belt and the closest dwarf planet to the Sun takes 4.60 Earth years to orbit, which slots it between Mars and Jupiter on this list as well as in space.
type: Dwarf planetdiscovered: 1801
6
Jupiter
The largest planet takes 11.862 Earth years to complete one orbit.
type: Planet (gas giant)discovered: Known since antiquity
7
Saturn
The ringed planet takes 29.447 Earth years to complete one orbit, so a person lives through only two or three Saturnian years.
type: Planet (gas giant)discovered: Known since antiquity
8
Uranus
The first planet discovered with a telescope, in 1781, takes 84.011 Earth years to circle the Sun.
type: Planet (ice giant)discovered: 1781
9
Neptune
The outermost planet takes 164.79 Earth years per orbit. Found in 1846 after its position was predicted mathematically, it completed its first full orbit since discovery in 2011.
type: Planet (ice giant)discovered: 1846
10
Pluto
Pluto takes 247.94 Earth years to orbit the Sun. Since its discovery in 1930 it has covered less than 40% of one orbit.
type: Dwarf planetdiscovered: 1930
Full comparison
| # | Name | type | discovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercury | Planet (terrestrial) | Known since antiquity |
| 2 | Venus | Planet (terrestrial) | Known since antiquity |
| 3 | Earth | Planet (terrestrial) | Known since antiquity |
| 4 | Mars | Planet (terrestrial) | Known since antiquity |
| 5 | Ceres | Dwarf planet | 1801 |
| 6 | Jupiter | Planet (gas giant) | Known since antiquity |
| 7 | Saturn | Planet (gas giant) | Known since antiquity |
| 8 | Uranus | Planet (ice giant) | 1781 |
| 9 | Neptune | Planet (ice giant) | 1846 |
| 10 | Pluto | Dwarf planet | 1930 |
How we ranked this
Bodies are ranked by sidereal orbital period (one full orbit of the Sun measured against the stars), shortest first, in Earth years. Eligible bodies are the eight planets and the five IAU-recognised dwarf planets; the ten with the shortest periods are listed. Periods for the planets and Pluto are the ratio-to-Earth values in NASA's NSSDC fact sheet for each body; Ceres's period is from NASA's NSSDC Asteroid Fact Sheet. Haumea, Makemake and Eris are excluded only because their periods are longer than Pluto's (Britannica gives about 284, 306 and 559 years). Figures checked October 2026.
FAQ
Why are there 10 entries when there are only eight planets?
The list ranks the eight planets together with the five dwarf planets recognised by the IAU, then keeps the ten with the shortest years. That brings in Ceres (4.60 years) and Pluto (247.94 years). The other three dwarf planets, Haumea, Makemake and Eris, all have longer years than Pluto.
What about Eris?
Eris is a dwarf planet with a much longer year than Pluto: Britannica gives about 559 Earth years. Haumea (about 284 years) and Makemake (about 306 years) also take longer than Pluto, so none of the three is among the ten shortest.
What is the difference between a sidereal and a tropical orbital period?
The sidereal period is one full orbit measured against the distant stars; the tropical period is measured from one equinox to the next. They differ slightly. For Neptune, NASA gives 60,189 days sidereal against 59,800 days tropical. This list uses sidereal periods for every body.
Sources
- NASA NSSDC Mercury Fact Sheet (sidereal orbit period)
- NASA NSSDC Venus Fact Sheet (sidereal orbit period)
- NASA NSSDC Earth Fact Sheet (sidereal orbit period 365.256 days)
- NASA NSSDC Mars Fact Sheet (sidereal orbit period 686.980 days)
- NASA NSSDC Asteroid Fact Sheet (Ceres orbital period 4.60 years)
- NASA NSSDC Jupiter Fact Sheet (sidereal orbit period 4,332.589 days; 11.862 x Earth)
- NASA NSSDC Saturn Fact Sheet (sidereal orbit period 10,755.699 days; 29.447 x Earth)
- NASA NSSDC Uranus Fact Sheet (sidereal orbit period 30,685.4 days; 84.011 x Earth)
- NASA NSSDC Neptune Fact Sheet (sidereal orbit period 60,189.018 days; 164.79 x Earth)
- NASA NSSDC Pluto Fact Sheet (sidereal orbit period 90,560 days; 247.94 x Earth)
- Britannica: Dwarf planet (orbital periods of Haumea, Makemake and Eris, used only to justify their exclusion)
More like this: all Science & Space rankings · browse every topic