What is the fifth planet from the Sun?

The fifth planet from the Sun is Jupiter. The planets in order are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, placing Jupiter immediately beyond the inner rocky planets.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System and the first of the outer gas giants. It is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, with no solid surface on which a person could stand. Beneath its cloud tops, pressure increases so dramatically that hydrogen is thought to become metallic.

The planet's great distance does not make it faint: Jupiter is usually one of the brightest objects in the night sky. Its mass strongly influences the Solar System, and its gravity helps shape the orbits of comets, asteroids, and other bodies. Jupiter completes one trip around the Sun in about 11.86 Earth years.

A frequent mistake is placing Saturn fifth because it is also a famous giant planet. Saturn is actually sixth. Jupiter's position can be confirmed simply by counting outward from the Sun, with Mars fourth and Jupiter next.