Classical planet Classical planet In classical antiquity, the seven classical planets were the seven non-fixed astronomical objects in the sky visible to the naked eye: Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon. The word "planet" comes from two related Greek words, πλάνης "planēs" (whence πλάνητες ἀστέρες "planētes asteres" "wandering stars, planets") and πλανήτης "planētēs", both with the original meaning of "wanderer", expressing the fact that these objects move across the celestial sphere relative to the fixed stars. The term "planet" in modern terminology is only applied to natural satellites directly orbiting the Sun, so that of the seven classical
Planet potential "rogue planets" are excluded. In the Solar System, all the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction as the Sun rotates (counter-clockwise as seen from above the Sun's north pole). At least one extrasolar planet, WASP-17b, has been found to orbit in the opposite direction to its star's rotation. The period of one revolution of a planet's orbit is known as its sidereal period or "year". A planet's year depends on its distance from its star; the farther a planet is from its star, not only the longer the distance it must travel, but also the slower its