Examine planets using the distance from the sun. For example, Mercury, the closest planet, is approximately 58 billion miles away from the sun. Neptune, on the other hand, the most distant planet, is over 4 trillion miles away. Prior to August 24, 2006, the most distant planet was Pluto, which was over 5 trillion miles away. However, after August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union removed Pluto's planetary status.
Study atmospheres in order to compare planets. Every planet has atmosphere, since every planet has gravity. Although the atmospheres of the planets vary radically from one another, certain similarities remain. These similarities are useful when comparing planets. For example, both Jupiter and Earth have hurricane-like storm patterns visible in the atmosphere. On Jupiter, however, the largest of those patterns is the Great Red Spot and has been under observation for over 300 years. The eye of the Great Red Spot is nearly large enough to contain three planets the size of Earth within it.
Change the point of reference when comparing planets for a different way to present planetary information. For example, by comparing the size of Mars to the size of Earth, it shows that Earth has nearly twice the diameter of Mars. The length of a day on Mars, however, is practically the same as the length of a day on Earth. On the other hand, a year on Mars is nearly twice as long as a year on Earth. When Earth is compared to Venus, while the two planets are very similar in size, Venus has a surface atmospheric pressure over 90 times greater than that found on Earth. This means someone on the surface of Venus would be subjected to tremendous pressure, effectively crushing him instantly.