Neptune is often seen as the Eighth planet in the Solar System with Pluto, further away from the Sun, as the ninth. But, sometimes, the paths of Neptune and Pluto cross which results in Pluto becoming closer to the Sun than Neptune is. In fact, it was only at the end of 1999 that Pluto returned to its position outside Neptune's orbit. For the last 20 years, Neptune was the furthest planet away from the Sun. The two planets, Neptune and Pluto, will never collide with each other. All planets in the Solar System orbit the Sun level with each other, apart from Pluto which can goes higher and lower in its orbit around the Sun. Below is a map of the Solar System, showing the nine planets and their orbits around the Sun. We can see how close the Inner Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) are to the Sun and to each other, and how much further the Gas Giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) are. Plus, we can see the place where Pluto and Neptune's orbits cross, and how much further Pluto gets away from the Sun during its 248 year journey around the Sun.

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