If you have ever seen a friend described as Mercury, Venus, or Neptune on Snapchat, you may have wondered what those planets actually mean.
A Snap planet is part of Snapchat’s Friend Solar System, a Snapchat+ feature that represents your position in another person’s Best Friends list as a planet. There are eight positions, running from Mercury to Neptune.
I find the feature easier to understand once you stop thinking about it as a real solar system. It is basically a visual way of showing where you rank among a friend’s closest Snapchat connections.
Quick Answer
Snapchat planets show your position in a friend’s Best Friends list. You are represented as a planet in their Friend Solar System, with Mercury being the first position and Neptune the eighth. The feature is available through Snapchat+, and tapping the relevant friendship badge can show your planet.
What Is a Snap Planet?
A Snap planet is one of the eight planets used in Snapchat’s Friend Solar System.
The idea is simple. Instead of showing your friendship ranking as a normal numbered list, Snapchat uses the solar system as a visual model. The person whose profile you are viewing is treated as the Sun, while their top eight friends occupy the eight planetary positions.
Your planet tells you where you stand in that person’s Best Friends list.
For example, if you appear as Mercury, you hold the first position. If you appear as Neptune, you hold the eighth position.
The important part is that the ranking is viewed from the other person’s account. Your planet in their Solar System does not automatically tell you where they rank in yours.
Snapchat Planets in Order
The Snapchat planets follow the same basic order as the planets in our Solar System.
| Rank | Snapchat planet | What it means |
| #1 | Mercury | Their top Best Friend |
| #2 | Venus | Their second Best Friend |
| #3 | Earth | Their third Best Friend |
| #4 | Mars | Their fourth Best Friend |
| #5 | Jupiter | Their fifth Best Friend |
| #6 | Saturn | Their sixth Best Friend |
| #7 | Uranus | Their seventh Best Friend |
| #8 | Neptune | Their eighth Best Friend |
So if someone asks, “What is the Snapchat planet order?” the short answer is:
Mercury → Venus → Earth → Mars → Jupiter → Saturn → Uranus → Neptune
Snapchat’s own explanation confirms that each planet represents a different position in a person’s Best Friends list.
What Do the Snapchat Planets Mean?
The easiest way to read the planets is by their position.
Mercury: #1 Best Friend
Mercury is the first planet and represents the #1 position in your friend’s Best Friends list.
If you are Mercury in someone’s Friend Solar System, you are currently their highest-ranked friend within that system.
I would not read more into the planet than that. Mercury does not officially mean that you have a particular percentage of their interactions or that you have exchanged a specific number of Snaps.
Venus: #2 Best Friend
Venus represents the second position.
You are still one of that person’s eight Best Friends, but another friend currently holds the Mercury position.
Earth: #3 Best Friend
Earth is the third position in the Snapchat best friend planets system.
It means you rank third among the eight friends represented in that person’s Friend Solar System.
Mars: #4 Best Friend
Mars represents the fourth position.
At this point, you are still inside the top eight, but three other friends rank above you in that particular Solar System.
Jupiter: #5 Best Friend
Jupiter represents the fifth position.
It is the middle point of the eight planetary positions. You are still among the person’s Best Friends, but four friends rank above you.
Saturn: #6 Best Friend
Saturn represents the sixth position.
You remain inside the person’s top eight, although five other friends currently have positions closer to the Sun.
Uranus: #7 Best Friend
Uranus represents the seventh position.
It is near the outer edge of the Friend Solar System, meaning you currently rank seventh among the eight friends represented there.
Neptune: #8 Best Friend
Neptune represents the eighth and final position.
You are still included in that person’s Best Friends list, but seven other friends rank ahead of you.
That does not mean you are a bad friend. The system only represents your position within that particular ranking at that point in time.
How Does the Snapchat Friend Solar System Work?
The Friend Solar System turns a Best Friends ranking into a visual system.
Snapchat says Best Friends are people you Snap and Chat with the most, and the Solar System shows your position in another person’s Best Friends list.
The basic process looks like this:
Friend’s profile → Best Friends relationship → Planet position
The closer your planet is to the Sun, the higher your position.
I think this is the most useful way to interpret the feature. You do not need to think of Mercury as having a special friendship meaning beyond being position #1.
Does Snapchat Reveal the Exact Ranking Formula?
No exact public scoring formula should be assumed.
You will find websites claiming that Snapchat uses precise percentages or specific numbers of Snaps and chats to assign every planet. I would be careful with those claims.
Snapchat confirms the Best Friends concept and the eight planetary positions, but it does not publicly provide a detailed formula saying, for example, that a certain number of Snaps automatically produces Mercury.
So it is better to say that your planet represents your position in the Best Friends ranking rather than inventing an exact scoring system.
How to See Your Snapchat Planet
If you have Snapchat+ and want to check your position in a friend’s Solar System, the process is straightforward.
- Open Snapchat.
- Go to the profile of the friend you want to check.
- Open their Friendship Profile.
- Look for the relevant friendship badge.
- Tap the badge to see your planet.
Snapchat says that tapping the Best Friends badge shows which planet you are in that person’s Solar System.
The important detail is that the planet tells you your position in their list.
It is not a general ranking of every friend you have on Snapchat.
How to Turn On Snapchat Solar System
The Friend Solar System is a Snapchat+ feature.
There is also a setting that controls whether the Solar System is active. Snapchat currently says the feature is turned off by default for first-time Snapchat+ subscribers, so having Snapchat+ does not necessarily mean you will immediately see the Solar System.
If you cannot find your Snapchat planets, check your Snapchat+ settings and make sure the Friend Solar System feature is enabled.
The exact appearance of menus can change as Snapchat updates the app, so I would look for the current Snapchat+ and Solar System settings rather than relying on an old screenshot.
What Do the Best Friends and Friends Badges Mean?
This is one of the easiest parts of the feature to misunderstand.
Snapchat uses different friendship indicators.
The Best Friends badge means that the person is among the eight people you Snap and Chat with the most. Tapping it can reveal your position in their Solar System.
A Friends badge has a different meaning. It can indicate a friendship connection without giving the same mutual Best Friends status.
This distinction matters because being highly ranked in one person’s Solar System does not automatically mean they hold the same position in yours.
Can Your Snapchat Planet Change?
Yes, your planet can change.
Your position is connected to the Best Friends ranking, so it should not be treated as a permanent label.
For example, you could be Mercury in a friend’s Solar System at one point and later appear as Venus if another friend moves ahead of you in that person’s ranking.
The reverse can also happen.
I would therefore treat Snapchat planets as a snapshot of your friendship ranking rather than a permanent score.
Can Someone Be Your Mercury While You’re Their Jupiter?
Yes.
This is one of the most important things to understand about Snapchat best friend planets.
Imagine that you are checking Alex’s Friendship Profile and Snapchat shows you as Mercury.
That means you are in the #1 position in Alex’s Best Friends ranking.
Now imagine Alex appears as Jupiter when you check your own Solar System.
That would mean Alex is in your #5 position.
There is no contradiction.
Your Solar System represents your ranking of friends, while Alex’s Solar System represents Alex’s ranking of friends.
So the two rankings do not have to match.
Snapchat Planets vs Best Friends List
The two ideas are closely connected, but they are not exactly the same thing.
| Feature | Best Friends | Friend Solar System |
| Shows close Snapchat friends | Yes | Yes |
| Uses eight positions | Yes | Yes |
| Uses planets | No | Yes |
| Shows a visual ranking | Limited | Yes |
| Part of Snapchat+ | No | Yes |
| Shows your position in another person’s list | No | Yes |
The Friend Solar System is essentially a visual representation of the relevant Best Friends ranking.
Why Can’t I See Snapchat Planets?
If you cannot see your Snapchat planet, there are several things I would check.
You Do Not Have Snapchat+
The Friend Solar System is part of Snapchat+, so check your subscription first.
Solar System Is Turned Off
Snapchat says the feature can be enabled or disabled, and it is off by default for first-time Snapchat+ subscribers.
Check your Snapchat+ settings.
You Are Checking the Wrong Profile
The planet is connected to a friend’s Friendship Profile.
Open the profile of the person whose ranking you want to check rather than looking for a general Solar System screen.
There Is No Relevant Friendship Ranking
The feature is based around Best Friends and friendship positions. If the expected badge or planet does not appear, the relationship may not meet the conditions required to display it.
Snapchat Has Changed the Interface
Snapchat regularly changes its menus and feature layouts.
If an older guide tells you to tap a button that you cannot find, the instructions may simply be outdated.
What Does Snapchat Universe Mean?
You may also see people refer to the feature as the Snapchat universe.
This is an informal way of describing the space-themed friendship system.
The official feature is called Friend Solar System. The “universe” idea comes from the way Snapchat turns your friendship connections into planets orbiting around a central Sun.
So if someone searches for solar system planets Snapchat, Snapchat universe, or Snapchat planets, they are often looking for the same basic feature.
Do Snapchat Planets Show Your Entire Friend List?
No.
The Friend Solar System is based around eight Best Friends positions.
Mercury represents #1, while Neptune represents #8.
That means the feature is not a complete map of every person you have added on Snapchat.
It is focused on the people occupying those top positions.
Are Snapchat Planets the Same as Snapchat Emojis?
No.
Snapchat planets and Friend Emojis are different features.
Friend Emojis can appear next to friends and represent different friendship statuses or interactions. The Friend Solar System uses planets to represent positions in the Best Friends ranking.
So if you see a heart emoji next to someone and that person is also represented by a planet, those two indicators are not necessarily saying the same thing.
Do Snapchat Planets Affect Your Friendship?
No.
A planet is a representation of a ranking. It does not change your friendship, send a notification to your friend, or give you control over their Best Friends list.
I would treat it as a fun way to see your position rather than a formal friendship score.
It can be interesting to check, but it is better not to read too much into small ranking changes.
What Is the Snapchat Planets Order?
The complete Snapchat planet order is:
- Mercury — #1
- Venus — #2
- Earth — #3
- Mars — #4
- Jupiter — #5
- Saturn — #6
- Uranus — #7
- Neptune — #8
The order follows the same sequence as the eight planets in the real Solar System.
Final Take
Snapchat planets are simply a more visual way to represent Best Friends.
If you are Mercury, you hold the #1 position in that person’s Solar System. If you are Neptune, you hold the #8 position. The planets in between represent the positions from #2 through #7.
The biggest thing I would keep in mind is that your planet is person-specific. Being someone’s Mercury does not mean they are automatically your Mercury.
Once you understand that, the whole Snapchat Solar System becomes much easier to read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Snap planet?
A Snap planet represents your position in a friend’s Best Friends list through Snapchat’s Friend Solar System. The eight positions run from Mercury to Neptune.
What does Mercury mean on Snapchat?
Mercury means you are in the #1 position in that person’s Best Friends ranking.
What does Venus mean on Snapchat?
Venus represents the #2 position in a person’s Friend Solar System.
What does Neptune mean on Snapchat?
Neptune represents the #8 position, making it the outermost and lowest of the eight Best Friends positions.
How many Snapchat planets are there?
There are eight Snapchat planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Do you need Snapchat+ for Snapchat planets?
Yes. Friend Solar Systems are a Snapchat+ feature.
Can my Snapchat planet change?
Yes. Your position can change as the Best Friends ranking changes.
Can someone be my Mercury while I am their Jupiter?
Yes. Each person’s Solar System represents their own Best Friends ranking, so the positions do not have to match.
Can my friends see my Snapchat planet?
The planet shown through the Friend Solar System represents your position in the other person’s ranking. It should not be treated as a public list of all your friendship rankings.
Why can’t I see Snapchat planets?
Check that you have Snapchat+, that Friend Solar System is enabled, and that you are checking the correct Friendship Profile. The feature is currently off by default for first-time Snapchat+ subscribers.
