Quick Answer:
Snapchat Planets order ranks your top 8 best friends from 1 to 8 using planets instead of numbers. Mercury is position 1 (your closest friend) and Neptune is position 8 (your least active best friend). The order updates automatically based on how often you snap and chat with each person.
What Is Snapchat Planet Order?
Snapchat Planet Order is a numbered ranking system that shows where you stand in someone’s top 8 best friends. Instead of showing you a list with numbers like 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, Snapchat uses planets to represent each position. Mercury always means position 1 and Neptune always means position 8.
This feature is part of Snapchat Plus and only subscribers can see planet rankings. The system works automatically, Snapchat checks your snapping and chatting activity and assigns a planet based on your rank compared to that person’s other friends.
Want to understand what each planet actually looks like and what it means for your friendship? Read our full guide on what each Snapchat Planet means for the complete breakdown.
The Full Snapchat Planet Order List (1 to 8):
Here is every planet in order from closest to farthest, with what each numbered position means:
| Position | Planet | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercury | You are their #1 most active friend |
| 2 | Venus | Second most active, very close to top |
| 3 | Earth | Third position, regular interaction |
| 4 | Mars | Fourth position, moderate interaction |
| 5 | Jupiter | Fifth position, occasional interaction |
| 6 | Saturn | Sixth position, infrequent interaction |
| 7 | Uranus | Seventh position, rare interaction |
| 8 | Neptune | Eighth position, lowest interaction level |
The order never changes. Mercury is always 1 and Neptune is always 8. What changes is which planet YOU appear as when someone views their position with you.
How Snapchat Calculates Your Planet Rank?
Snapchat decides your planet position by measuring your interaction strength with one specific person compared to all their other friends. It is not an absolute score — it is a relative ranking.
This means your position can change even if your own activity stays exactly the same. If another friend suddenly starts snapping that person more than you, your planet moves further away even though you did nothing differently.
Snapchat looks at three main signals to calculate rank:
- Snap frequency — how many snaps you send and receive with that person
- Chat activity — how often you have private message conversations
- Interaction recency — recent activity counts more than old activity
The ranking is calculated continuously in the background. Snapchat does not show you the exact numbers or scores behind each position.
What Actions Increase or Decrease Your Rank?
Not all activity on Snapchat affects your planet position. Only direct personal interaction counts.
Actions that increase your rank:
- Sending snaps directly to that person
- Receiving snaps back from that person
- Having private chat conversations
- Consistent daily interaction rather than sporadic bursts
Actions that do NOT affect your rank:
- Watching their Stories
- Visiting their profile
- Reacting to their Stories
- Viewing their Snap Map location
- Taking screenshots of their content
- Group chat messages
The key principle is that only two-way direct communication moves your position. One-sided activity where you send snaps but they do not reply barely moves your rank at all.
How Often Does Snapchat Planet Order Update?
Snapchat updates planet rankings on a rolling daily basis. There is no fixed reset time like midnight. Instead the system recalculates continuously as new activity happens.
This means your position can shift at any point during the day. You might check in the morning and see Mercury, then check at night and see Venus. This is normal and happens because Snapchat is constantly weighing recent activity against older activity.
Recent activity always carries more weight than old activity. A burst of snaps and chats over the last two days will affect your rank more than consistent activity from two weeks ago.
Why Did Your Planet Position Change?
Planet positions change for three main reasons:
You became less active with that person. If you stopped sending snaps or messages as often, your rank naturally drops as other friends become relatively more active.
Another friend became more active. Remember the ranking is relative. Someone else snapping that person more frequently can push you down even if your own activity did not change.
Your recent activity dropped. Snapchat weighs recent interactions more heavily. If you were very active last week but quiet this week, your rank will fall even if your overall history is strong.
Planet changes do not mean anything negative about your real friendship. They only reflect recent app activity patterns.
For a full explanation of what happens when planets appear or disappear in your best friends list, read our guide on how Snapchat Planets work in the best friends list.
The Difference Between Best Friends Badge and Friends Badge:
When you open a friend’s profile you will see either a Best Friends badge or a Friends badge. These are different from the planet itself and tell you something specific about your mutual status.
Best Friends badge means you are in each other’s top 8. You are in their top 8 and they are also in your top 8. This shows strong mutual interaction from both sides.
Friends badge means you are in their top 8 but they are not necessarily in yours. The interaction may be more one-sided.
Your planet position appears inside whichever badge is shown. The badge tells you the type of connection and the planet tells you the specific numbered rank within that connection.
Who Is the Sun in Snapchat Solar System?
In Snapchat’s solar system the Sun is always the person whose profile you are viewing. When you open your friend’s profile and tap their badge, that friend is the Sun and you appear as a planet orbiting around them.
This is a common source of confusion. Many people think they are the Sun. You are not. You are always a planet in someone else’s solar system when you view their profile. The planet you see shows your position in their world, not yours.
When your friend opens YOUR profile and views the badge, the roles reverse. Now you are the Sun and they appear as a planet in your solar system. Your planet rank for them may be completely different from their planet rank for you.
Why Is Snapchat Planet Order Not Showing?
If planet order is not appearing there are four common reasons:
Snapchat Plus is not active. Planet order is exclusively a Snapchat Plus feature. If your subscription expired the planets disappear entirely. Check your subscription status in account settings.
The Solar System feature is turned off. Go to your Snapchat settings and make sure the Friend Solar System option is enabled. This can sometimes get turned off after app updates.
You are not in their top 8. Planets only appear for friends who qualify as your top 8 best friends. If your interaction with someone is too low they will not have a planet at all.
App needs updating. An outdated version of Snapchat can cause planets to not display correctly. Update to the latest version and restart the app.
For a complete overview of everything Snapchat Planets are and how the whole system works, visit our main Snapchat Planets guide.
Conclusion:
Snapchat Planet Order is simply a numbered ranking from 1 to 8 that uses planets instead of numbers to show how active you are compared to someone’s other friends. Mercury means you are their most active friend and Neptune means you are their least active among their top 8. The most important thing to remember is that the ranking is relative not absolute — your position always depends on what other people are doing too.
To understand what each planet looks like and what your specific position means for your friendship, read our complete guide on what each Snapchat Planet means.
