> The diameter of the planets of the solar system
Explore diameter of planets in the solar system in order. Detailed description with photo, axis rotation time and indicators for diameter at equator and poles.
Solar planets differ in size and shape. Some are incredibly huge, while others are very tiny and do not reach the satellites. For example, Mercury is inferior to Ganymede. Some planets are wider at the equatorial line than at the poles. Let's look at the diameters of the planets of the solar system in km in order.
Diameter of Mercury - the first planet of the solar system
With a diameter of 4879 km, Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. It is only slightly larger than our Moon (3474 km) and inferior to Jupiter's satellite Ganymede (5268 km) and Saturn's Titan (5152 km).
This is a terrestrial planet, which contains metals and silicate rocks, divided into an iron core, a silicate mantle and a crust. The sidereal period covers 58.646 days. There is no flattening at the poles, which means we have an almost perfect sphere.
Diameter of Venus - the second planet of the solar system
The diameter is 12104 km and is devoid of flattening at the poles, which means that the figure is almost the same everywhere. Sidereal rotation - 243.025 days.
Diameter of the Earth - the third planet of the solar system
It stretches 12,756 km in diameter and is considered the largest terrestrial planet. Flattening leads to the fact that we do not see the ideal sphere, and the polar diameter differs from the equatorial one by 41 km. The sidereal rotation of the Earth is 23 hours, 58 minutes and 4.1 seconds.
The diameter of Mars - the fourth planet of the solar system
The flattening at the poles reaches 0.00589, which leads to a difference in diameters at the poles (6752.4 km) and the equatorial line (6792.4 km) of 40 km. The sidereal day of Mars is 24 hours, 37 minutes and 22 seconds.
The diameter of Jupiter - the fifth planet of the solar system
With a diameter of 142,984 km, Jupiter is considered the largest planet in the solar system. The flattening is 0.06487, which hints at a rapid axial rotation at 9 hours, 55 minutes and 30 seconds. This means that the equatorial line is wider than the polar one (133708 km) by 9276 km.
Diameter of Saturn - the sixth planet of the solar system
With an indicator of 120536 km, it occupies the 2nd position in terms of size in the system. The situation with the flattening (0.09796) due to the sidereal rotation at 10 hours and 33 minutes is repeated. Therefore, the polar diameter of Saturn (108728 km) differs from the equatorial diameter (120536 km) by 12000 km.
Diameter of Uranus - the seventh planet of the solar system
Uranus is in 3rd position with an indicator of 50724 km. An axial rotation lasts 17 hours, 14 minutes and 24 seconds. Therefore, the diameter at the poles is 49946 km, and at the equator - 51118 km. The difference is - 1172 km (with the flattening index - 0.0229).
Neptune extends for 48244 km. But it completes an axial revolution in 16 hours, 6 minutes and 36 seconds. So the difference is 846 km (48682 km and 49528 km).
As a result, the diameter is affected not only by the composition, but also by the speed of axial rotation. Gas giants rotate faster than the inner planets, so the difference is more noticeable for them.
Eight largest celestial bodies - planets - move around the Sun. In addition to the Earth in the solar system, there are such planets as Mercury - the closest to the star, Venus - the second planet from the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus. This is the order of the planets. Previously, Pluto was also classified as a planet, but since 2006 this space object has lost its status, and today it is classified as planetoids, minor planets. Almost all space objects can be seen in the sky with the naked eye, only Uranus and Neptune can be seen through a telescope.
Sizes of the planets and the sun
People have known about the planets since ancient times. The nearest neighbors of the Earth are Mars and Venus, the radius of which is 6052 kilometers, the most distant are Uranus and Neptune.
All celestial bodies in the solar system are divided into two categories. The first includes objects of the terrestrial group, or the so-called inner planets closest to the Sun - these are Earth, Mars, Mercury and Venus. All these celestial bodies have a solid surface, they have a high density, despite the inner liquid core. The largest in this group is the Earth.
The second category includes all other objects, called "giant planets". They are located farthest from the Sun, and the size of the planets of this group is much larger than the earth. They are also called outer planets. For example, three hundred times the weight of the Earth. In addition, the giant planets differ in their structure from the objects of the terrestrial group: they mainly consist of gases (hydrogen and helium), and this is similar to other stars. They are also called "gas giants".
The sizes of the planets affect their speed of rotation around their own axis, the length of day and night.
In addition to the described celestial bodies, our system includes a total of 54 satellites revolving around the planets. The Moon is a satellite of the Earth, Mars and Neptune have two satellites each. Saturn has the most satellites, seventeen, and some of them are larger than the Moon. Uranus and Jupiter have many satellites, and only Mercury and Venus are left alone.
Thousands of various small bodies plow the Solar System along and across: comets, asteroids, millions of meteorites, particles of gas and dust matter, scattered atoms of various chemical elements, streams of atomic particles.
Located between Jupiter and Mars. An asteroid is a small cosmic body. Asteroid planets vary in size from a few tens of meters to thousands of kilometers. The largest of them are Juno, Pallas, Ceres.
In general, all the solar system is in balance due to the attraction of the sun. They all revolve around the star in the same plane (along the ecliptic), and in the same direction. The only exceptions are some comets. Almost all celestial bodies rotate around their axis.
It accounts for almost 99.80% of the mass of the entire solar system. The remaining mass is 99% taken up by the gas giants (Saturn and Jupiter). Astronomers estimate that the size of our system is at least 60.0 billion kilometers - it is very difficult to imagine such a distance. The distance between stars is measured in astronomical units. One a. e. equals the distance between the Sun and the Earth (approximately 150.0 million km).
To represent the scale of the solar system and the size of the planets, you can use the following model, the parameters of which will be reduced by a billion times. Thus, it will be 1.3 cm, the Moon will be located at a distance of 30 cm from it, Jupiter will be the size of a grapefruit, and a person can be compared to an atom. The diameter of the Sun will be one and a half meters, and it will be located 150 meters from the Earth. The nearest star in this model will be at a distance of forty thousand kilometers.
This is a system of planets, in the center of which is a bright star, the source of energy, heat and light - the Sun.
According to one theory, the Sun was formed along with the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago as a result of the explosion of one or more supernovae. Initially, the solar system was a cloud of gas and dust particles, which, in motion and under the influence of their mass, formed a disk in which a new star, the Sun, and our entire solar system arose.
At the center of the solar system is the Sun, around which nine large planets revolve in orbits. Since the Sun is displaced from the center of the planetary orbits, then during the cycle of revolution around the Sun, the planets either approach or move away in their orbits.
There are two groups of planets:
Terrestrial planets: and . These planets are small in size with a rocky surface, they are closer than others to the Sun.
Giant planets: and . These are large planets, consisting mainly of gas, and they are characterized by the presence of rings consisting of ice dust and many rocky pieces.
But does not fall into any group, because, despite its location in the solar system, it is located too far from the Sun and has a very small diameter, only 2320 km, which is half the diameter of Mercury.
Planets of the solar system
Let's start a fascinating acquaintance with the planets of the solar system in order of their location from the Sun, and also consider their main satellites and some other space objects (comets, asteroids, meteorites) in the gigantic expanses of our planetary system.
Rings and moons of Jupiter: Europa, Io, Ganymede, Callisto and others...
The planet Jupiter is surrounded by a whole family of 16 satellites, and each of them has its own, unlike other features ...
Rings and moons of Saturn: Titan, Enceladus and more...
Not only the planet Saturn has characteristic rings, but also on other giant planets. Around Saturn, the rings are especially clearly visible, because they consist of billions of small particles that revolve around the planet, in addition to several rings, Saturn has 18 satellites, one of which is Titan, its diameter is 5000 km, which makes it the largest satellite in the solar system ...
Rings and moons of Uranus: Titania, Oberon and others...
The planet Uranus has 17 satellites and, like other giant planets, thin rings encircling the planet, which practically do not have the ability to reflect light, therefore they were discovered not so long ago in 1977 quite by accident ...
Rings and moons of Neptune: 
Triton, Nereid and others...
Initially, before the exploration of Neptune by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, it was known about two satellites of the planet - Triton and Nerida. An interesting fact is that the Triton satellite has a reverse direction of orbital motion, and strange volcanoes were also discovered on the satellite, which spewed nitrogen gas like geysers, spreading a dark-colored mass (from liquid to vapor) for many kilometers into the atmosphere. During its mission, Voyager 2 discovered six more satellites of the planet Neptune...
Since 2005, it has been accepted that there are eight planets in the solar system. This is due to the discovery of M. Browne, who proved that Pluto is a dwarf planet. Of course, the opinions of scientists are divided: some believe that this planet should not be classified as a dwarf planet, but it should be returned to its former title, while others agree with Michael. There are even opinions that have suggested increasing the number of planets to twelve. Because of these discrepancies, scientists had to draw up criteria by which space objects are classified as planets:
- They must make revolutions around the Sun.
- The mass of the planets in the solar system must be such as to allow the object to have gravity to keep it spherical.
- The object must clear the orbital path of unnecessary bodies.
Pluto failed in assessing it according to these criteria, for which he was excluded from the list of planets.
Mercury
Not far from the Sun is the first and closest planet to it - Mercury. The distance from it to the star is about 58 million kilometers. This object is considered the smallest planet in our system. Its diameter is only slightly more than 4800 kilometers, and the duration of one year (by earthly standards) is eighty-seven days, with fifty-nine days being the duration of one day on Mercury. The mass of the planet of the solar system is only 0.055 of the earth's mass, i.e. 3.3011 x 10 23 kg.
Reminds me of the moon. An interesting fact is that this planet of our system has no satellites.
If a person weighs fifty kilograms on Earth, then on Mercury his weight will be about twenty. The temperature ranges from -170 to +400 °C.
Venus
The next planet is Venus. It is removed one hundred and eight million kilometers from the star. The diameter and mass of the planet of the solar system is close to our Earth, but still it is smaller. is 0.81 of the earth, i.e. 4.886 x 10 24 kg. Here the year lasts two hundred and twenty-five days. Venus has an atmosphere, but it's filled with sulfuric acid, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
This space object is clearly visible from the Earth in the evening and morning: because of the bright glow, Venus is often mistaken for a UFO.
Earth
Our native home is located at a distance of one hundred and fifty million kilometers from the luminary. The mass of the planet of the solar system is 5.97 x 10 24 kg. Our year has 365 days. The range of heating and cooling of the planet's surface is +60 to -90 degrees Celsius. constantly changing: the percentage of land and water fluctuates. We have a satellite - the Moon.
On Earth, the atmosphere consists of nitrogen, oxygen and other impurities. According to scientists, this is the only world where there is life.
Mars
From the Sun to Mars is almost three hundred million kilometers. This object has another name - the Red Planet. It is obtained due to the reddish tint of the surface created by iron oxide. On the axis of inclination and rotation, Mars strongly resembles the Earth: seasonalities are also formed on this planet.
On its surface there are many deserts, volcanoes, ice caps, mountains, valleys. The atmosphere of the planet is very thin, the temperature drops to -65 degrees. The mass of a planet in the solar system is 6.4171 x 1024 kg. Around the sun, the planet makes a complete turn in 687 Earth days: if we were Martians, then our age would be half that.
According to the latest data, due to the mass and size, this planet of the solar system began to refer to terrestrial objects.
There is no oxygen in the atmosphere, but there is nitrogen, carbon and other impurities. The soil contains a large amount of iron.
Jupiter
This is a huge body located at a distance of almost eight hundred million kilometers from the Sun. The giant is 315 times larger than the Earth. There are very strong winds, the speed of which reaches six hundred kilometers per hour. There are auroras that almost never stop.
The radius and mass of the planet of the solar system are impressive: it weighs 1.89 x 10 27 kg, and its diameter is almost half a million kilometers (for comparison, the diameter of the Earth is only twelve thousand seven hundred kilometers).
Jupiter resembles a separate system, where the planet acts as a luminary, and dozens of objects revolve around it. This impression is created by numerous satellites (67) and moons. An interesting fact: if on Earth a person weighs about forty-five kilograms, then on Jupiter his weight will be more than a centner.
Saturn
Saturn is located at a distance of almost one and a half billion kilometers from the Sun. This is a beautiful planet with an unusual ring system. Saturn has gas layers that are concentrated around the core.
The mass of the planet is 5.66 x 10 26 kg. One revolution around the star takes almost thirty Earth years. Despite such a long year, the day here lasts only eleven hours.
Saturn has 53 moons, although scientists managed to find nine more, but so far they have not been confirmed and do not belong to the moons of Saturn.
Uranus
At a distance of almost three billion kilometers is the beautiful giant planet Uranus. It is classified as an ice gas giant due to the composition of the atmosphere: methane, water, ammonia and hydrocarbons. A large amount of methane gives blueness.
A year on Uranus lasts eighty-four Earth years, but the length of the day is short, only eighteen hours.
Uranus is the fourth largest planet in the solar system: it weighs 86.05 x 1024 kg. It has twenty-seven satellites and has a small ring system.
Neptune
At a distance of four and a half billion kilometers from the Sun is Neptune. This is another ice gas giant. The planet has satellites and a weak ring system.
The mass of the planet is 1.02 x 10 26 kg. Neptune flies around the sun in one hundred and sixty-five years. The day here lasts only sixteen hours.
The planet has water, methane, ammonia, helium.
Neptune has thirteen satellites and one more has not yet received the status of the moon. In the ring system, scientists distinguish six formations. Only one artificial satellite, Voyager 2, launched into space many years ago, was able to reach this planet.
Gas ice giants are very cold, here the temperature drops to -300 degrees and below.
Pluto
The former Pluto was able to maintain its status as a planet for a long century. However, in 2006 it was transferred to the status. Little is known about this object. Scientists cannot yet say exactly how long a year lasts here: it was discovered in 1930 and to this day it has traveled only a third of the orbital path.
Pluto has five moons. The diameter of the planet is only 2300 kilometers, but there is a lot of water here: according to scientists, it is three times more than on Earth. The surface of Pluto is completely covered with ice, among which ridges and dark small areas are visible.
Having considered the sizes and masses, we can draw conclusions about how different they are. There are large objects, and there are small ones that look like ants near baseballs.
On a conditional map of the solar system, the difference in the dimensions of celestial bodies does not seem so significant to us, but if we look in more detail, then comparing the sizes of the planets will be a real discovery for us.
The diameter of the Earth is only 12,000 kilometers. For us who live here, the distance seems huge, but the circumference of the Sun is almost 117 times greater! This despite the fact that by the standards of the Universe it is considered a rather small celestial body.
Comparison of the sizes of planets with the Sun
Let us consider in more detail the physical and mathematical parameters of each object in order to clearly see their colossal difference (the unit of measurement is km).
Comparison of the sizes of the planets of the solar system. Zoom on click.
- Mercury. "Dwarf" among all the planets. With a radius of about 2.5 thousand and a mass of 3.3x10 23 kg. This is only 0.055 of the Earth. Among other things, their density is almost the same, equal to 5.4 g / cu. see Surface area - about 15%.
- Venus. Girth 6.05 thousand and weight 4.87x10 24 kg is 20% less. Surface - 4.6x10 8 squares, (10% difference).
- Earth. Radius - 6.4 thousand, weight 5.98x10 24 kg, an area of 510 million square meters.
- Mars. Diameter - 6.8 thousand, that is, almost half of ours. Weight 6.42x10 23 kg forms a tenth of its mass. Surface - 144.37 million squares. The parameters of Mars are surpassed only by Mercury.
- Jupiter. Gas "giant" of the solar system. Its radius is eleven times greater than that of the object, the dimensions of the surface are -120! Its weight is almost 3.2 of a green planet.
- Saturn. It ranks second in size after Jupiter. The girth is four times larger than ours. With regards to dimensions, the following comparison can be made: the expanses of Saturn will contain approximately 10 Earths.
- Uranus. The radius is almost the same as its neighbor Saturn. Weight 8.68x10 25 kg, it is ahead of the human abode about 14.5 times.
- Neptune. The area/mass ratio is approximately 15/17, respectively. The diameter of Neptune is 4 Earth's equators.
It is obvious: the sizes of the planets are extremely small compared to the Sun, but is it true that the known luminary is the most gigantic object in the Universe? Let's figure it out further.
Comparison of the sizes of stars and planets
Everyone knows that the Sun is a huge star, the dimensions of which repeatedly exceed the parameters of other celestial bodies. However, there are countless celestial bodies in the Universe, relative to which the star seems to be a small dot.
Comparison of the sizes of the moons of the solar system. Zoom on click.
The most compact red dwarfs are considered, for example, Centaurus and Proxima. Differences with the Sun - 78% downward. That is, they are slightly larger than Jupiter.
Rigel has a heavier / larger ratio - 17/62, respectively. Do you think this is an impressive number? We present to you Betelgeuse - it is like 20 Suns. And some objects from the constellation Canis Major are almost 2,000 times larger. If they occupied the positions of our luminaries, they would easily reach Saturn.
