Planet Sizes report
The earth is our home for human survival. The earth is huge compared to human beings. However, humankind has never stopped exploring space. After entering outer space, people discovered that earth is not the largest planet compared to other planets in the solar system.
There are eight known planets in the solar system, including the earth. The solar system is a celestial system centered on the sun and bound by its gravity, including the sun, planets and their satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, and interplanetary matter.
Most people have at least heard about our solar system and the planets in it. We usually learn about the solar system in elementary school, and now you may only need a refresher course about the planets in the solar system. Check out the following guide to learn about the planets, their size, and their order in the solar system.
A Short Review of the Solar System
The Solar System's formation began approximately 4.6 billion years ago when a giant interstellar molecular cloud collapsed. Most of the mass in the solar system is concentrated in the sun, followed by Jupiter, with the largest mass. The eight planets orbit the sun counterclockwise. Each planet in the solar system is unique, with its environment. What is amazing is the sheer size difference of planets.
What are Planets
The 26th International Astronomical Union redefined the planet. Pluto was downgraded to a dwarf planet because it did not meet the requirements of the new planet definition. In this way, the nine planets in the solar system have become eight planets. What conditions does a celestial body can be a planet? Three conditions need to be met at the same time:
- It must be a celestial body orbiting the star.
- The other is that the mass is large enough to turn itself into a spherical shape by its own gravity.
- The third is that the celestial body can clean up other objects near the orbit. There can be no celestial bodies larger than it.
Planets Sizes in Solar System
While humans think of Earth as a giant planet, in reality, it is dwarfed by the massive gas giants lurking at the outer edges of our Solar System. The planets in order from the sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and the dwarf planet Pluto. Jupiter's diameter is about 11 times that of the Earth's, and the Sun's diameter is about ten times Jupiter's. Pluto's diameter is slightly less than one-fifth of Earth's.
Planets Sizes In Order
The sun is the largest star in the solar system, with a diameter more than one hundred times that of the earth. Jupiter is the largest planet with a diameter approximately 11 times that of the earth; Pluto is the smallest planet with a diameter approximately one-sixth the earth's diameter.
Planet | Diameter (km) | Size Relative To Earth |
---|---|---|
Mercury | 4879.4 km | 38% the size of Earth |
Mars | 6779 km | 53% the size of Earth |
Venus | 12104 km | 95% the size of Earth |
Earth | 12756 km | 100% the size of Earth |
Neptune | 49528 km | 388% the size of Earth |
Uranus | 51118 km | 400% the size of Earth |
Saturn | 120660 km | 945% the size of Earth |
Jupiter | 142800 km | 1120% the size of Earth |
Distance Between the Sun and Planets in order
Taking the distance between the earth and the sun as the standard, Mercury, which is closest to the sun, is approximately one-third of the average distance from the sun, and Pluto, the farthest from the sun, is about ten times as far away from the earth.
Planet | Distance from the Sun (AU/KM) |
---|---|
Mercury | 0.39 (57.9 million) |
Venus | 0.723 (108.2 million) |
Earth | 1 (149.6 million) |
Mars | 1.524 (227.9 million) |
Jupiter | 5.203 (778.3 million) |
Saturn | 9.539 (1,427.0 million) |
Uranus | 19.18 (2,871 million) |
Neptune | 30.06 (4,497.1 million) |
Planets Mass In Order
Planet | Mass(KG) |
---|---|
Jupiter | 1.8986 x 1027 |
Saturn | 5.6846 x 1026 |
Neptune | 10.243 x 1025 |
Uranus | 8.6810 x 1025 |
Earth | 5.9736 x 1024 |
Venus | 4.8685 x 1024 |
Mars | 6.4185 x 1023 |
Mercury | 3.3022 x 1023 |
Planet Nine
Humans have never seen this last planet, but scientists are predicting it exists. Nothing is known about Planet Nine, and this planet was predicted in 2014 after astronomers noticed that Neptune’s orbit was slightly different than some other planets.