Planets Fact Sheet

solarsystem.jpg

Mercury

Mass: 0.3302 x 10

24

kg
Volume: 6.083 x 10

10

km

3

Average radius: 2439.7 km Average diameter: 4879.4 km Mean density: 5.427 g/cm

3

Escape velocity: 4.3 km/s Surface gravity: 3.7 m/s

2

Visual magnitude: -0.42 Natural satellites: 0 Rings? - No Semimajor axis: 57,910,000 km Orbit period: 87.969 days Perihelion: 46,000,000 km Aphelion: 69,820,000 km
Mean orbital velocity: 47.87 km/s Maximum orbital velocity: 58.98 km/s Minimum orbital velocity: 38.86 km/s Orbit inclination: 7.00° Orbit

eccentricity

0.2056 Sidereal rotation period: 1407.6 hours
Length of day: 4222.6 hours Discovery: Known since prehistoric times Minimum distance from Earth: 77,300,000 km Maximum distance from Earth: 221,900,000 km Maximum apparent diameter from Earth: 13 arc seconds Minimum apparent diameter from Earth: 4.5 arc seconds Maximum visual magnitude: -1.9

Venus

Mass: 4.8685 x 10

24

kg
Volume: 92.843 x 10

10

km

3

Average radius: 6051.8 km Average diameter: 12103.6 km Mean density: 5.243 g/cm

3

Escape velocity: 10.36 km/s Surface gravity: 8.87 m/s

2

Visual magnitude: -4.40 Natural satellites: 0 Rings? - No Semimajor axis: 108,210,000 km Orbit period: 224.701 days Perihelion: 107,480,000 km Aphelion: 108,940,000 km
Mean orbital velocity: 35.02 km/s Maximum orbital velocity: 35.26 km/s Minimum orbital velocity: 34.79 km/s Orbit inclination: 3.39° Orbit eccentricity: 0.0067 Sidereal rotation period: 5832.5 hours
Length of day: 2802.0 hours Discovery: Known since prehistoric times Minimum distance from Earth: 38,200,000 km Maximum distance from Earth: 261,000,000 km Maximum apparent diameter from Earth: 66.0 arc seconds Minimum apparent diameter from Earth: 9.7 arc seconds Maximum visual magnitude: -4.6

Earth

Mass: 5.9736 x 10

24

kg
Volume: 108.321 x 10

10

km

3

Average radius: 6,371.0 km Average diameter: 12,742 km Mean density: 5.515 g/cm

3

Escape velocity: 11.186 km/s Surface gravity: 9.798 m/s

2

Visual magnitude: -3.86 Natural satellites: 1 Rings? - No Semimajor axis: 149,600,000 km Orbit period: 365.256 days Perihelion: 147,090,000 km Aphelion: 152,100,000 km
Mean orbital velocity: 29.78 km/s Maximum orbital velocity: 30.29 km/s Minimum orbital velocity: 29.29 km/s Orbit inclination: 0.00° Orbit eccentricity: 0.0167 Sidereal rotation period: 23.9345 hours
Length of day: 24.0000 hours Axial tilt: 23.45°

Mars

Mass: 0.64185 x 10

24

kg
Volume: 16.318 x 10

10

km

3

Average radius: 3,389.5 km Average diameter: 6,779 km Mean density: 3.933 g/cm

3

Escape velocity: 5.03 km/s Surface gravity: 3.71 m/s

2

Visual magnitude: -1.52 Natural satellites: 2 Rings? - No Semimajor axis: 227,920,000 km Orbit period: 686.980 days Perihelion: 206,620,000 km Aphelion: 249,230,000 km
Mean orbital velocity: 24.13 km/s Orbit inclination: 1.850° Orbit eccentricity: 0.0935 Sidereal rotation period: 24.6229 hours
Length of day: 24.6597 hours Axial tilt: 25.19 ° Discovery: Known since prehistoric times Minimum distance from Earth: 55,700,000 km Maximum distance from Earth: 401,300,000 km Maximum apparent diameter from Earth: 25.1 arc seconds Minimum apparent diameter from Earth: 3.5 arc seconds Maximum visual magnitude: -2.91

Jupiter

Mass: 1,898.6 x 10

24

kg
Volume: 143,128 x 10

10

km

3

Average radius: 69,911 km Average diameter: 139,822 km Mean density: 1.326 g/cm

3

Escape velocity: 59.5 km/s Surface gravity: 24.79 m/s

2

Natural satellites: 63 Rings? - Yes Semimajor axis: 778,570,000 km Orbit period: 4,332.589 days Perihelion: 740,520,000 km Aphelion: 816,620,000 km
Mean orbital velocity: 13.07 km/s Orbit inclination: 1.304° Orbit eccentricity: 0.0489 Sidereal rotation period: 9.9250 hours
Length of day: 9.9259 hours Axial tilt: 3.13° Discovery: Known since prehistoric times Minimum distance from Earth: 588,500,000 km Maximum distance from Earth: 968,100,000 km Maximum apparent diameter from Earth: 50.1 arc seconds Minimum apparent diameter from Earth: 29.8 arc seconds Maximum visual magnitude: -2.94

Saturn

Mass: 568.46 x 10

24

kg
Volume: 82,713 x 10

10

km

3

Average radius: 58,232 km Average diameter: 116,464 km Mean density: 0.687 g/cm

3

Escape velocity: 35.5 km/s Surface gravity: 10.44 m/s

2

Natural satellites: 60 Rings? - Yes Semimajor axis: 1,433,530,000 km Orbit period: 10,759.22 days Perihelion: 1,352,550,000 km Aphelion: 1,514,500,000 km
Mean orbital velocity: 9.69 km/s Orbit inclination: 2.485° Orbit eccentricity: 0.0565 Sidereal rotation period: 10.656 hours
Length of day: 10.656 hours Axial tilt: 26.73° Discovery: Known since prehistoric times Minimum distance from Earth: 1,195,500,000 km Maximum distance from Earth: 1,658,500,000 km Maximum apparent diameter from Earth: 20.1 arc seconds Minimum apparent diameter from Earth: 14.5 arc seconds Maximum visual magnitude: 0.43

Uranus

Mass: 86.832 x 10

24

kg
Volume: 6,833 x 10

10

km

3

Average radius: 25,362 km Average diameter: 50,724 km Mean density: 1.270 g/cm

3

Escape velocity: 21.3 km/s Surface gravity: 8.87 m/s

2

Natural satellites: 27 Rings? - Yes Semimajor axis: 2,872,460,000 km Orbit period: 30,685.4 days Perihelion: 2,741,300,000 km Aphelion: 3,003,620,000 km
Mean orbital velocity: 6.81 km/s Orbit inclination: 0.772° Orbit eccentricity: 0.0457 Sidereal rotation period: 17.24 hours
Length of day: 17.24 hours Axial tilt: 97.77° Discovery: 13 March 1781 Minimum distance from Earth: 2,581,900,000 km Maximum distance from Earth: 3,157,300,000 km Maximum apparent diameter from Earth: 4.1 arc seconds Minimum apparent diameter from Earth: 3.3 arc seconds Maximum visual magnitude: 5.32

Neptune

Mass: 102.43 x 10

24

kg
Volume: 6,254 x 10

10

km

3

Average radius: 24,622 km Average diameter: 49,244 km Mean density: 1.638 g/cm

3

Escape velocity: 23.5 km/s Surface gravity: 11.15 m/s

2

Natural satellites: 13 Rings? - Yes Semimajor axis: 4,495,060,000 km Orbit period: 60,189 days Perihelion: 4,444,450,000 km Aphelion: 4,545,670,000 km
Mean orbital velocity: 5.43 km/s Orbit inclination: 1.769° Orbit eccentricity: 0.0113 Sidereal rotation period: 16.11 hours
Length of day: 16.11 hours Axial tilt: 28.32° Discovery: 23 September 1846 Minimum distance from Earth: 4,305,900,000 km Maximum distance from Earth: 4,687,300,000 km Maximum apparent diameter from Earth: 2.4 arc seconds Minimum apparent diameter from Earth: 2.2 arc seconds Maximum visual magnitude: 7.78

We've written many articles about the Solar System. Here's an article about how many

moons there are in the Solar System

, and here's an article about the

formation of the Solar System

.

If you'd like more info on the Solar System, check out

NASA's Planetary Fact Sheet

.

We've recorded several episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Solar System. Start here,

Episode 49: Mercury

.

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today, founding the website in March 1999. He's also the co-host of Astronomy Cast.