|
Bob the Alien's Tour of the Solar System |
|
|
Bob the Alien's Tour of the Solar System |
|
REGULAR PLANETS
|
NAME OF PLANET |
AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM SUN |
DIAMETER |
TIME TO SPIN ON AXIS (a day) |
TIME TO ORBIT SUN (a year) |
GRAVITY (Earth = 1) |
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE |
CONTENTS OF ATMOSPHERE |
YEAR OF DISCOVERY |
KNOWN MOONS |
| Mercury |
57,900,000 km (36,000,000 miles) |
4,878 km (3,031 miles) |
59 days | 88 days | 0.38 |
-183 °C
to 427 °C (-297 °F to 800 °F) |
Sodium, helium | n/a | None |
| Venus |
108,160,000 km (67,000,000 miles) |
12,104 km (7,521 miles) |
243 days | 224 days | 0.9 |
480
°C (896 °F) |
Carbon Dioxide (96%), Nitrogen (3.5%) | n/a | None |
| Earth |
149,600,000 km (92,960,000 miles) |
12,756 km (7,926 miles) |
23 hours, 56 mins | 365.25 days | 1 |
14
°C (57 °F) |
Nitrogen (77%), Oxygen (21%) | n/a | 1 |
| Mars |
227,936,640 km (141,700,000 miles) |
6,794 km (4,222 miles) |
24 hours, 37 mins | 687 days | 0.38 |
-63
°C (-81 °F) |
Carbon Dioxide(95.3%), Argon | n/a | 2 |
| Jupiter |
778,369,000 km (483,500,000 miles) |
142,984 km (88,846 miles) |
9 hours, 55 mins | 11.86 years | 2.64 |
-130
°C (-202 °F) |
Hydrogen, Helium | n/a | 63 |
|
1,427,034,000 km (888,750,000 miles) |
120,536 km (74,900 miles) |
10 hours, 39 mins | 29 years | 1.16 |
-130
°C (-202 °F) |
Hydrogen, Helium | n/a | 61 | |
| Uranus |
2,869,328,000 km (1,740,200,000 miles) |
51,118 km (31,763 miles) |
17 hours, 14 mins | 84 years | 1.11 |
-200
°C (-328 °F) |
Hydrogen, Helium, Methane | 1781 | 27 |
| Neptune |
4,496,976,000 km (2,797,770,000 miles) |
49,532 km (30,779 miles) |
16 hours, 7 mins | 164.8 years | 1.21 |
-200
°C (-328 °F) |
Hydrogen, Helium, Methane | 1846 | 13 |
DWARF PLANETS
|
NAME OF DWARF PLANET |
DISTANCE FROM SUN |
DIAMETER |
TIME TO SPIN ON AXIS (a day) |
TIME TO ORBIT SUN (a year) |
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE |
YEAR OF DISCOVERY |
KNOWN MOONS |
| Ceres |
413,900,000 km (257,031,000 miles) |
950 km (590 miles) |
9 hours, 5 minutes | 4 years, 220 days |
-106 °F (-159 °F) |
1801 | None |
| Pluto |
4,436,820,000 to
7,375,930,000 km (2,756,902,000 to 4,583,190,000 miles) |
2,390 km (1430 miles) |
6 days, 9 hours | 248 years |
-228
°C (-378 °F) |
1930 | 3 |
| Haumea |
5,260,000,000 to 7,708,000,000 km (3,268,000,000 to 4,789,000,000 miles) |
1,960 x 1,518 x 996 km (1218 x 943 x 619 miles) |
4 hours | 285 years |
-240
°C (-400 °F) |
2004 | 2 |
| Makemake |
5,760,800,000 to
7.939,700,000
km (3,579,000,000 to 4,933,000,000 miles) |
Between 1300 and 1900 km (808 to 1180 miles) |
Unknown | 309 years |
-243
°C (-405 °F) |
2005 | None |
| Eris |
5,665,500,000 to 14,634,000,000 km (3,518,000,000 to 9,088,000,000 miles) |
3,000 km (1,850 miles) |
8 hours | 557 years |
-248 to -232
°C -414 to -386 °F |
2005 | 1 |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DISTANCE FROM THE SUN:
The distance from the Sun given in the above table is the average distance the
planet is away from the Sun. The planets don't orbit in completely circular
orbits but in most cases, the difference between the planet's closest distance
from the Sun doesn't vary greatly from its furthest point. Where the orbits are
more elliptical than circular (where the planet's closest distance from the Sun
varies greatly from its furthest point) the range is given.
DIAMETER:
The diameters of
Jupiter and
Saturn
are wider across the
equator (the values given in the table) than they are from their North to their
South Poles. This is because of their fast rotational speeds which "squash" the
planets. Dwarf Planet Haumea has an elongated shape so its estimated dimensions rather
than average diameter is given.
TIME TO SPIN ON AXIS:
This is the length of time it takes for the planet to complete one full
rotation. This is measured in Earth time.
TIME TO ORBIT SUN:
This is the length of time it takes for the planet to complete one full journey
around the Sun. This is measured in Earth time.
GRAVITY:
To work out your weight on another planet, multiply your weight by the number
given in this column.
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE:
The average temperatures for the rocky Inner Planets (Mercury,
Venus,
Earth and
Mars) and the
Dwarf Planets (Ceres, Pluto and
Eris) are the temperatures at the surface. The average
temperatures for the Gas and Ice Giants (Jupiter,
Saturn,
Uranus and
Neptune)
are the temperatures at the tops of the planets' clouds. Where
there is a large difference between the maximum and the minimum temperature on a
planet, the full temperature range is given.
CONTENTS OF
ATMOSPHERE:
Mercury and
Pluto are too small to possess a "sky-like"
atmosphere. The gases listed in the table for Mercury are
gases that surround the planets.
YEAR OF DISCOVERY: The
planets Mercury to Saturn were observed thousands of years ago and therefore
don't have a date of discovery.
KNOWN MOONS:
Moons are constantly being discovered orbiting planets. The number of moons
listed are the number confirmed when this page was updated (April 2009).
