You are on page 1of 32

Search

RSS
 News
 Tech
 Spaceflight
 Science & Astronomy
 Search For Life
 Skywatching
 Entertainment


More

TRENDING

 On This Day in Space

 2019 Space Calendar

 Image of the Day

 Full Moon

 Read 'All About Space'

 Expert Voices
Solar System Planets: Order of the 8 (or 9)
Planets
By Robert Roy Britt November 14, 2017 Science & Astronomy


Shares

The planets of the solar system as depicted by a NASA computer illustration. Orbits and
sizes are not shown to scale.
(Image: © NASA)
Ever since the discovery of Pluto in 1930, kids grew up learning about the nine planets of
our solar system. That all changed starting in the late 1990s, when astronomers began to
argue about whether Pluto was a planet. In a highly controversial decision, the
International Astronomical Union ultimately decided in 2006 to call Pluto a "dwarf planet,"
reducing the list of "real planets" in our solar system to eight.
However, astronomers are now hunting for another planet in our solar system, a true ninth
planet, after evidence of its existence was unveiled on Jan. 20, 2016. The so-called "Planet
Nine," as scientists are calling it, is about 10 times the mass of Earth and 5,000 times the
mass of Pluto. [The Evidence for 'Planet Nine' in Our Solar System (Gallery)]
Did You Know? Three of the planets in the solar system are currently visible in the night
sky in June 2017. They are: Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. You can find out how and when to
see the brightest planets in June's night sky here: The Brightest Planets in June's Night
Sky: How to See them (and When)
Here's the order of the planets, starting nearest the sun and working outward through
the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune — and
Planet Nine.
Solar System Pictures: A Photo Tour
If you insist on including Pluto, then that world would come after Neptune on the list; Pluto
is truly way out there, and on a wildly tilted, elliptical orbit (two of the several reasons it
got demoted). Interestingly, Pluto used to be the eighth planet, actually. More on that
below.
Terrestrial planets
The inner four worlds are called “terrestrial planets,” because, like Earth, their surfaces are
all rocky. Pluto, too, has a solid surface (and a very frozen one) but has never been grouped
with the four terrestrials.
Jovian planets
The four large outer worlds — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune — are known as the
“Jovian planets” (meaning “Jupiter-like”) because they are all huge compared to the
terrestrial planets, and because they are gaseous in nature rather than having rocky
surfaces (though some or all of them may have solid cores, astronomers say). According to
NASA, "two of the outer planets beyond the orbit of Mars — Jupiter and Saturn — are
known as gas giants; the more distant Uranus and Neptune are called ice giants." This is
because, while the first two are dominated by gas, while the last two have more ice. All four
contain mostly hydrogen and helium.
Dwarf planets
The IAU definition of a full-fledged planet goes like this: A body that circles the sun without
being some other object's satellite, is large enough to be rounded by its own gravity (but
not so big that it begins to undergo nuclear fusion, like a star) and has "cleared its
neighborhood" of most other orbiting bodies. Yeah, that’s a mouthful.
The problem for Pluto, besides its small size and offbeat orbit, is that it shares its space
with lots of other objects in the Kuiper Belt, beyond Neptune. Still, the demotion of Pluto
remains controversial.
The IAU planet definition puts other small, round worlds in the dwarf planet category,
including the Kuiper Belt objects Eris, Haumea, and Makemake.
Also now a dwarf planet is Ceres, a round object in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and
Jupiter. Ceres was actually considered a planet when discovered in 1801 and then later
deemed to be an asteroid. Some astronomers like to consider Ceres as a 10th planet (not to
be confused with Nibiru or Planet X), but that line of thinking opens up the possibility of
there being 13 planets, with more bound to be discovered.
The planets
Below is a brief overview of the eight primary planets in our solar system, in order from the
inner solar system outward:

(Image: © NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie


Institution of Washington)
Mercury
The closest planet to the sun, Mercury is only a bit larger than Earth's moon. Its day side is
scorched by the sun and can reach 840 degrees Fahrenheit (450 Celsius), but on the night
side, temperatures drop to hundreds of degrees below freezing. Mercury has virtually no
atmosphere to absorb meteor impacts, so its surface is pockmarked with craters, just like
the moon. Over its four-year mission, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has revealed views of
the planet that have challenged astronomers' expectations.
 Discovery: Known to the ancients and visible to the naked eye
 Named for: Messenger of the Roman gods
 Diameter: 3,031 miles (4,878 km)
 Orbit: 88 Earth days
 Day: 58.6 Earth days
Related:

 More Mercury Facts


 Mercury Pictures
 NASA Solar System Exploration: Mercury

Venus' southern hemisphere, as seen in the ultraviolet.


(Image: © ESA)
Venus
The second planet from the sun, Venus is terribly hot, even hotter than Mercury. The
atmosphere is toxic. The pressure at the surface would crush and kill you. Scientists
describe Venus’ situation as a runaway greenhouse effect. Its size and structure are similar
to Earth, Venus' thick, toxic atmosphere traps heat in a runaway "greenhouse effect." Oddly,
Venus spins slowly in the opposite direction of most planets.

The Greeks believed Venus was two different objects — one in the morning sky and
another in the evening. Because it is often brighter than any other object in the sky —
except for the sun and moon — Venus has generated many UFO reports.

 Discovery: Known to the ancients and visible to the naked eye


 Named for: Roman goddess of love and beauty
 Diameter: 7,521 miles (12,104 km)
 Orbit: 225 Earth days
 Day: 241 Earth days
Related:

 More Venus Facts


 Venus Pictures
 NASA Solar System Exploration: Venus

An image of the Earth taken by the Russian weather satellite Elektro-L No.1.
(Image: © NTsOMZ)
Earth
The third planet from the sun, Earth is a waterworld, with two-thirds of the planet covered
by ocean. It’s the only world known to harbor life. Earth’s atmosphere is rich in life-
sustaining nitrogen and oxygen. Earth's surface rotates about its axis at 1,532 feet per
second (467 meters per second) — slightly more than 1,000 mph (1,600 kph) — at the
equator. The planet zips around the sun at more than 18 miles per second (29 km per
second).

 Diameter: 7,926 miles (12,760 km)


 Orbit: 365.24 days
 Day: 23 hours, 56 minutes
Related:

 More Earth Information


 50 Amazing Facts about Earth
 Earth Pictures
 NASA Solar System Exploration: Earth

Mars researchers are focusing both Earth-based and planet orbiting sensors to better understand sources of
methane on the red planet. Image
(Image: © Space Telescope Science Institute)
Mars
The fourth planet from the sun, is a cold, dusty place. The dust, an iron oxide, gives the
planet its reddish cast. Mars shares similarities with Earth: It is rocky, has mountains and
valleys, and storm systems ranging from localized tornado-like dust devils to planet-
engulfing dust storms. It snows on Mars. And Mars harbors water ice. Scientists think it was
once wet and warm, though today it’s cold and desert-like.

Mars' atmosphere is too thin for liquid water to exist on the surface for any length of time.
Scientists think ancient Mars would have had the conditions to support life, and there is
hope that signs of past life — possibly even present biology — may exist on the Red Planet.
 Discovery: Known to the ancients and visible to the naked eye
 Named for: Roman god of war
 Diameter: 4,217 miles (6,787 km)
 Orbit: 687 Earth days
 Day: Just more than one Earth day (24 hours, 37 minutes)
Related:

 More Mars Facts


 Mars Pictures
 NASA Solar System Exploration: Mars

Close-up of Jupiter's Great Red Spot as seen by a Voyager spacecraft.


(Image: © NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Jupiter
The fifth planet from the sun, Jupiter is huge and is the most massive planet in our solar
system. It’s a mostly gaseous world, mostly hydrogen and helium. Its swirling clouds are
colorful due to different types of trace gases. A big feature is the Great Red Spot, a giant
storm which has raged for hundreds of years. Jupiter has a strong magnetic field, and with
dozens of moons, it looks a bit like a miniature solar system.

 Discovery: Known to the ancients and visible to the naked eye


 Named for: Ruler of the Roman gods
 Diameter: 86,881 miles (139,822 km)
 Orbit: 11.9 Earth years
 Day: 9.8 Earth hours
Related:

 More Jupiter Facts


 Jupiter Pictures
 NASA Solar System Exploration: Jupiter

The shadow of Saturn's moon Mimas dips onto the planet's rings and straddles the Cassini Division in this
natural color image taken as Saturn approaches its August 2009 equinox.
(Image: © NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)
Saturn
The sixth planet from the sun is known most for its rings. When Galileo Galilei first studied
Saturn in the early 1600s, he thought it was an object with three parts. Not knowing he was
seeing a planet with rings, the stumped astronomer entered a small drawing — a symbol
with one large circle and two smaller ones — in his notebook, as a noun in a sentence
describing his discovery. More than 40 years later, Christiaan Huygens proposed that they
were rings. The rings are made of ice and rock. Scientists are not yet sure how they formed.
The gaseous planet is mostly hydrogen and helium. It has numerous moons.
 Discovery: Known to the ancients and visible to the naked eye
 Named for: Roman god of agriculture
 Diameter: 74,900 miles (120,500 km)
 Orbit: 29.5 Earth years
 Day: About 10.5 Earth hours
Related:

 More Saturn Facts


 Saturn Pictures
 NASA Solar System Exploration: Saturn

Near-infrared views of Uranus reveal its otherwise faint ring system, highlighting the extent to which the
planet is tilted.
(Image: © Lawrence Sromovsky, (Univ. Wisconsin-Madison), Keck Observatory)
Uranus
The seventh planet from the sun, Uranus is an oddball. It’s the only giant planet whose
equator is nearly at right angles to its orbit — it basically orbits on its side. Astronomers
think the planet collided with some other planet-size object long ago, causing the tilt. The
tilt causes extreme seasons that last 20-plus years, and the sun beats down on one pole or
the other for 84 Earth-years. Uranus is about the same size as Neptune. Methane in the
atmosphere gives Uranus its blue-green tint. It has numerous moons and faint rings.
 Discovery: 1781 by William Herschel (was thought previously to be a star)
 Named for: Personification of heaven in ancient myth
 Diameter: 31,763 miles (51,120 km)
 Orbit: 84 Earth years
 Day: 18 Earth hours
Related:

 More Uranus Facts


 Uranus Pictures
 NASA Solar System Exploration: Uranus

Neptune’s winds travel at more than 1,500 mph, and are the fastest planetary winds in the solar system.
(Image: © NASA/JPL)
Neptune
The eighth planet from the sun, Neptune is known for strong winds — sometimes faster
than the speed of sound. Neptune is far out and cold. The planet is more than 30 times as
far from the sun as Earth. It has a rocky core. Neptune was the first planet to be predicted
to exist by using math, before it was detected. Irregularities in the orbit of Uranus led
French astronomer Alexis Bouvard to suggest some other might be exerting a gravitational
tug. German astronomer Johann Galle used calculations to help find Neptune in a telescope.
Neptune is about 17 times as massive as Earth.

 Discovery: 1846
 Named for: Roman god of water
 Diameter: 30,775 miles (49,530 km)
 Orbit: 165 Earth years
 Day: 19 Earth hours
Related:

 More Neptune Facts


 Neptune Pictures
 NASA Solar System Exploration: Neptune

Pluto and its moons orbit the sun near the edge of our solar system. Learn all about Pluto's weirdly eccentric
orbit, four moons and more in this Space.com infographic.
(Image: © SPACE.com/Karl Tate)
Pluto (Dwarf Planet)
Once the ninth planet from the sun, Pluto is unlike other planets in many respects. It is
smaller than Earth's moon. Its orbit carries it inside the orbit of Neptune and then way out
beyond that orbit. From 1979 until early 1999, Pluto had actually been the eighth planet
from the sun. Then, on Feb. 11, 1999, it crossed Neptune's path and once again became the
solar system's most distant planet — until it was demoted to dwarf planet status. Pluto will
stay beyond Neptune for 228 years. Pluto’s orbit is tilted to the main plane of the solar
system — where the other planets orbit — by 17.1 degrees. It’s a cold, rocky world with
only a very ephemeral atmosphere. NASA's New Horizons mission performed history's first
flyby of the Pluto system on July 14, 2015. [Related: New Horizons' Pluto Flyby: Latest
News, Images and Video]
 Discovery: 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh
 Named for: Roman god of the underworld, Hades
 Diameter: 1,430 miles (2,301 km)
 Orbit: 248 Earth years
 Day: 6.4 Earth day
Related:

 More Pluto Facts


 Pluto Pictures
 NASA Solar System Exploration: Dwarf Planets
Planet Nine
Planet Nine orbits the sun at a distance that is 20 times farther out than the orbit of
Neptune. (The orbit of Neptune is 2.7 billion miles from the sun at its closest point.) The
strange world's orbit is about 600 times farther from the sun than the Earth's orbit is from
the star.
Scientists have not actually seen Planet Nine directly. Its existence was inferred by its
gravitational effects on other objects in the Kuiper Belt, a region at the fringe of the solar
system that is home to icy objects left over from the birth of the sun and planets.
'Planet Nine': Facts About the Mysterious Solar System World (Infographic)
Scientists Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin at the California Institute of Technology in
Pasadena described the evidence for Planet Nine in a study published in the Astronomical
Journal. The research is based on mathematical models and computer simulations using
observations of six other smaller Kuiper Belt Objects with orbits that aligned in a similar
matter.

Additional reporting by Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor.


Skip to content
UNIVERSE TODAY
Space and astronomy news
POSTED ONAUG UST 17, 2016 BY M ATT WILLI AMS

What are the Planets of the Solar System?


At one time, humans believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe; that the
Sun, Moon, planets and stars all revolved around us.It was only after centuries of
ongoing observations and improved instrumentation that astronomers came to
understand that we are in fact part a larger system of planets that revolve around the
Sun. And it has only been within the last century that we’ve come to understand just
how big our Solar System is.

And even now, we are still learning. In the past few decades, the total number of
celestial bodies and moons that are known to orbit the Sun has expanded. We have
also come to debate the definition of “planet” (a controversial topic indeed!) and
introduced additional classifications – like dwarf planet, minor planet, plutoid, etc. – to
account for new finds. So just how many planets are there and what is special about
them? Let’s run through them one by one, shall we?

Mercury:
As you travel outward from the Sun, Mercury is the closest planet. It orbits the Sun at an
average distance of 58 million km (36 million mi). Mercury is airless, and so without any
significant atmosphere to hold in the heat, it has dramatic temperature differences. The
side that faces the Sun experiences temperatures as high as 420 °C (788 °F), and then
the side in shadow goes down to -173 °C (-279.4 °F).
MESSENGER image of Mercury from its third flyby. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Like Venus, Earth and Mars, Mercury is a terrestrial planet, which means it is composed
largely of refractory minerals such as the silicates and metals such as iron and nickel.
These elements are also differentiated between a metallic core and a silicate mantle
and crust, with Mercury possessing a larger-than-average core. Multiple theories have
been proposed to explain this, the most widely accepted being that the impact from a
planetesimal in the past blew off much of its mantle material.

Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System, measuring just 4879 km across at its
equator. However, it is second densest planet in the Solar System, with a density of
5.427 g/cm3 – which is the second only to Earth. Because of this, Mercury experiences
a gravitational pull that is roughly 38% that of Earth’s (0.38 g).

Mercury also has the most eccentric orbit of any planet in the Solar System (0.205),
which means its distance from the Sun ranges from 46 to 70 million km (29-43 million
mi). The planet also takes 87.969 Earth days to complete an orbit. But with an average
orbital speed of 47.362 km/s, Mercury also takes 58.646 days to complete a single
rotation.

Combined with its eccentric orbit, this means that it takes 176 Earth days for the Sun to
return to the same place in the sky (i.e. a solar day) on Mercury, which is twice as long
as a single Hermian year. Mercury also has the lowest axial tilt of any planet in the Solar
System – approximately 0.027 degrees – compared to Jupiter’s 3.1 degrees, which is
the second smallest.

The
MESSENGER spacecraft has been in orbit around Mercury since March 2011 – but its days are
numbered. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Mercury has only been visited two times by spacecraft, the first being the Mariner
10 probe, which conducted a flyby of the planet back in the mid-1970s. It wasn’t until
2008 that another spacecraft from Earth made a close flyby of Mercury
(the MESSENGER probe) which took new images of its surface, shed light on
its geological history, and confirmed the presence of water ice and organic molecules in
its northern polar region.

In summary, Mercury is made special by the fact it is small, eccentric, and varies
between extremes of hot and cold. It’s also very mineral rich, and quite dense!

Venus:
Venus is the second planet in the Solar System, and is Earth’s virtual twin in terms of
size and mass. With a mass of 4.8676×1024 kg and a mean radius of about 6,052 km, it
is approximately 81.5% as massive as Earth and 95% as large. Like Earth (and Mercury
and Mars), it is a terrestrial planet, composed of rocks and minerals that are
differentiated.

But apart from these similarities, Venus is very different from Earth. Its atmosphere is
composed primarily of carbon dioxide (96%), along with nitrogen and a few other gases.
This dense cloud cloaks the planet, making surface observation very difficult, and helps
heat it up to 460 °C (860 °F). The atmospheric pressure is also 92 times that of Earth’s
atmosphere, and poisonous clouds of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid rain are
commonplace.

Venus’ similarity in size and mass has led to it being called “Earth’s sister planet’. Credit:
NASA/JPL/Magellan

Venus orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 0.72 AU (108 million km; 67
million mi) with almost no eccentricity. In fact, with its farthest orbit (aphelion) of 0.728
AU (108,939,000 km) and closest orbit (perihelion) of 0.718 AU (107,477,000 km), it has
the most circular orbit of any planet in the Solar System. The planet completes an orbit
around the Sun every 224.65 days, meaning that a year on Venus is 61.5% as long as a
year on Earth.

When Venus lies between Earth and the Sun, a position known as inferior conjunction, it
makes the closest approach to Earth of any planet, at an average distance of
41 million km. This takes place, on average, once every 584 days, and is the reason
why Venus is the closest planet to Earth. The planet completes an orbit around the Sun
every 224.65 days, meaning that a year on Venus is 61.5% as long as a year on Earth.

Unlike most other planets in the Solar System, which rotate on their axes in an counter-
clockwise direction, Venus rotates clockwise (called “retrograde” rotation). It also rotates
very slowly, taking 243 Earth days to complete a single rotation. This is not only the
slowest rotation period of any planet, it also means that a single day on Venus lasts
longer than a Venusian year.

Venus’ atmosphere is also known to experience lightning storms. Since Venus does not
experience rainfall (except in the form of sulfuric acid), it has been theorized that the
lightning is being caused by volcanic eruptions. Several spacecraft have visited Venus,
and a few landers have even made it to the surface to send back images of its hellish
landscape. Even though there were made of metal, these landers only survived a few
hours at best.

Venus is made special by the fact that it is very much like Earth, but also radically
different. It’s thick atmosphere could crush a living being, its heat could melt lead, and
its acid rain could dissolve flesh, bone and metal alike! It also rotates very slowly, and
backwards relative to the other plants.

Earth:
Earth is our home, and the third planet from the Sun. With a mean radius of 6371 km
and a mass of 5.97×1024 kg, it is the fifth largest and fifth most-massive planet in the
Solar System. And with a mean density of 5.514 g/cm³, it is the densest planet in the
Solar System. Like Mercury, Venus and Mars, Earth is a terrestrial planet.

But unlike these other planets, Earth’s core is differentiated between a solid inner core
and liquid outer core. The outer core also spins in the opposite direction as the planet,
which is believed to create a dynamo effect that gives Earth its protective
magnetosphere. Combined with a atmosphere that is neither too thin nor too thick,
Earth is the only planet in the Solar System known to support life.
The
Earth’s layers, showing the Inner and Outer Core, the Mantle, and Crust. Credit:
discovermagazine.com

In terms of its orbit, Earth has a very minor eccentricity (approx. 0.0167) and ranges in
its distance from the Sun between 147,095,000 km (0.983 AU) at perihelion to
151,930,000 km (1.015 AU) at aphelion. This works out to an average distance (aka.
semi-major axis) of 149,598,261 km, which is the basis of a single Astronomical Unit
(AU)

The Earth has an orbital period of 365.25 days, which is the equivalent of 1.000017
Julian years. This means that every four years (in what is known as a Leap Year), the
Earth calendar must include an extra day. Though a single solar day on Earth is
considered to be 24 hours long, our planet takes precisely 23h 56m and 4 s to complete
a single sidereal rotation (0.997 Earth days).

Earth’s axis is also tilted 23.439281° away from the perpendicular of its orbital plane,
which is responsible for producing seasonal variations on the planet’s surface with a
period of one tropical year (365.24 solar days). In addition to producing variations in
terms of temperature, this also results in variations in the amount of sunlight a
hemisphere receives during the course of a year.

Earth has only a single moon: the Moon. Thanks to examinations of Moon rocks that
were brought back to Earth by the Apollo missions, the predominant theory states that
the Moon was created roughly 4.5 billion years ago from a collision between Earth and
a Mars-sized object (known as Theia). This collision created a massive cloud of debris
that began circling our planet, which eventually coalesced to form the Moon we see
today.

A
picture of Earth taken by Apollo 11 astronauts. Credit: NASA

What makes Earth special, you know, aside from the fact that it is our home and where
we originated? It is the only planet in the Solar System where liquid, flowing water exists
in abundance on its surface, has a viable atmosphere, and a protective magnetosphere.
In other words, it is the only planet (or Solar body) that we know of where life can exist
on the surface.

In addition, no planet in the Solar System has been studied as well as Earth, whether it
be from the surface or from space. Thousands of spacecraft have been launched to
study the planet, measuring its atmosphere, land masses, vegetation, water, and
human impact. Our understanding of what makes our planet unique in our Solar System
has helped in the search for Earth-like planets in other systems.

Mars:
The fourth planet from the Sun is Mars, which is also the second smallest planet in the
Solar System. It has a radius of approximately 3,396 km at its equator, and 3,376 km at
its polar regions – which is the equivalent of roughly 0.53 Earths. While it is roughly half
the size of Earth, it’s mass – 6.4185 x 10²³ kg – is only 0.151 that of Earth’s. It’s density
is also lower than Earths, which leads to it experiencing about 1/3rd Earth’s gravity
(0.376 g).

It’s axial tilt is very similar to Earth’s, being inclined 25.19° to its orbital plane (Earth’s
axial tilt is just over 23°), which means Mars also experiences seasons. Mars has
almost no atmosphere to help trap heat from the Sun, and so temperatures can plunge
to a low of -140 °C (-220 °F) in the Martian winter. However, at the height of summer,
temperatures can get up to 20 °C (68 °F) during midday at the equator.

However, recent data obtained by the Curiosity rover and numerous orbiters have
concluded that Mars once had a denser atmosphere. Its loss, according to data
obtained by NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN), the atmosphere
was stripped away by solar wind over the course of a 500 million year period, beginning
4.2 billion years ago.

At its greatest distance from the Sun (aphelion), Mars orbits at a distance of 1.666 AUs,
or 249.2 million km. At perihelion, when it is closest to the Sun, it orbits at a distance of
1.3814 AUs, or 206.7 million km. At this distance, Mars takes 686.971 Earth days, the
equivalent of 1.88 Earth years, to complete a rotation of the Sun. In Martian days (aka.
Sols, which are equal to one day and 40 Earth minutes), a Martian year is 668.5991
Sols.

Like Mercury, Venus, and Earth, Mars is a terrestrial planet, composed mainly of silicate
rock and metals that are differentiated between a core, mantle and crust. The red-
orange appearance of the Martian surface is caused by iron oxide, more commonly
known as hematite (or rust). The presence of other minerals in the surface dust allow for
other common surface colors, including golden, brown, tan, green, and others.

Although liquid water cannot exist on Mars’ surface, owing to its thin atmosphere, large
concentrations of ice water exist within the polar ice caps – Planum Boreum and
Planum Australe. In addition, a permafrost mantle stretches from the pole to latitudes of
about 60°, meaning that water exists beneath much of the Martian surface in the form of
ice water. Radar data and soil samples have confirmed the presence of shallow
subsurface water at the middle latitudes as well.
MSL
Curiosity selfie on the surface of Mars. Image: NASA/JPL/Cal-Tech

Mars has two tiny asteroid-sized moons: Phobos and Deimos. Because of their size and
shape, the predominant theory is that Mars acquired these two moons after they were
kicked out of the Asteroid Belt by Jupiter’s gravity.

Mars has been heavily studied by spacecraft. There are multiple rovers and landers
currently on the surface and a small fleet of orbiters flying overhead. Recent missions
include the Curiosity Rover, which gathered ample evidence on Mars’ water past, and
the groundbreaking discovery of finding organic molecules on the surface. Upcoming
missions include NASA’s InSight lander and the Exomars rover.

Hence, Mars’ special nature lies in the fact that it also is terrestrial and lies within the
outer edge of the Sun’s habitable zone. And whereas it is a cold, dry place today, it
once had an thicker atmosphere and plentiful water on its surface.

Jupiter:
Mighty Jupiter is the fouth planet for our Sun and the biggest planet in our Solar
System. Jupiter’s mass, volume, surface area and mean circumference are 1.8981 x
1027 kg, 1.43128 x 1015 km3, 6.1419 x 1010km2, and 4.39264 x 105 km respectively. To put
that in perspective, Jupiter diameter is roughly 11 times that of Earth, and 2.5 times the
mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined.
Jupiter has
spectacular aurora, such as this view captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA,
ESA, and J. Nichols (University of Leicester)

But, being a gas giant, it has a relatively low density – 1.326 g/cm3 – which is less than
one quarter of Earth’s. This means that while Jupiter’s volume is equivalent to about
1,321 Earths, it is only 318 times as massive. The low density is one way scientists are
able to determine that it is made mostly of gases, though the debate still rages on what
exists at its core (see below).

Jupiter orbits the Sun at an average distance (semi-major axis) of 778,299,000 km (5.2
AU), ranging from 740,550,000 km (4.95 AU) at perihelion and 816,040,000 km (5.455
AU) at aphelion. At this distance, Jupiter takes 11.8618 Earth years to complete a single
orbit of the Sun. In other words, a single Jovian year lasts the equivalent of 4,332.59
Earth days.
However, Jupiter’s rotation is the fastest of all the Solar System’s planets, completing a
rotation on its axis in slightly less than ten hours (9 hours, 55 minutes and 30 seconds
to be exact). Therefore, a single Jovian year lasts 10,475.8 Jovian solar days. This
orbital period is two-fifths that of Saturn, which means that the two largest planets in our
Solar System form a 5:2 orbital resonance.

Much like Earth, Jupiter experiences auroras near its northern and southern poles. But
on Jupiter, the auroral activity is much more intense and rarely ever stops. The intense
radiation, Jupiter’s magnetic field, and the abundance of material from Io’s volcanoes
that react with Jupiter’s ionosphere create a light show that is truly spectacular.

The
Juno spacecraft isn’t the first one to visit Jupiter. Galileo went there in the mid 90’s, and
Voyager 1 snapped a nice picture of the clouds on its mission. Credit: NASA

Jupiter also experiences violent weather patterns. Wind speeds of 100 m/s (360 km/h)
are common in zonal jets, and can reach as high as 620 kph (385 mph). Storms form
within hours and can become thousands of km in diameter overnight. One storm,
the Great Red Spot, has been raging since at least the late 1600s. The storm has been
shrinking and expanding throughout its history; but in 2012, it was suggested that the
Giant Red Spot might eventually disappear.
Jupiter is composed primarily of gaseous and liquid matter. It is the largest of the gas
giants, and like them, is divided between a gaseous outer atmosphere and an interior
that is made up of denser materials. It’s upper atmosphere is composed of about 88–
92% hydrogen and 8–12% helium by percent volume of gas molecules, and approx.
75% hydrogen and 24% helium by mass, with the remaining one percent consisting of
other elements.

The interior contains denser materials, such that the distribution is roughly 71%
hydrogen, 24% helium and 5% other elements by mass. It is believed that Jupiter’s core
is a dense mix of elements – a surrounding layer of liquid metallic hydrogen with some
helium, and an outer layer predominantly of molecular hydrogen. The core has also
been described as rocky, but this remains unknown as well.

Jupiter has been visited by several spacecraft, including NASA’s Pioneer


10 and Voyager spacecraft in 1973 and 1980, respectively; and by the Cassini and New
Horizons spacecraft more recently. Until the recent arrival of Juno, only
the Galileo spacecraft has ever gone into orbit around Jupiter, and it was crashed into
the planet in 2003 to prevent it from contaminating one of Jupiter’s icy moons.

Illustration of Jupiter and the Galilean satellites. Credit: NASA

In short, Jupiter is massive and has massive storms. But compared to the planets of the
inner Solar System, is it significantly less dense. Jupiter also has the most moons in the
Solar System, with 67 confirmed and named moons orbiting it. But it is estimated that as
many as 200 natural satellites may exist around the planet. Little wonder why this planet
is named after the king of the gods.

Saturn:
Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System. With a mean radius of
58232±6 km, it is approximately 9.13 times the size of Earth. And at 5.6846×10 26 kg, it is
roughly 95.15 as massive. However, since it is a gas giant, it has significantly greater
volume – 8.2713×1014 km3, which is equivalent to 763.59 Earths.

The sixth most distant planet, Saturn orbits the Sun at an average distance of 9 AU (1.4
billion km; 869.9 million miles). Due to its slight eccentricity, the perihelion and aphelion
distances are 9.022 (1,353.6 million km; 841.3 million mi) and 10.053 AU
(1,513,325,783 km; 940.13 million mi), on average respectively.

With an average orbital speed of 9.69 km/s, it takes Saturn 10,759 Earth days to
complete a single revolution of the Sun. In other words, a single Cronian year is the
equivalent of about 29.5 Earth years. However, as with Jupiter, Saturn’s visible features
rotate at different rates depending on latitude, and multiple rotation periods have been
assigned to various regions.

This
portrait looking down on Saturn and its rings was created from images obtained by NASA’s
Cassini spacecraft on Oct. 10th, 2013. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/G.
Ugarkovic

As a gas giant, Saturn is predominantly composed of hydrogen and helium gas. With a
mean density of 0.687 g/cm3, Saturn is the only planet in the Solar System that is less
dense than water; which means that it lacks a definite surface, but is believed to have a
solid core. This is due to the fact that Saturn’s temperature, pressure, and density all
rise steadily toward the core.

Standard planetary models suggest that the interior of Saturn is similar to that of Jupiter,
having a small rocky core surrounded by hydrogen and helium with trace amounts of
various volatiles. This core is similar in composition to the Earth, but more dense due to
the presence of metallic hydrogen, which as a result of the extreme pressure.

As a gas giant, the outer atmosphere of Saturn contains 96.3% molecular hydrogen and
3.25% helium by volume. Trace amounts of ammonia, acetylene, ethane, propane,
phosphine and methane have been also detected in Saturn’s atmosphere. Like Jupiter,
it also has a banded appearance, but Saturn’s bands are much fainter and wider near
the equator.

On occasion, Saturn’s atmosphere exhibits long-lived ovals that are thousands of km


wide, similar to what is commonly observed on Jupiter. Whereas Jupiter has the Great
Red Spot, Saturn periodically has what’s known as the Great White Spot (aka. Great
White Oval). This unique but short-lived phenomenon occurs once every Saturnian
year, roughly every 30 Earth years, around the time of the northern hemisphere’s
summer solstice.
The
huge storm churning through the atmosphere in Saturn’s northern hemisphere overtakes itself
as it encircles the planet in this true-color view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. Image credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

The persisting hexagonal wave pattern around the north pole was first noted in
the Voyager images. The sides of the hexagon are each about 13,800 km (8,600 mi)
long (which is longer than the diameter of the Earth) and the structure rotates with a
period of 10h 39m 24s, which is assumed to be equal to the period of rotation of
Saturn’s interior.

The south pole vortex, meanwhile, was first observed using the Hubble Space
Telescope. These images indicated the presence of a jet stream, but not a hexagonal
standing wave. These storms are estimated to be generating winds of 550 km/h, are
comparable in size to Earth, and believed to have been going on for billions of years. In
2006, the Cassini space probe observed a hurricane-like storm that had a clearly
defined eye. Such storms had not been observed on any planet other than Earth – even
on Jupiter.
Of course, the most amazing feature of Saturn is its rings. These are made of particles
of ice ranging in size from a grains of sand to the size of a car. Some scientists think the
rings are only a few hundred million years old, while others think they could be as old as
the Solar System itself.

Saturn has been visited by spacecraft 4 times: Pioneer 11, Voyager 1and 2 were just
flybys, but Cassini has actually gone into orbit around Saturn and has captured
thousands of images of the planet and its moons. And speaking of moons, Saturn has a
total of 62 moonsdiscovered (so far), though estimates indicate that it might have as
many as 150.

A
collage of Saturn (bottom left) and some of its moons: Titan, Enceladus, Dione, Rhea and
Helene. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

So like Jupiter, Saturn is a massive gas giant that experiences some very interesting
weather patterns. It also has lots of moons and has a very low density. But what really
makes Saturn stand out is its impressive ring system. Whereas every gas and ice giant
has one, Saturn’s is visible to the naked eye and very beautiful to behold!

Uranus:
Next comes Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun. With a mean radius of
approximately 25,360 km and a mass of 8.68 × 1025 kg, Uranus is approximately 4 times
the sizes of Earth and 63 times its volume. However, as a gas giant, its density
(1.27 g/cm3) is significantly lower; hence, it is only 14.5 as massive as Earth.
The variation of Uranus’ distance from the Sun is also greater than that any other planet
(not including dwarf planets or plutoids). Essentially, the gas giant’s distance from the
Sun varies from 18.28 AU (2,735,118,100 km) at perihelion to 20.09 AU
(3,006,224,700 km) at aphelion. At an average distance of 3 billion km from the Sun, it
takes Uranus roughly 84 years (or 30,687 days) to complete a single orbit of the Sun.

The standard model of Uranus’s structure is that it consists of three layers: a rocky
(silicate/iron–nickel) core in the center, an icy mantle in the middle and an outer
envelope of gaseous hydrogen and helium. Much like Jupiter and Saturn, hydrogen and
helium account for the majority of the atmosphere – approximately 83% and 15% – but
only a small portion of the planet’s overall mass (0.5 to 1.5 Earth masses).

Uranus as seen through the automated eyes of Voyager 2 in 1986. (Credit: NASA/JPL)

The third most abundant element is methane ice (CH4), which accounts for 2.3% of its
composition and which accounts for the planet’s aquamarine or cyan coloring. Trace
amounts of various hydrocarbons are also found in the stratosphere of Uranus, which
are thought to be produced from methane and ultraviolent radiation-induced photolysis.
They include ethane (C2H6), acetylene (C2H2), methylacetylene (CH3C2H), and
diacetylene (C2HC2H).
In addition, spectroscopy has uncovered carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in
Uranus’ upper atmosphere, as well as the presence icy clouds of water vapor and other
volatiles, such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Because of this, Uranus
and Neptune are considered a distinct class of giant planet – known as “Ice Giants” –
since they are composed mainly of heavier volatile substances.

The rotational period of the interior of Uranus is 17 hours, 14 minutes. As with all giant
planets, its upper atmosphere experiences strong winds in the direction of rotation.
Hence its weather systems are also broken up into bands that rotate around the planet,
which are driven by internal heat rising to the upper atmosphere.

As a result, winds on Uranus can reach up to 900 km/h (560 mph), creating massive
storms like the one spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2012. Similar to Jupiter’s
Great Red Spot, this “Dark Spot” was a giant cloud vortex that measured 1,700
kilometers by 3,000 kilometers (1,100 miles by 1,900 miles).

Huge
storms on Uranus were spotted by the Keck Observatory on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6, 2014. Credit:
Imke de Pater (UC Berkeley), Pat Fry (University of Wisconsin), Keck Observatory

One unique feature of Uranus is that it rotates on its side. Whereas all of the Solar
System’s planets are tilted on their axes to some degree, Uranus has the most extreme
axial tilt of 98°. This leads to the radical seasons that the planet experiences, not to
mention an unusual day-night cycle at the poles. At the equator, Uranus experiences
normal days and nights; but at the poles, each experience 42 Earth years of day
followed by 42 years of night.

Uranus was the first planet to be discovered with a telescope; it was first recognized as
a planet in 1781 by William Herschel. Beyond Earth-based observations, only one
spacecraft (Voyager 2) has ever studied Uranus up close. It passed by the planet in
1986, and captured the first close images. Uranus has 27 known moons.

Uranus’ special nature comes through in its natural beauty, its intense weather, its ring
system and its impressive array of moons. And it’s compositions, being an “ice” giant, is
what gives its aquamarine color. But perhaps mist interesting is its sideways rotation,
which is unique among the Solar planets.

Neptune:
Neptune is the 8th and final planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun at a distance
of 29.81 AU (4.459 x 109 km) at perihelion and 30.33 AU (4.537 x 109 km) at aphelion.
With a mean radius of 24,622 ± 19 km, Neptune is the fourth largest planet in the Solar
System and four times as large as Earth. But with a mass of 1.0243×1026 kg – which is
roughly 17 times that of Earth – it is the third most massive, outranking Uranus.

Neptune’s system of moons and rings visualized. Credit: SETI

Neptune takes 16 h 6 min 36 s (0.6713 days) to complete a single sidereal rotation, and
164.8 Earth years to complete a single orbit around the Sun. This means that a single
day lasts 67% as long on Neptune, whereas a year is the equivalent of
approximately 60,190 Earth days (or 89,666 Neptunian days).
Due to its smaller size and higher concentrations of volatiles relative to Jupiter and
Saturn, Neptune (much like Uranus) is often referred to as an “ice giant” – a subclass of
a giant planet. Also like Uranus, Neptune’s internal structure is differentiated between a
rocky core consisting of silicates and metals; a mantle consisting of water, ammonia
and methane ices; and an atmosphere consisting of hydrogen, helium and methane
gas.

The core of Neptune is composed of iron, nickel and silicates, with an interior model
giving it a mass about 1.2 times that of Earth. The pressure at the center is estimated to
be 7 Mbar (700 GPa), about twice as high as that at the center of Earth, and with
temperatures as high as 5,400 K. At a depth of 7000 km, the conditions may be such
that methane decomposes into diamond crystals that rain downwards like hailstones.

Because Neptune’s axial tilt (28.32°) is similar to that of Earth (~23°) and Mars (~25°),
the planet experiences similar seasonal changes. Combined with its long orbital period,
this means that the seasons last for forty Earth years. Also owing to its axial tilt being
comparable to Earth’s is the fact that the variation in the length of its day over the
course of the year is not any more extreme than it on Earth.

Reconstruction of Voyager 2 images showing the Great Black spot (top left), Scooter (middle),
and the Small Black Spot (lower right). Credit: NASA/JPL

Just like Jupiter and Saturn, Neptune has bands of storms that circle the planet.
Astronomers have clocked winds on Neptune traveling at 2,100 km/hour, which is
believed to be due to Neptune’s cold temperatures – which may decrease the friction in
the system, During its 1989 flyby, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft discovered the Great
Dark Spot on Neptune.

Similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, this is an anti-cyclonic storm measuring 13,000 km
x 6,600 km across. A few years later, however, the Hubble Space Telescope failed to
see the Great Dark Spot, but it did see different storms. This might mean that storms on
Neptune don’t last as long as they do on Jupiter or even Saturn.

The more active weather on Neptune might be due, in part, to its higher internal heat.
Although Neptune is much more distant than Uranus from the Sun, receiving 40% less
sunlight, temperatures on the surface of the two planets are roughly similar. In fact,
Neptune radiates 2.61 times as much energy as it receives from the Sun. This is
enough heat to help drive the fastest winds in the Solar System.

Neptune is the second planet discovered in modern times. It was discovered at the
same time by both Urbain Le Verrier and John Couch Adams. Neptune has only ever
been visited by one spacecraft, Voyager 2, which made a fly by in August, 1989.
Neptune has 13 known moons. Th largest and most famous of these is Triton, which is
believed to be a former KBO that was captured by Neptune’s gravity.
Global
Color Mosaic of Triton, taken by Voyager 2 in 1989. Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS

So much like Uranus, Neptune has a ring system, some intense weather patterns, and
an impressive array of moons. Also like Uranus, Neptune’s composition allows for its
aquamarine color; except that in Neptune’s case, this color is more intense and vivid. In
addition, Neptune experiences some temperature anomalies that are yet to be
explained. And let’s not forgt the raining diamonds!

And those are the planets in the Solar System thank you for joining the tour!
Unfortunately, Pluto isn’t a planet any more, hence why it was not listed. We know, we
know, take it up with the IAU!

We have written many interesting articles about the Solar System here at Universe
Today. Here’s the Solar System Guide, What is the Solar System?, Interesting Facts
About the Solar System, What Was Here Before the Solar System?, How Big is the
Solar System?, and Is the Solar System Really a Vortex?

If you’d like more information on the Solar System, visit the Nine Planets, and Solar
Views.
We have recorded a whole series of podcasts about the Solar System at Astronomy
Cast.

You might also like