* The Sun and Pluto are not considered planets but are shown for perspective purposes.
Planet sizes comparison table
The size of each planets in the solar system
The Sun, the 8 official planets in our solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) and the dwarf planet Pluto, are each entirely unique in their orbiting patterns, colouring, size, mass, and composition. Given the uniqueness of each planet (and star), we can make some fascinating comparisons that highlight their awe-inspiring characteristics. Here are brief descriptions of the celestial bodies, including planet sizes, in order of distance from the Sun.The Sun
Our solar system’s star is classified as a small-to-medium sized star, yet comes in at a whopping 1,329,000 km in diameter and weights approximately 2000 trillion trillion tonnes. That’s not a typo, it really is that heavy. The surface of the Sun is a staggering 5500 degrees Celsius, but its core is a nearly inconceivable 15 million degrees Celsius. To put the Sun into perspective, here are a few interesting facts:
The size of the sun compared to earth
- The Earth could fit inside the Sun 12,000 times
- If the Sun were a front door, the Earth would be the size of a nickel
The size of the sun compared to the combination of all of the solar system's planets
- The Sun makes up 99.8% of the mass in our solar system
- If you combined every planet in the solar system, the Sun would still be 50x larger
Mercury
- Mercury has no atmosphere and is a volcano-rich planet
- Its orbital speed is 29.7 miles per second
- For every two orbits around the Sun, Mercury rotates on its axis 3 times
- Mercury is the second densest planet in our solar system
Venus
- Referred to as Earth’s sister
- Has no rings or moons
- Probes cannot land on Venus due to its dense cloud of sulfuric gases
- This planet rotates clockwise, while all other planets rotate counter-clockwise
- Venus has a very weak magnetic field
Earth
- An orbit around the Sun takes 365.24 days, and a day lasts 24 hours
- Surface temperature ranges from -88 to 58 degrees Celsius
- The Earth’s rotation is gradually slowing, so in 140 million years, the length of a day will increase to 25 hours
- The Earth tilts approximately 66 degrees on its rotational axis
Mars
- Mars’ average orbiting speed is 14.5 miles per second
- Mars is the second smallest planet in the solar system
- Mars is extremely cold with an average temperature of -60 degrees Celsius and down to -125 degrees in winter
Jupiter
- Jupiter is large enough to encompass all of the other planets combined.
- Has an ongoing hurricane named the Great Red Spot, and is so big that earth could fit twice within it
- Jupiter protects earth from meteors
- Jupiter is comprised of helium and hydrogen
- Scientists still don’t know if Jupiter has a solid or gaseous core
Saturn
- Saturn is the most distant from the Sun that can be seen by the naked eye
- Saturn is composed of hydrogen, methane, and helium
- Saturn has 82 moons and 30+ rings
- Saturn’s surface temperature is -139 degrees Celsius
Uranus
- Uranus is the third largest in terms of size and the fourth largest regarding mass, and is one of the lease dense planets in our solar system.
- Uranus has a tilt of 98 degrees
- Uranus is the first planet discovered by using a telescope
- One orbit takes 84 Earth years and one day on Uranus is 18 Earth hours
Neptune
Neptune is the furthest planet from the Sun, being 4,497.1 million km away. Neptune has a diameter of 49,528 km and a mass of 10.243 (1024). Uranus is composed of hydrogen and helium and is surrounded by a cloud layer with winds faster than the speed of sound (2,100 km per hour). An abundance of methane givens Neptune a brilliant blue colouring. One orbit around the solar star takes roughly 165 Earth years, and one day on Neptune is 19 Earth hours. Here are some interesting facts about Neptune:
- Officially discovered in 1846 and was the first predicted planet
- Has 14 moons and a thin collection of rings
- Fourth largest planet in the solar system
- Neptune is the coldest planet in the solar system with average temperatures of -200 degrees Celsius
Pluto
Ah, the "famous planet that is not a planet". Perhaps it is not technically considered a "standard" planet. But we still like to include it in our Solar System model.