The following is a list of planets by size. In order of size, from largest to smallest, Jupiter, Earth, Neptune, and Mercury are described. There are also dwarf planets, which are much smaller than Mercury. The largest planets in our solar system are Jupiter and Neptune, while Mercury is the smallest. Mars, Venus, and Uranus are a little smaller than their nearest neighbors.
Mars
The largest planets in our Solar System are Mercury, Mars, Earth, and Jupiter. The size of each planet is measured in miles or kilometers. These planets are classified as Gas Giants. They have different sizes and temperatures, but they are all quite similar in mass and size. To compare these planets, look at the image below. There are also comparisons of terrestrial planets. More information about the size of planets is available in Appendix 2.
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, with a diameter of 6,779 km. It has a thin atmosphere and reddish color, thanks to the presence of iron oxide. Mars is also covered in two moons. Although scientists are still uncertain about whether Mars supports life, they do know that water once existed on the planet. The temperatures on Mars range between -143degC and 95degF. Mars is one of the smaller planets.
This list of planets shows the relative diameters of fifty bodies. The relative diameters of the fifty largest bodies are colored according to their orbital regions. The values of relative diameters are in kilometers, and the scale is linear. Jupiter has 71% of the total mass, while Saturn has only 21%. Listed below are the planets with the most mass, and their distances from Earth. The distances are derived from the mass of each body.
Earth
Water is widespread throughout the Solar System, but Earth is the only known astronomical object to harbor life. Although large amounts of water exist on other planets, the ocean covers 71% of Earth’s surface and dwarfs the planet’s polar ice, lakes, and rivers. This makes it the third largest planet in our Solar System. But, what makes Earth so special? Let’s examine a few facts about our planet.
The size of planets varies widely. Our planet is roughly one-third the size of the sun. Jupiter, on the other hand, is ten times larger than Earth. But the maximum size of a planet is still the same as that of the smallest stars. We live in a solar system that has a total of nine planets. So, how can we tell if our planet is the largest?
The largest planet in our Solar System is Earth. This planet is the third closest to the Sun and the only one with liquid water on its surface. It is also the densest planet, with 71% of its surface covered in water. The ocean dwarfs the planet’s lakes and rivers, and its active plate movement allows life to flourish. It also revolves around the Sun at a speed of about 18 miles per second.
Venus
When it comes to list of planets by size, Venus is one of the biggest. It is the second closest planet to the Sun, and it has a thick atmosphere made of sulfuric acid clouds. As a result, it is extremely hot. The planet’s average temperature is more than 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Venus has the same size and distance from the sun as Earth, but its temperature is scorching hot, around 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
The eight official planets in the solar system vary in size, composition, and conditions. The eight planets are listed below from largest to smallest. Jupiter is at the top, with the dwarf planet Pluto being in between. Each planet has its own unique size and composition, and these are ranked accordingly. While Jupiter is the largest planet, there are several smaller planets in the solar system. A full list of planets is not available for every system, but this one can be useful when studying different systems.
The two closest planets to Earth are Venus and Mars. Mars has a lower temperature and is not as hot as Venus. Both planets are suspected of harbouring alien life, but complex life has not been found there. Microorganisms are also unknown. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn, and Ganymede is included solely for illustrative purposes. You can also find information about the moons of Saturn.
Uranus
When it comes to the size of the planets, Uranus is the third largest and the seventh closest to the Sun. Its name is taken from the Greek god of the sky, Uranus. The god was the great-grandfather of Zeus, Ares and Cronus. This planet is third in mass and fourth in radius. Despite its small size, Uranus is one of the largest.
There are currently no plans to land on the ice giant, but planetary scientists have called for a major mission to visit it. In 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft visited both planets, but Neptune had the first close encounter. Its atmosphere is similar to Saturn and Jupiter, and its minimum temperature is 49 degrees Celsius. The only probe to visit Uranus was Voyager 2, which studied its atmosphere’s structure and composition and made many additional discoveries. In 1986, Voyager 2 made its closest approach to the top of the clouds, and continued on to Neptune.
The largest moon of Uranus is named after Shakespeare. Its moons are also named after famous writers and poets. The largest one, Enos, is named after William Shakespeare. It is the second largest planet in the solar system, but has a smaller diameter than Earth. The sun and Uranus share many similarities, so studying this planet is important to understand the differences between the two.
Saturn
If you’ve ever wondered what the planets look like, here’s a list of all the planets in our solar system and their sizes. Jupiter is the largest, followed by Earth, Mars, and Saturn. Each planet has a unique size, and their relative sizes are shown in the figure below. You can also check out a comparison between terrestrial planets and their sizes. You can find more information in Appendix 2.
Earth is the largest planet, with a diameter of about 3,000 miles. Mars is the second largest planet after Venus, and has a much lower temperature range than Venus. Once thought to harbor alien life, Mars now has been declared dead, though it may have a few microorganisms. Other moons of Jupiter include Ganymede, the largest in our solar system, and Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.
Saturn, with a diameter of 120,660 kilometers, is the second-largest planet in the solar system. It is easily visible and rotates on its axis every 10 hours and 34 minutes. It orbits the sun in 29.4 Earth years and has three distinct layers of atmosphere. The uppermost layer is made of ammonia ice, while the outermost layers are composed of hydrogen and sulfur. There are at least 18 moons orbiting Saturn.
Pluto
This article gives an overview of the sizes of planets in our solar system, from the smallest Mercury to the largest Pluto. Planets are listed by average diameter, miles, or kilometers. They are also compared to the size of the Earth. For more information, see Appendix 2.
The IAU has also defined what a “true planet” is. In short, a true planet must circle the sun without being a satellite, be large enough to be rounded by its own gravity, not undergo nuclear fusion, and be clear of other bodies in orbit. Although this definition initially helped isolate what should be a planet, it has been overturned as astronomers discovered more planet-like bodies in our solar system. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet, and its size has been reduced since then.
The outer solar system is also full of planets. Pluto, Eris, and Makemake are all dwarfs. While Pluto is the largest, they are located beyond Neptune’s orbit and in the Kuiper belt. Other planets fall into one of three categories: terrestrial planets, moons, and dwarf planets. Terrestrial planets, also known as rocky planets, are the closest to the Sun and have a solid surface.
Pluto is smaller than Mercury, and has a diameter of 2,302 km. Pluto’s orbit is highly elliptical, meaning it does not fall in the same plane as other planets. It takes two hundred and eighty years to complete one orbit of the Sun. The largest planet, Earth, is 1.3 million times larger than the largest object in our solar system. A dwarf planet is a rocky planet that is much smaller than it is large.