The Solar System

The Sun

• Size: 1.4 million km in diameter• Rotation: 24.47 days• Age: 4.5 billion years old (out of its 10 billion

year lifetime)• Temperature: 5,778 Kelvin• Other Facts: about 1 million Earth’s would fit

inside.

Mercury

• # from the Sun: 1• Type: Terrestrial• Size: 1,516 miles in radius• Distance from Sun: 35,980,000 miles • Orbit: 88 days• Revolution (length of day): 58d, 15h, 30m• # of Moons: 0• Gravity: 3.7 m/s²• Other Facts: has no atmosphere, only 2nd hottest planet,

smallest planet, most metal rich planet

Venus• # from the Sun: 2• Type: Terrestrial• Size: 3,760 miles in radius• Distance from Sun: 67,240,000 miles • Orbit: 224.7 days• Rotation (Length of day): 116d, 18h, 0m• # of Moons: 0• Gravity: 8.87 m/s²• Other Facts: hottest planet, clockwise rotation, average

temperature = 470 C or 880 F, most similar to Earth in size and density.

Earth

• # from the Sun: 3• Type: Terrestrial• Size: 3,959 miles in radius• Distance from Sun: 92,900,000 miles • Orbit: 365 days• Rotation: 24 hr• # of Moons: 1• Gravity: 9.8 m/s²• Other Facts: only planet in the solar system with water

in all three states of matter on the surface.

Mars• # from the Sun: 4• Type: Terrestrial• Size: 2,106 miles in radius• Distance from Sun: 141,600,000 miles • Orbit: 687 days• Rotation (length of day):1d, 0h, 40m• # of Moons: 2; Phobos and Deimos• Gravity: 3.711 m/s²• Other Facts: 2nd smallest planet, used to have liquid

water 3 billion years ago, red color because of iron oxides

Asteroid Belt

• Distance from Sun: about 2.2 – 2.3 AUs• Other Facts: – 1 AU thick– billions of asteroids– Most asteroids are the size of pebbles.– Ceres is a dwarf planet in the inner solar system in

this asteroid belt.

Jupiter• # from the Sun: 5• Type: Jovian (Gaseous)• Size: 43,441 miles in radius• Distance from Sun: 483,800,000 miles • Orbit: 11.8618 years• Rotation (length of day): 9h, 56m• # of Moons: 28 included in 67 satellites; 4 largest:

Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto• Gravity: 24.79 m/s²• Other Facts: Has the big red spot which is a giant

hurricane that is 2-3 times the size of Earth.

Saturn• # from the Sun: 6• Type: Jovian (gaseous)• Size: 36,184 miles in radius• Distance from Sun: 890,700,000 miles • Orbit: 29.5 years• Rotation (length of day): 10h 38m 25.4s• # of Moons: 24 out of 150 satellites; 53 named, major moons:

Dione, Tethys, Mimas, Enceladus, Rhea, Iapetus, and Titan• Gravity: 10.44 m/s²• Other Facts: Saturn’s rings extend from 6,630 km to 120,700

km above equator and is 20 m thick. Possible a new moon is forming on the outer most part of Saturn’s rings. Lowest density.

Uranus• # from the Sun: 7• Type: Jovian (gaseous)• Size: 15,759 miles in radius• Distance from Sun: 1,787,000,000 miles • Orbit: 84 years• Rotation (length of day): 17h, 14m• # of Moons: 21 out of 27 satellites, 5 major moons:

Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon• Gravity: 8.69 m/s²• Other Facts: rotates clockwise, is on 97.77° axial tilt,

methane gives it it’s blue color. Also has rings like Saturn.

Neptune

• # from the Sun: 8• Type: Jovian (gaseous)• Size: 15,299 miles in radius• Distance from Sun: 2,798,000,000 miles• Orbit: 165 years• Rotation (length of day): 16h, 6m• # of Moons: 8 moons of 14 satellites, largest is Triton• Gravity: 11.15 m/s²• Other Facts: has rings, but are too faint to see without a

telescope.

Kuiper Asteroid Belt

• Distance from Sun: 2.5 to 4.5 billion miles• Other Facts:– similar to the asteroid belt between Mars and

Jupiter, although tend more to be icy rather than rocky.

– Contains several dwarf planets, including Pluto, Sedna, Eris, Ceres, Haumea, Makemake