Planets and dwarf planets of our solar system (Milky Way)
The 8 planets have been divided into two groups. All the planets of a particular group have some common features. The two groups of planets are:
1. Terrestrial Planets
2. Jovian Planets
The four nearest planets to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are called terrestrial planets, because their structure is similar to earth.
The common features of the terrestrial planets are:
1. They have a thin, rocky crust.
2. They have a mantle rich in iron and magnesium.
3. They have a core of heavy metals.
4. They have thin atmosphere.
5. They have very few natural satellites (or moons) or no satellites.
They have varied terrain such as volcanoes, canyons, mountains, and craters. The planets which are outside the orbit of Mars are called Jovian planets because their structure is similar to that of Jupiter. The Jovian planets are: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The common features of the Jovian planets are:
1. They are all gaseous bodies (made of gases)
2. They have ring system around them.
3. They have a large number of natural satellites (or moons).
Solar System Fact Sheet
(For reference only. Do not try to memorise facts.)
Sun | MERC URY | VEN US | EAR TH | MO ON | MA RS | JUPIT ER | SATU RN | URAN US | NEPT UNE | PLUT O | |
Mass (1024k) | 1,988, 500 | 0.33 | 4.87 | 5.97 | 0.07 3 | 0.6 42 | 1898 | 568 | 86.8 | 102 | 0.013 1 |
Diameter (k m) | 1,392, 684 | 4879 | 12,1 04 | 12,7 56 | 347 5 | 679 2 | 142,9 84 | 120,5 36 | 51,11 8 | 49,52 8 | 2390 |
Density (kg/ m3) | 1,408 | 5427 | 524 3 | 551 4 | 334 0 | 393 3 | 1326 | 687 | 1271 | 1638 | 1830 |
Gravity (m/s 2) | 3.7 | 8.9 | 9.8 | 1.6 | 3.7 | 23.1 | 9 | 8.7 | 11 | 0.6 | |
Escape Velocity (km/ s) | 4.3 | 10.4 | 11.2 | 2.4 | 5 | 59.5 | 35.5 | 21.3 | 23.5 | 1.1 | |
Rotation Period (hour s) | 1407. 6 | - 583 2.5 | 23.9 | 655. 7 | 24. 6 | 9.9 | 10.7 | -17.2 | 16.1 | - 153.3 | |
Length of Day (hours) | 4222. 6 | 280 2 | 24 | 708. 7 | 24. 7 | 9.9 | 10.7 | 17.2 | 16.1 | 153.3 | |
Distance from Sun (106 km) | 57.9 | 108. 2 | 149. 6 | 0.38 4 | 227 .9 | 778.6 | 1433. 5 | 2872. 5 | 4495. 1 | 5870 | |
Perihelion (1 06 km) | 46 | 107. 5 | 147. 1 | 0.36 3 | 206 .6 | 740.5 | 1352. 6 | 2741. 3 | 4444. 5 | 4435 | |
Aphelion (10 6 km) | 69.8 | 108. 9 | 152. 1 | 0.40 6 | 249 .2 | 816.6 | 1514. 5 | 3003. 6 | 4545. 7 | 7304. 3 | |
Orbital Period (days) | 88 | 224. 7 | 365. 2 | 27.3 | 687 | 4331 | 10,74 7 | 30,58 9 | 59,80 0 | 90,58 8 | |
Orbital Velocity (km/ s) | 47.9 | 35 | 29.8 | 1 | 24. 1 | 13.1 | 9.7 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 4.7 | |
Orbital Inclination (d egrees) | 7 | 3.4 | 0 | 5.1 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 17.2 | |
Orbital Eccentricity | 0.205 | 0.00 7 | 0.01 7 | 0.05 5 | 0.0 94 | 0.049 | 0.057 | 0.046 | 0.011 | 0.244 | |
Axial Tilt (degrees) | 0.01 | 177. 4 | 23.4 | 6.7 | 25. 2 | 3.1 | 26.7 | 97.8 | 28.3 | 122.5 | |
Mean Temperature (C) | 167 | 464 | 15 | -20 | -65 | -110 | -140 | -195 | -200 | -225 | |
Surface Pressure (bar s) | 0 | 92 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 1 | Unkn own | Unkn own | Unkn own | Unkn own | 0 | |
Number of Moons | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 67 | 62 | 27 | 14 | 5 | |
Ring System? | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
Global Magnetic Field? | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unkn own |
