This is a list of most likely gravitationally rounded objects (GRO) of the Solar System, which are objects that have a rounded, ellipsoidal shape due to their own gravity (but are not necessarily in hydrostatic equilibrium). Apart from the Sun itself, these objects qualify as planets according to common geophysical definitions of that term. The radii of these objects range over three orders of magnitude, from planetary-mass objects like dwarf planets and some moons to the planets and the Sun. This list does not include small Solar System bodies, but it does include a sample of possible planetary-mass objects whose shapes have yet to be determined. The Sun's orbital characteristics are listed in relation to the Galactic Center, while all other objects are listed in order of their distance from the Sun.
The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star. It contains almost 99.9% of all the mass in the Solar System. [1]
Sun [2] [3] | ||
---|---|---|
Symbol (image) [q] | ||
Symbol (Unicode) [q] | ☉ | |
Discovery year | Prehistoric | |
Mean distance from the Galactic Center | km light years | ≈ 2.5×1017 ≈ 26,000 |
Mean radius | km :E [f] | 695,508 109.3 |
Surface area | km2 :E [f] | 6.0877×1012 11,990 |
Volume | km3 :E [f] | 1.4122×1018 1,300,000 |
Mass | kg :E [f] | 1.9855×1030 332,978.9 |
Gravitational parameter | m3/s2 | 1.327×1020 |
Density | g/cm3 | 1.409 |
Equatorial gravity | m/s2 g | 274.0 27.94 |
Escape velocity | km/s | 617.7 |
Rotation period | days [g] | 25.38 |
Orbital period about Galactic Center [4] | million years | 225–250 |
Mean orbital speed [4] | km/s | ≈ 220 |
Axial tilt [i] to the ecliptic | deg. | 7.25 |
Axial tilt [i] to the galactic plane | deg. | 67.23 |
Mean surface temperature | K | 5,778 |
Mean coronal temperature [5] | K | 1–2×106 |
Photospheric composition | H, He, O, C, Fe, S |
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined a planet as a body in orbit around the Sun that was large enough to have achieved hydrostatic equilibrium and to have "cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit". [6] The practical meaning of "cleared the neighborhood" is that a planet is comparatively massive enough for its gravitation to control the orbits of all objects in its vicinity. In practice, the term "hydrostatic equilibrium" is interpreted loosely. Mercury is round but not actually in hydrostatic equilibrium, but it is universally regarded as a planet nonetheless. [7]
According to the IAU's explicit count, there are eight planets in the Solar System; four terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) and four giant planets, which can be divided further into two gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn) and two ice giants (Uranus and Neptune). When excluding the Sun, the four giant planets account for more than 99% of the mass of the Solar System.
* Terrestrial planet |
° Gas giant |
× Ice giant |
*Mercury [8] [9] [10] | *Venus [11] [12] [10] | *Earth [13] [14] [10] | *Mars [15] [16] [10] | °Jupiter [17] [18] [10] | °Saturn [19] [20] [10] | × Uranus [21] [22] | × Neptune [23] [24] [10] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symbol [q] | or | ||||||||
Symbol (Unicode) [q] | ☿ | ♀ | 🜨 | ♂ | ♃ | ♄ | ⛢ or ♅ | ♆ | |
Discovery year | Prehistoric | Prehistoric | Prehistoric | Prehistoric | Prehistoric | Prehistoric | 1781 | 1846 | |
Mean distance from the Sun | km AU | 57,909,175 0.38709893 | 108,208,930 0.72333199 | 149,597,890 1.00000011 | 227,936,640 1.52366231 | 778,412,010 5.20336301 | 1,426,725,400 9.53707032 | 2,870,972,200 19.19126393 | 4,498,252,900 30.06896348 |
Equatorial radius | km :E [f] | 2,440.53 0.3826 | 6,051.8 0.9488 | 6,378.1366 1 | 3,396.19 0.53247 | 71,492 11.209 | 60,268 9.449 | 25,559 4.007 | 24,764 3.883 |
Surface area | km2 :E [f] | 75,000,000 0.1471 | 460,000,000 0.9020 | 510,000,000 1 | 140,000,000 0.2745 | 64,000,000,000 125.5 | 44,000,000,000 86.27 | 8,100,000,000 15.88 | 7,700,000,000 15.10 |
Volume | km3 :E [f] | 6.083×1010 0.056 | 9.28×1011 0.857 | 1.083×1012 1 | 1.6318×1011 0.151 | 1.431×1015 1,321.3 | 8.27×1014 763.62 | 6.834×1013 63.102 | 6.254×1013 57.747 |
Mass | kg :E [f] | 3.302×1023 0.055 | 4.8690×1024 0.815 | 5.972×1024 1 | 6.4191×1023 0.107 | 1.8987×1027 318 | 5.6851×1026 95 | 8.6849×1025 14.5 | 1.0244×1026 17 |
Gravitational parameter | m3/s2 | 2.203×1013 | 3.249×1014 | 3.986×1014 | 4.283×1013 | 1.267×1017 | 3.793×1016 | 5.794×1015 | 6.837×1015 |
Density | g/cm3 | 5.43 | 5.24 | 5.52 | 3.940 | 1.33 | 0.70 | 1.30 | 1.76 |
Equatorial gravity | m/s2 g | 3.70 0.377 | 8.87 0.904 | 9.8 1.00 | 3.71 0.378 | 24.79 2.528 | 10.44 1.065 | 8.87 0.904 | 11.15 1.137 |
Escape velocity | km/s | 4.25 | 10.36 | 11.18 | 5.02 | 59.54 | 35.49 | 21.29 | 23.71 |
Rotation period [g] | days | 58.646225 | 243.0187 | 0.99726968 | 1.02595675 | 0.41354 | 0.44401 | 0.71833 | 0.67125 |
Orbital period [g] | days years | 87.969 0.2408467 | 224.701 0.61519726 | 365.256363 1.0000174 | 686.971 1.8808476 | 4,332.59 11.862615 | 10,759.22 29.447498 | 30,688.5 84.016846 | 60,182 164.79132 |
Mean orbital speed | km/s | 47.8725 | 35.0214 | 29.7859 | 24.1309 | 13.0697 | 9.6724 | 6.8352 | 5.4778 |
Eccentricity | 0.20563069 | 0.00677323 | 0.01671022 | 0.09341233 | 0.04839266 | 0.05415060 | 0.04716771 | 0.00858587 | |
Inclination [f] | deg. | 7.00 | 3.39 | 0 [13] | 1.85 | 1.31 | 2.48 | 0.76 | 1.77 |
Axial tilt [i] | deg. | 0.0 | 177.3 [h] | 23.44 | 25.19 | 3.12 | 26.73 | 97.86 [h] | 28.32 |
Mean surface temperature | K | 440–100 | 730 | 287 | 227 | 152 [j] | 134 [j] | 76 [j] | 73 [j] |
Mean air temperature [k] | K | 288 | 165 | 135 | 76 | 73 | |||
Atmospheric composition | He, Na + K + | CO2, N2, SO2 | N2, O2, Ar, CO2 | CO2, N2 Ar | H2, He | H2, He | H2, He CH4 | H2, He CH4 | |
Number of known moons [v] | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 95 | 146 | 28 | 16 | |
Rings? | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Planetary discriminant [l] [o] | 9.1×104 | 1.35×106 | 1.7×106 | 1.8×105 | 6.25×105 | 1.9×105 | 2.9×104 | 2.4×104 |
Dwarf planets are bodies orbiting the Sun that are massive and warm enough to have achieved hydrostatic equilibrium, but have not cleared their neighbourhoods of similar objects. Since 2008, there have been five dwarf planets recognized by the IAU, although only Pluto has actually been confirmed to be in hydrostatic equilibrium [25] (Ceres is close to equilibrium, though some anomalies remain unexplained). [26] Ceres orbits in the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter. The others all orbit beyond Neptune.
† Asteroid belt |
‡ Kuiper belt |
§ Scattered disc |
× Sednoid |
† Ceres [27] | ‡ Pluto [28] [29] | ‡ Haumea [30] [31] [32] | ‡ Makemake [33] [34] | § Eris [35] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symbol [q] | or | |||||
Symbol (Unicode) [q] | ⚳ | ♇ or ⯓ | 🝻 | 🝼 | ⯰ | |
Minor planet number | 1 | 134340 | 136108 | 136472 | 136199 | |
Discovery year | 1801 | 1930 | 2004 | 2005 | 2005 | |
Mean distance from the Sun | km AU | 413,700,000 2.766 | 5,906,380,000 39.482 | 6,484,000,000 43.335 | 6,850,000,000 45.792 | 10,210,000,000 67.668 |
Mean radius | km :E [f] | 473 0.0742 | 1,188.3 [10] 0.186 | 816 (2100 × 1680 × 1074) 0.13 [36] [37] | 715 0.11 [38] | 1,163 0.18 [39] |
Volume | km3 :E [f] | 4.21×108 0.00039 [b] | 6.99×109 0.0065 | 1.98×109 0.0018 | 1.7×109 0.0016 [b] | 6.59×109 0.0061 [b] |
Surface area | km2 :E [f] | 2,770,000 0.0054 [a] | 17,700,000 0.035 | 8,140,000 0.016 [y] | 6,900,000 0.0135 [a] | 17,000,000 0.0333 [a] |
Mass | kg :E [f] | 9.39×1020 0.00016 | 1.30×1022 0.0022 | 4.01 ± 0.04×1021 0.0007 [40] | ≈ 3.1×1021 0.0005 | 1.65×1022 0.0028 |
Gravitational parameter | m3/s2 | 6.263 × 1010 | 8.710 × 1011 | 2.674 × 1011 | 2.069 × 1011 | 1.108 × 1012 |
Density | g/cm3 | 2.16 | 1.87 | 2.02 [36] | 2.03 | 2.43 |
Equatorial gravity | m/s2 g | 0.27 [d] 0.028 | 0.62 0.063 | 0.63 [d] 0.064 | 0.40 0.041 | 0.82 [d] 0.084 |
Escape velocity | km/s [e] | 0.51 | 1.21 | 0.91 | 0.54 | 1.37 |
Rotation period [g] | days | 0.3781 | 6.3872 | 0.1631 | 0.9511 | 15.7859 |
Orbital period [g] | years | 4.599 | 247.9 | 283.8 | 306.2 | 559 |
Mean orbital speed | km/s | 17.882 | 4.75 | 4.48 [o] | 4.40 [o] | 3.44 [n] |
Eccentricity | 0.080 | 0.249 | 0.195 | 0.161 | 0.436 | |
Inclination [f] | deg. | 10.59 | 17.14 | 28.21 | 28.98 | 44.04 |
Axial tilt [i] | deg. | 4 | 119.6 [h] | ≈ 126 [h] | ? | ≈ 78 |
Mean surface temperature [w] | K | 167 [41] | 40 [42] | <50 [43] | 30 | 30 |
Atmospheric composition | H2O | N2, CH4, CO | ? | N2, CH4 [44] | N2, CH4 [45] | |
Number of known moons [v] | 0 | 5 | 2 [46] | 1 [47] | 1 [48] | |
Rings? | No | No | Yes | ? | ? | |
Planetary discriminant [l] [o] | 0.33 | 0.077 | 0.023 | 0.02 | 0.10 |
Astronomers usually refer to solid bodies such as Ceres as dwarf planets, even if they are not strictly in hydrostatic equilibrium. They generally agree that several other trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) may be large enough to be dwarf planets, given current uncertainties. However, there has been disagreement on the required size. Early speculations were based on the small moons of the giant planets, which attain roundness around a threshold of 200 km radius. [49] However, these moons are at higher temperatures than TNOs and are icier than TNOs are likely to be. Estimates from an IAU question-and-answer press release from 2006, giving 800 km radius and 0.5×1021 kg mass as cut-offs that normally would be enough for hydrostatic equilibrium, while stating that observation would be needed to determine the status of borderline cases. [50] Many TNOs in the 200–500 km radius range are dark and low-density bodies, which suggests that they retain internal porosity from their formation, and hence are not planetary bodies (as planetary bodies have sufficient gravitation to collapse out such porosity). [51]
In 2023, Emery et al. wrote that near-infrared spectroscopy by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in 2022 suggests that Sedna, Gonggong, and Quaoar underwent internal melting, differentiation, and chemical evolution, like the larger dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake, but unlike "all smaller KBOs". This is because light hydrocarbons are present on their surfaces (e.g. ethane, acetylene, and ethylene), which implies that methane is continuously being resupplied, and that methane would likely come from internal geochemistry. On the other hand, the surfaces of Sedna, Gonggong, and Quaoar have low abundances of CO and CO2, similar to Pluto, Eris, and Makemake, but in contrast to smaller bodies. This suggests that the threshold for dwarf planethood in the trans-Neptunian region is around 500 km radius. [52]
In 2024, Kiss et al. found that Quaoar has an ellipsoidal shape incompatible with hydrostatic equilibrium for its current spin. They hypothesised that Quaoar originally had a rapid rotation and was in hydrostatic equilibrium, but that its shape became "frozen in" and did not change as it spun down due to tidal forces from its moon Weywot. [53] If so, this would resemble the situation of Saturn's moon Iapetus, which is too oblate for its current spin. [54] [55] Iapetus is generally still considered a planetary-mass moon nonetheless, [56] though not always. [57]
The table below gives Orcus, Quaoar, Gonggong, and Sedna as additional consensus dwarf planets; slightly smaller Salacia, which is larger than 400 km radius, has been included as a borderline case for comparison, (and is therefore italicized).
‡ Orcus [58] | ‡ Salacia [59] | ‡ Quaoar [60] | § Gonggong [61] | × Sedna [62] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symbol [q] | ||||||
Symbol (Unicode) [q] | 🝿 | 🝾 | 🝽 | ⯲ | ||
Minor-planet number | 90482 | 120347 | 50000 | 225088 | 90377 | |
Discovery year | 2004 | 2004 | 2002 | 2007 | 2003 | |
Semi-major axis | km AU | 5,896,946,000 39.419 | 6,310,600,000 42.18 | 6,535,930,000 43.69 | 10,072,433,340 67.33 | 78,668,000,000 525.86 |
Mean radius [s] | km :E [f] | 458.5 [63] 0.0720 | 423 [64] 0.0664 | 555 [65] 0.0871 | 615 [66] 0.0982 | 497.5 [67] 0.0780 |
Surface area [a] | km2 :E [f] | 2,641,700 0.005179 | 2,248,500 0.004408 | 3,870,800 0.007589 | 4,932,300 0.009671 | 3,110,200 0.006098 |
Volume [b] | km3 :E [f] | 403,744,500 0.000373 | 317,036,800 0.000396 | 716,089,900 0.000661 | 1,030,034,600 0.000951 | 515,784,000 0.000476 |
Mass [t] | kg :E [f] | 5.48×1020 [68] 0.0001 | 4.9×1020 [64] 0.0001 | 1.20×1021 [69] 0.0002 | 1.75×1021 [66] 0.0003 | ? |
Density [t] | g/cm3 | 1.4±0.2 [68] | 1.50±0.12 [64] | ≈ 1.7 | 1.74±0.16 | ? |
Equatorial gravity [d] | m/s2 g | 0.17 0.017 | 0.18 0.018 | 0.25 0.025 | 0.31 0.029 | ? |
Escape velocity [e] | km/s | 0.41 | 0.39 | 0.53 | 0.62 | ? |
Rotation period [g] | days | 9.54? [68] | ? | 0.7367 [69] | 0.9333 | 0.4280 [70] |
Orbital period [g] | years | 247.49 | 273.98 | 287.97 | 552.52 | 12,059 |
Mean orbital speed | km/s | 4.68 | 4.57 | 4.52 | 3.63 | 1.04 |
Eccentricity | 0.226 | 0.106 | 0.038 | 0.506 | 0.855 | |
Inclination [f] | deg. | 20.59 | 23.92 | 7.99 | 30.74 | 11.93 |
Axial tilt [i] | deg. | ? | ? | 13.6 [69] or 14.0 [71] | ? | ? |
Mean surface temperature [w] | K | ≈ 42 | ≈ 43 | ≈ 41 | ≈ 30 | ≈ 12 |
Number of known moons | 1 [72] | 1 | 1 [73] | 1 | 0 | |
Rings? | ? | ? | Yes [69] | ? | ? | |
Planetary discriminant [l] [o] | 0.003 | <0.1 | 0.0015 | <0.1 | ? [x] | |
Absolute magnitude (H) | 2.3 | 4.1 | 2.71 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
As for objects in the asteroid belt, none are generally agreed as dwarf planets today among astronomers other than Ceres. The second- through fifth-largest asteroids have been discussed as candidates. Vesta (radius 262.7±0.1 km), the second-largest asteroid, appears to have a differentiated interior and therefore likely was once a dwarf planet, but it is no longer very round today. [74] Pallas (radius 255.5±2 km), the third-largest asteroid, appears never to have completed differentiation and likewise has an irregular shape. Vesta and Pallas are nonetheless sometimes considered small terrestrial planets anyway by sources preferring a geophysical definition, because they do share similarities to the rocky planets of the inner solar system. [56] The fourth-largest asteroid, Hygiea (radius 216.5±4 km), is icy. The question remains open if it is currently in hydrostatic equilibrium: while Hygiea is round today, it was probably previously catastrophically disrupted and today might be just a gravitational aggregate of the pieces. [75] The fifth-largest asteroid, Interamnia (radius 166±3 km), is icy and has a shape consistent with hydrostatic equilibrium for a slightly shorter rotation period than it now has. [76]
There are at least 19 natural satellites in the Solar System that are known to be massive enough to be close to hydrostatic equilibrium: seven of Saturn, five of Uranus, four of Jupiter, and one each of Earth, Neptune, and Pluto. Alan Stern calls these satellite planets, although the term major moon is more common. The smallest natural satellite that is gravitationally rounded is Saturn I Mimas (radius 198.2±0.4 km). This is smaller than the largest natural satellite that is known not to be gravitationally rounded, Neptune VIII Proteus (radius 210±7 km).
Several of these were once in equilibrium but are no longer: these include Earth's moon [77] and all of the moons listed for Saturn apart from Titan and Rhea. [55] The status of Callisto, Titan, and Rhea is uncertain, as is that of the moons of Uranus, Pluto [25] and Eris. [51] The other large moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Triton) are generally believed to still be in equilibrium today. Other moons that were once in equilibrium but are no longer very round, such as Saturn IX Phoebe (radius 106.5±0.7 km), are not included. In addition to not being in equilibrium, Mimas and Tethys have very low densities and it has been suggested that they may have non-negligible internal porosity, [78] [79] in which case they would not be satellite planets.
The moons of the trans-Neptunian objects (other than Charon) have not been included, because they appear to follow the normal situation for TNOs rather than the moons of Saturn and Uranus, and become solid at a larger size (900–1000 km diameter, rather than 400 km as for the moons of Saturn and Uranus). Eris I Dysnomia and Orcus I Vanth, though larger than Mimas, are dark bodies in the size range that should allow for internal porosity, and in the case of Dysnomia a low density is known. [51]
Satellites are listed first in order from the Sun, and second in order from their parent body. For the round moons, this mostly matches the Roman numeral designations, with the exceptions of Iapetus and the Uranian system. This is because the Roman numeral designations originally reflected distance from the parent planet and were updated for each new discovery until 1851, but by 1892, the numbering system for the then-known satellites had become "frozen" and from then on followed order of discovery. Thus Miranda (discovered 1948) is Uranus V despite being the innermost of Uranus' five round satellites. The missing Saturn VII is Hyperion, which is not large enough to be round (mean radius 135±4 km).
🜨 Satellite of Earth |
♃ Satellite of Jupiter |
♄ Satellite of Saturn |
⛢ Satellite of Uranus |
♆ Satellite of Neptune |
♇ Satellite of Pluto |
🜨 Moon [80] | ♃ Io [81] | ♃ Europa [82] | ♃ Ganymede [83] | ♃ Callisto [84] | ♄ Mimas [p] | ♄ Enceladus [p] | ♄ Tethys [p] | ♄ Dione [p] | ♄ Rhea [p] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roman numeral designation | Earth I | Jupiter I | Jupiter II | Jupiter III | Jupiter IV | Saturn I | Saturn II | Saturn III | Saturn IV | Saturn V | |
Symbol [q] | JI | JII | JIII | JIV | SI | SII | SIII | SIV | SV | ||
Symbol (Unicode) [q] | ☾ | ||||||||||
Discovery year | Prehistoric | 1610 | 1610 | 1610 | 1610 | 1789 | 1789 | 1684 | 1684 | 1672 | |
Mean distance from primary | km | 384,399 | 421,600 | 670,900 | 1,070,400 | 1,882,700 | 185,520 | 237,948 | 294,619 | 377,396 | 527,108 |
Mean radius | km :E [f] | 1,737.1 0.272 | 1,815 0.285 | 1,569 0.246 | 2,634.1 0.413 | 2,410.3 0.378 | 198.30 0.031 | 252.1 0.04 | 533 0.084 | 561.7 0.088 | 764.3 0.12 |
Surface area [a] | 1×106 km2 | 37.93 | 41.910 | 30.9 | 87.0 | 73 | 0.49 | 0.799 | 3.57 | 3.965 | 7.337 |
Volume [b] | 1×109 km3 | 22 | 25.3 | 15.9 | 76 | 59 | 0.033 | 0.067 | 0.63 | 0.8 | 1.9 |
Mass | 1×1022 kg | 7.3477 | 8.94 | 4.80 | 14.819 | 10.758 | 0.00375 | 0.0108 | 0.06174 | 0.1095 | 0.2306 |
Density [c] | g/cm3 | 3.3464 | 3.528 | 3.01 | 1.936 | 1.83 | 1.15 | 1.61 | 0.98 | 1.48 | 1.23 |
Equatorial gravity [d] | m/s2 g | 1.622 0.1654 | 1.796 0.1831 | 1.314 0.1340 | 1.428 0.1456 | 1.235 0.1259 | 0.0636 0.00649 | 0.111 0.0113 | 0.145 0.0148 | 0.231 0.0236 | 0.264 0.0269 |
Escape velocity [e] | km/s | 2.38 | 2.56 | 2.025 | 2.741 | 2.440 | 0.159 | 0.239 | 0.393 | 0.510 | 0.635 |
Rotation period | days [g] | 27.321582 (sync) [m] | 1.7691378 (sync) | 3.551181 (sync) | 7.154553 (sync) | 16.68902 (sync) | 0.942422 (sync) | 1.370218 (sync) | 1.887802 (sync) | 2.736915 (sync) | 4.518212 (sync) |
Orbital period about primary | days [g] | 27.32158 | 1.769138 | 3.551181 | 7.154553 | 16.68902 | 0.942422 | 1.370218 | 1.887802 | 2.736915 | 4.518212 |
Mean orbital speed [o] | km/s | 1.022 | 17.34 | 13.740 | 10.880 | 8.204 | 14.32 | 12.63 | 11.35 | 10.03 | 8.48 |
Eccentricity | 0.0549 | 0.0041 | 0.009 | 0.0013 | 0.0074 | 0.0202 | 0.0047 | 0.02 | 0.002 | 0.001 | |
Inclination to primary's equator | deg. | 18.29–28.58 | 0.04 | 0.47 | 1.85 | 0.2 | 1.51 | 0.02 | 1.51 | 0.019 | 0.345 |
Axial tilt [i] [u] | deg. | 6.68 | 0.000405 ± 0.00076 [85] | 0.0965 ± 0.0069 [85] | 0.155 ± 0.065 [85] | ≈ 0–2 [85] [aa] | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 |
Mean surface temperature [w] | K | 220 | 130 | 102 | 110 [86] | 134 | 64 | 75 | 64 | 87 | 76 |
Atmospheric composition | Ar, He Na, K, H | SO2 [87] | O2 [88] | O2 [89] | O2, CO2 [90] | H2O, N2 CO2, CH4 [91] |
♄ Titan [p] | ♄ Iapetus [p] | ⛢ Miranda [r] | ⛢ Ariel [r] | ⛢ Umbriel [r] | ⛢ Titania [r] | ⛢ Oberon [r] | ♆ Triton [92] | ♇ Charon [28] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roman numeral designation | Saturn VI | Saturn VIII | Uranus V | Uranus I | Uranus II | Uranus III | Uranus IV | Neptune I | Pluto I | |
Symbol | SVI | SVIII | UV | UI | UII | UIII | UIV | NI | PI | |
Discovery year | 1655 | 1671 | 1948 | 1851 | 1851 | 1787 | 1787 | 1846 | 1978 | |
Mean distance from primary | km | 1,221,870 | 3,560,820 | 129,390 | 190,900 | 266,000 | 436,300 | 583,519 | 354,759 | 17,536 |
Mean radius | km :E [f] | 2,576 0.404 | 735.60 0.115 | 235.8 0.037 | 578.9 0.091 | 584.7 0.092 | 788.9 0.124 | 761.4 0.119 | 1,353.4 0.212 | 603.5 0.095 |
Surface area [a] | 1×106 km2 | 83.0 | 6.7 | 0.70 | 4.211 | 4.296 | 7.82 | 7.285 | 23.018 | 4.580 |
Volume [b] | 1×109 km3 | 71.6 | 1.67 | 0.055 | 0.81 | 0.84 | 2.06 | 1.85 | 10 | 0.92 |
Mass | 1×1022 kg | 13.452 | 0.18053 | 0.00659 | 0.135 | 0.12 | 0.35 | 0.3014 | 2.14 | 0.152 |
Density [c] | g/cm3 | 1.88 | 1.08 | 1.20 | 1.67 | 1.40 | 1.72 | 1.63 | 2.061 | 1.65 |
Equatorial gravity [d] | m/s2 g | 1.35 0.138 | 0.22 0.022 | 0.08 0.008 | 0.27 0.028 | 0.23 0.023 | 0.39 0.040 | 0.35 0.036 | 0.78 0.080 | 0.28 0.029 |
Escape velocity [e] | km/s | 2.64 | 0.57 | 0.19 | 0.56 | 0.52 | 0.77 | 0.73 | 1.46 | 0.58 |
Rotation period | days [g] | 15.945 (sync) [m] | 79.322 (sync) | 1.414 (sync) | 2.52 (sync) | 4.144 (sync) | 8.706 (sync) | 13.46 (sync) | 5.877 (sync) | 6.387 (sync) |
Orbital period about primary | days | 15.945 | 79.322 | 1.4135 | 2.520 | 4.144 | 8.706 | 13.46 | 5.877 | 6.387 |
Mean orbital speed [o] | km/s | 5.57 | 3.265 | 6.657 | 5.50898 | 4.66797 | 3.644 | 3.152 | 4.39 | 0.2 |
Eccentricity | 0.0288 | 0.0286 | 0.0013 | 0.0012 | 0.005 | 0.0011 | 0.0014 | 0.00002 | 0.0022 | |
Inclination to primary's equator | deg. | 0.33 | 14.72 | 4.22 | 0.31 | 0.36 | 0.14 | 0.10 | 157 [h] | 0.001 |
Axial tilt [i] [u] | deg. | ≈ 0.3 [93] | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0.7 [94] | ≈ 0 |
Mean surface temperature [w] | K | 93.7 [95] | 130 | 59 | 58 | 61 | 60 | 61 | 38 [96] | 53 |
Atmospheric composition | N2, CH4 [97] | N2, CH4 [98] |
The Kuiper belt is a circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System, extending from the orbit of Neptune at 30 astronomical units (AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, but is far larger—20 times as wide and 20–200 times as massive. Like the asteroid belt, it consists mainly of small bodies or remnants from when the Solar System formed. While many asteroids are composed primarily of rock and metal, most Kuiper belt objects are composed largely of frozen volatiles, such as methane, ammonia, and water. The Kuiper belt is home to most of the objects that astronomers generally accept as dwarf planets: Orcus, Pluto, Haumea, Quaoar, and Makemake. Some of the Solar System's moons, such as Neptune's Triton and Saturn's Phoebe, may have originated in the region.
A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is generally required to be in orbit around a star, stellar remnant, or brown dwarf, and is not one itself. The Solar System has eight planets by the most restrictive definition of the term: the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, and the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a young protostar orbited by a protoplanetary disk. Planets grow in this disk by the gradual accumulation of material driven by gravity, a process called accretion.
A ring system is a disc or torus orbiting an astronomical object that is composed of solid material such as gas, dust, meteoroids, planetoids or moonlets and stellar objects.
The Solar System is the gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it. It formed about 4.6 billion years ago when a dense region of a molecular cloud collapsed, forming the Sun and a protoplanetary disc. The Sun is a typical star that maintains a balanced equilibrium by the fusion of hydrogen into helium at its core, releasing this energy from its outer photosphere. Astronomers classify it as a G-type main-sequence star.
Charon, or (134340) Pluto I, is the largest of the five known natural satellites of the dwarf planet Pluto. It has a mean radius of 606 km (377 mi). Charon is the sixth-largest known trans-Neptunian object after Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Gonggong. It was discovered in 1978 at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., using photographic plates taken at the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS).
A natural satellite is, in the most common usage, an astronomical body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or small Solar System body. Natural satellites are colloquially referred to as moons, a derivation from the Moon of Earth.
Sedna is a dwarf planet in the outermost reaches of the Solar System, orbiting the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune. Discovered in 2003, the planetoid's surface is one of the reddest known among Solar System bodies. Spectroscopy has revealed Sedna's surface to be mostly a mixture of the solid ices of water, methane, and nitrogen, along with widespread deposits of reddish-colored tholins, a chemical makeup similar to those of some other trans-Neptunian objects. Within the range of uncertainties, it is tied with the dwarf planet Ceres in the asteroid belt as the largest dwarf planet not known to have a moon. Its diameter is roughly 1,000 km. Owing to its lack of known moons, the Keplerian laws of planetary motion cannot be employed for determining its mass, and the precise figure remains as yet unknown.
The definition of the term planet has changed several times since the word was coined by the ancient Greeks. Greek astronomers employed the term ἀστέρες πλανῆται, 'wandering stars', for star-like objects which apparently moved over the sky. Over the millennia, the term has included a variety of different celestial bodies, from the Sun and the Moon to satellites and asteroids.
Haumea is a dwarf planet located beyond Neptune's orbit. It was discovered in 2004 by a team headed by Mike Brown of Caltech at the Palomar Observatory, and formally announced in 2005 by a team headed by José Luis Ortiz Moreno at the Sierra Nevada Observatory in Spain, who had discovered it that year in precovery images taken by the team in 2003. From that announcement, it received the provisional designation 2003 EL61. On 17 September 2008, it was named after Haumea, the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth, under the expectation by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) that it would prove to be a dwarf planet. Nominal estimates make it the third-largest known trans-Neptunian object, after Eris and Pluto, and approximately the size of Uranus's moon Titania. Precovery images of Haumea have been identified back to 22 March 1955.
Dysnomia (formally (136199) Eris I Dysnomia) is the only known moon of the dwarf planet Eris and is the second-largest known moon of a dwarf planet, after Pluto I Charon. It was discovered in September 2005 by Mike Brown and the Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics (LGSAO) team at the W. M. Keck Observatory. It carried the provisional designation of S/2005 (2003 UB313) 1 until it was officially named Dysnomia (from the Ancient Greek word Δυσνομία meaning anarchy/lawlessness) in September 2006, after the daughter of the Greek goddess Eris.
A dwarf planet is a small planetary-mass object that is in direct orbit around the Sun, massive enough to be gravitationally rounded, but insufficient to achieve orbital dominance like the eight classical planets of the Solar System. The prototypical dwarf planet is Pluto, which for decades was regarded as a planet before the "dwarf" concept was adopted in 2006.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined in August 2006 that, in the Solar System, a planet is a celestial body that:
Gonggong is a dwarf planet and a member of the scattered disc beyond Neptune. It has a highly eccentric and inclined orbit during which it ranges from 34–101 astronomical units from the Sun. As of 2019, its distance from the Sun is 88 AU, and it is the sixth-farthest known Solar System object. According to the Deep Ecliptic Survey, Gonggong is in a 3:10 orbital resonance with Neptune, in which it completes three orbits around the Sun for every ten orbits completed by Neptune. Gonggong was discovered in July 2007 by American astronomers Megan Schwamb, Michael Brown, and David Rabinowitz at the Palomar Observatory, and the discovery was announced in January 2009.
Quaoar is a large, ringed dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a region of icy planetesimals beyond Neptune. It has an elongated ellipsoidal shape with an average diameter of 1,090 km (680 mi), about half the size of the dwarf planet Pluto. The object was discovered by American astronomers Chad Trujillo and Michael Brown at the Palomar Observatory on 4 June 2002. Quaoar's surface contains crystalline water ice and ammonia hydrate, which suggests that it might have experienced cryovolcanism. A small amount of methane is present on its surface, which can only be retained by the largest Kuiper belt objects.
A planetary-mass object (PMO), planemo, or planetary body is, by geophysical definition of celestial objects, any celestial object massive enough to achieve hydrostatic equilibrium, but not enough to sustain core fusion like a star.
A planetary-mass moon is a planetary-mass object that is also a natural satellite. They are large and ellipsoidal in shape. Moons may be in hydrostatic equilibrium due to tidal or radiogenic heating, in some cases forming a subsurface ocean. Two moons in the Solar System, Ganymede and Titan, are larger than the planet Mercury, and a third, Callisto, is just slightly smaller than it, although all three are less massive. Additionally, seven – Ganymede, Titan, Callisto, Io, Earth's Moon, Europa, and Triton – are larger and more massive than the dwarf planets Pluto and Eris.
The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is the internationally recognized body charged with fostering agreement on nomenclature and classification across geoscientific disciplines. However, they have yet to create a formal definition of the term "planet". As a result, there are various geophysical definitions in use among professional geophysicists, planetary scientists, and other professionals in the geosciences. Many professionals opt to use one of several of these geophysical definitions instead of the definition voted on by the International Astronomical Union, the dominant organization for setting planetary nomenclature.
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