List of gravitationally rounded objects of the Solar System

Last updated

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.

Contents

Star

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]
Sun white.jpg
Symbol (image) [q] Sun symbol (fixed width).svg
Symbol (Unicode) [q]
Discovery yearPrehistoric
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/s21.327×1020
Density g/cm31.409
Equatorial   gravity m/s2
g
274.0
27.94
Escape velocity km/s 617.7
Rotation perioddays [g] 25.38
Orbital period about Galactic Center [4] million years225–250
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

Planets

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.

Key
* 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]
Mercury in true color.jpg PIA23791-Venus-NewlyProcessedView-20200608.jpg The Earth seen from Apollo 17.jpg Mars - August 30 2021 - Flickr - Kevin M. Gill.png Jupiter and its shrunken Great Red Spot.jpg Saturn during Equinox.jpg Uranus Voyager2 color calibrated.png Neptune Voyager2 color calibrated.png
Symbol [q] Mercury symbol (fixed width).svg Venus symbol (fixed width).svg Earth symbol (fixed width).svg Mars symbol (fixed width).svg Jupiter symbol (fixed width).svg Saturn symbol (fixed width).svg Uranus symbol (fixed width).svg or Uranus Herschel symbol (fixed width).svg Neptune symbol (fixed width).svg
Symbol (Unicode) [q] 🜨⛢ or ♅
Discovery yearPrehistoricPrehistoricPrehistoricPrehistoricPrehistoricPrehistoric17811846
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/s22.203×10133.249×10143.986×10144.283×10131.267×10173.793×10165.794×10156.837×1015
Density g/cm35.435.245.523.9401.330.701.301.76
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 4.2510.3611.185.0259.5435.4921.2923.71
Rotation period [g] days58.646225243.01870.997269681.025956750.413540.444010.718330.67125
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 47.872535.021429.785924.130913.06979.67246.83525.4778
Eccentricity 0.205630690.006773230.016710220.093412330.048392660.054150600.047167710.00858587
Inclination [f] deg. 7.003.390 [13] 1.851.312.480.761.77
Axial tilt [i] deg. 0.0177.3 [h] 23.4425.193.1226.7397.86 [h] 28.32
Mean surface  temperature K 440–100730287227152 [j] 134 [j] 76 [j] 73 [j]
Mean air  temperature [k] K 2881651357673
Atmospheric  composition He,  Na +
K + 
CO2,  N2, SO2 N2,  O2, Ar, CO2CO2, N2
Ar
H2, HeH2, HeH2, He
CH4
H2, He
CH4
Number of known moons [v] 00 1 2 95 146 28 16
Rings? NoNoNoNo Yes Yes Yes Yes
Planetary discriminant [l] [o] 9.1×1041.35×1061.7×1061.8×1056.25×1051.9×1052.9×1042.4×104

Dwarf planets

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.

Key
Asteroid belt
Kuiper belt
§ Scattered disc
× Sednoid
Ceres [27] Pluto [28] [29] Haumea [30] [31] [32] Makemake [33] [34] § Eris [35]
Ceres - RC3 - Haulani Crater (22381131691) (cropped).jpg Pluto in True Color - High-Res.jpg Haumea Hubble.png Makemake moon Hubble image with legend (cropped).jpg Eris and dysnomia2.jpg
Symbol [q] Ceres symbol (fixed width).svg Pluto monogram (fixed width).svg or Pluto symbol (large orb, fixed width).svg Haumea symbol (fixed width).svg Makemake symbol (fixed width).svg Eris symbol (fixed width).svg
Symbol (Unicode) [q] ♇ or ⯓🝻🝼
Minor planet number 1134340136108136472136199
Discovery year18011930200420052005
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/s26.263 × 10108.710 × 10112.674 × 10112.069 × 10111.108 × 1012
Density g/cm32.161.872.02 [36] 2.032.43
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] 0.511.210.910.541.37
Rotation period [g] days0.37816.38720.16310.951115.7859
Orbital period [g] years 4.599247.9283.8306.2559
Mean orbital speed km/s 17.8824.754.48 [o] 4.40 [o] 3.44 [n]
Eccentricity 0.0800.2490.1950.1610.436
Inclination [f] deg. 10.5917.1428.2128.9844.04
Axial tilt [i] deg. 4119.6 [h] 126 [h]  ?78
Mean surface  temperature [w] K 167 [41] 40 [42] <50 [43] 3030
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?NoNo Yes  ? ?
Planetary discriminant [l] [o] 0.330.0770.0230.020.10

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 400 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 Sedna, Gonggong, and Quaoar as additional consensus dwarf planets; slightly smaller Orcus and Salacia, which are larger than 400 km radius, have been included as borderline cases for comparison.

Orcus [58] Salacia [59] Quaoar [60] § Gonggong [61] × Sedna [62]
Orcus-vanth hst2.jpg Salacia Hubble.png Quaoar-weywot hst.jpg 2007 OR10 and its moon.png Sedna PRC2004-14d.jpg
Symbol [q] Orcus symbol (fixed width).svg Salacia symbol (fixed width).svg Quaoar symbol (fixed width).svg Gonggong symbol (fixed width).svg Sedna symbol (fixed width).svg
Symbol (Unicode) [q] 🝿🝾🝽
Minor-planet number 904821203475000022508890377
Discovery year20042004200220072003
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/cm31.4±0.2 [68] 1.50±0.12 [64] 1.71.74±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 0.410.390.530.62 ?
Rotation period [g] days9.54? [68]  ?0.7367 [69] 0.93330.4280 [70]
Orbital period [g] years 247.49273.98287.97552.5212,059
Mean orbital speed km/s 4.684.574.523.631.04
Eccentricity 0.2260.1060.0380.5060.855
Inclination [f] deg. 20.5923.927.9930.7411.93
Axial tilt [i] deg.  ? ?13.6 [69] or 14.0 [71]  ? ?
Mean surface  temperature [w] K 4243413012
Number of known moons 1 [72] 1 1 [73] 1 0
Rings? ? ? Yes [69]  ? ?
Planetary discriminant [l] [o] 0.003<0.10.0015<0.1 ? [x]
Absolute magnitude (H) 2.34.12.711.81.5

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]

Satellites

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).

Key
🜨 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]
FullMoon2010.jpg Io highest resolution true color.jpg Europa in natural color.png Ganymede - Perijove 34 Composite.png Callisto - July 8 1979 (38926064465).jpg Mimas Cassini.jpg PIA17202 - Approaching Enceladus.jpg PIA18317-SaturnMoon-Tethys-Cassini-20150411.jpg Dione in natural light (cropped).jpg PIA07763 Rhea full globe5.jpg
Roman numeral designation Earth IJupiter IJupiter IIJupiter IIIJupiter IVSaturn ISaturn IISaturn IIISaturn IVSaturn V
Symbol [q] Moon decrescent symbol (fixed width).svg JIJIIJIIIJIVSISIISIIISIVSV
Symbol (Unicode) [q]
Discovery yearPrehistoric161016101610161017891789168416841672
Mean distance
from primary
km384,399421,600670,9001,070,4001,882,700185,520237,948294,619377,396527,108
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 km237.9341.91030.987.0730.490.7993.573.9657.337
Volume [b] 1×109 km32225.315.976590.0330.0670.630.81.9
Mass 1×1022 kg 7.34778.944.8014.81910.7580.003750.01080.061740.10950.2306
Density [c] g/cm33.34643.5283.011.9361.831.151.610.981.481.23
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 2.382.562.0252.7412.4400.1590.2390.3930.5100.635
Rotation perioddays [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 primarydays [g] 27.321581.7691383.5511817.15455316.689020.9424221.3702181.8878022.7369154.518212
Mean orbital speed [o] km/s 1.02217.3413.74010.8808.20414.3212.6311.3510.038.48
Eccentricity 0.05490.00410.0090.00130.00740.02020.00470.020.0020.001
Inclination to primary's equator deg. 18.29–28.580.040.471.850.21.510.021.510.0190.345
Axial tilt [i] [u] deg. 6.680.000405
± 0.00076 [85]
0.0965
± 0.0069 [85]
0.155
± 0.065 [85]
0–2 [85] [aa] 00000
Mean surface  temperature [w] K 220130102110 [86] 1346475648776
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]
Titan in true color.jpg Iapetus true.jpg Miranda mosaic in color - Voyager 2.png Ariel (moon).jpg PIA00040 Umbrielx2.47.jpg Titania (moon) color cropped.jpg Oberon in true color by Kevin M. Gill.jpg Neptune's Moon Triton Fosters Rare Icy Union (gemini1903a) (square crop).jpg Charon in True Color - High-Res.jpg
Roman numeral designationSaturn VISaturn VIIIUranus VUranus IUranus IIUranus IIIUranus IVNeptune IPluto I
SymbolSVISVIIIUVUIUIIUIIIUIVNIPI
Discovery year165516711948185118511787178718461978
Mean distance
from primary
km1,221,8703,560,820129,390190,900266,000436,300583,519354,75917,536
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 km283.06.70.704.2114.2967.827.28523.0184.580
Volume [b] 1×109 km371.61.670.0550.810.842.061.85100.92
Mass 1×1022 kg 13.4520.180530.006590.1350.120.350.30142.140.152
Density [c] g/cm31.881.081.201.671.401.721.632.0611.65
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 2.640.570.190.560.520.770.731.460.58
Rotation perioddays [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 primarydays15.94579.3221.41352.5204.1448.70613.465.8776.387
Mean orbital speed [o] km/s 5.573.2656.6575.508984.667973.6443.1524.390.2
Eccentricity 0.02880.02860.00130.00120.0050.00110.00140.000020.0022
Inclination to primary's equator deg. 0.3314.724.220.310.360.140.10157 [h] 0.001
Axial tilt [i] [u] deg. 0.3 [93] 0000000.7 [94] 0
Mean surface  temperature [w] K 93.7 [95] 130595861606138 [96] 53
Atmospheric  composition N2, CH4 [97] N2, CH4 [98]

See also

Notes

Unless otherwise cited [z]

  1. ^ The planetary discriminant for the planets is taken from material published by Stephen Soter. [99] Planetary discriminants for Ceres, Pluto and Eris taken from Soter, 2006. Planetary discriminants of all other bodies calculated from the Kuiper belt mass estimate given by Lorenzo Iorio. [100]
  2. ^ Saturn satellite info taken from NASA Saturnian Satellite Fact Sheet. [101]
  3. ^ With the exception of the Sun and Earth symbols, astronomical symbols are mostly used by astrologers today; although occasional use of the other planet symbols (and Pluto) in astronomical contexts still exists, [102] it is officially discouraged. [103] Astronomical symbols for the Sun, the planets (first symbol for Uranus), and the Moon, as well as the first symbol for Pluto were taken from NASA Solar System Exploration. [104] The other symbols are even rarer in modern astronomy.
    • The symbol for Ceres was taken from material published by James L. Hilton; it was used astronomically when Ceres was thought to be a major planet, and continues to be used today in astrology. [105]
    • The second symbol for Uranus was also taken from there; it is more common in astrology than the first symbol. [105]
    • The other dwarf-planet symbols were invented by Denis Moskowitz, a software engineer in Massachusetts. His symbols for Haumea, Makemake, and Eris appear in a NASA JPL infographic, as does the second symbol for Pluto; [106] they are otherwise mostly astrological symbols. His symbols for Quaoar, Sedna, Orcus, and Gonggong were taken from Unicode; [107] so far they have only been used in astrology. He has also invented a symbol for Salacia (pictured), but it has not received widespread adoption amongst astronomers or astrologers. [107]
    The Moon is the only natural satellite with a standard abstract symbol; abstract symbols have been proposed for the others, but have not received significant astronomical or astrological use or mention. The others are often referred to with the initial letter of their parent planet and their Roman numeral.
  4. ^ Uranus satellite info taken from NASA Uranian Satellite Fact Sheet. [108]
  5. ^ Radii for plutoid candidates taken from material published by John A. Stansberry et al. [39]
  6. ^ Axial tilts for most satellites assumed to be zero in accordance with the Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac: "In the absence of other information, the axis of rotation is assumed to be normal to the mean orbital plane." [109]
  7. ^ Natural satellite numbers taken from material published by Scott S. Sheppard. [110]

Manual calculations (unless otherwise cited)

  1. ^ Surface area A derived from the radius using , assuming sphericity.
  2. ^ Volume V derived from the radius using , assuming sphericity.
  3. ^ Density derived from the mass divided by the volume.
  4. ^ Surface gravity derived from the mass m, the gravitational constant G and the radius r: Gm/r2.
  5. ^ Escape velocity derived from the mass m, the gravitational constant G and the radius r: (2Gm)/r.
  6. ^ Orbital speed is calculated using the mean orbital radius and the orbital period, assuming a circular orbit.
  7. ^ Assuming a density of 2.0
  8. ^ Calculated using the formula where Teff = 54.8 K at 52 AU, is the geometric albedo, q = 0.8 is the phase integral, and is the distance from the Sun in AU. This formula is a simplified version of that in section 2.2 of Stansberry et al., 2007, [39] where emissivity and beaming parameter were assumed to equal unity, and was replaced with 4, accounting for the difference between circle and sphere. All parameters mentioned above were taken from the same paper.

Individual calculations

  1. ^ Surface area was calculated using the formula for a scalene ellipsoid:
    where is the modular angle, or angular eccentricity ; and , are the incomplete elliptic integrals of the first and second kind, respectively. The values 980 km, 759 km, and 498 km were used for a, b, and c respectively.

Other notes

  1. ^ Relative to Earth
  2. ^ Sidereal
  3. ^ Retrograde
  4. ^ The inclination of the body's equator from its orbit.
  5. ^ At pressure of 1 bar
  6. ^ At sea level
  7. ^ The ratio between the mass of the object and those in its immediate neighborhood. Used to distinguish between a planet and a dwarf planet.
  8. ^ This object's rotation is synchronous with its orbital period, meaning that it only ever shows one face to its primary.
  9. ^ Objects' planetary discriminants based on their similar orbits to Eris. Sedna's population is currently too little-known for a planetary discriminant to be determined.
  10. ^ "Unless otherwise cited" means that the information contained in the citation is applicable to an entire line or column of a chart, unless another citation specifically notes otherwise. For example, Titan's mean surface temperature is cited to the reference in its cell; it is not calculated like the temperatures of most of the other satellites here, because it has an atmosphere that makes the formula inapplicable.
  11. ^ Callisto's axial tilt varies between 0 and about 2 degrees on timescales of thousands of years. [85]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planet</span> Large, round non-stellar astronomical object

A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. 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. The Solar System has at least eight planets: the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, and the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring system</span> Ring of cosmic dust orbiting an astronomical object

A ring system is a disc or ring, orbiting an astronomical object, that is composed of solid material such as dust and moonlets, and is a common component of satellite systems around giant planets like Saturn. A ring system around a planet is also known as a planetary ring system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar System</span> The Sun and objects orbiting it

The Solar System is the gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it. The largest of these objects are the eight planets, which in order from the Sun are four terrestrial planets ; two gas giants ; and two ice giants. The Solar System developed 4.6 billion years ago when a dense region of a molecular cloud collapsed, forming the Sun and a protoplanetary disc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pluto</span> Dwarf planet

Pluto is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest known trans-Neptunian object by volume, by a small margin, but is less massive than Eris. Like other Kuiper belt objects, Pluto is made primarily of ice and rock and is much smaller than the inner planets. Pluto has only one sixth the mass of Earth's moon, and one third its volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charon (moon)</span> Largest natural satellite of Pluto

Charon, known as (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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural satellite</span> Astronomical body that orbits a planet

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">90482 Orcus</span> Trans-Neptunian planetoid

Orcus is a large trans-Neptunian object and likely dwarf planet located in the Kuiper belt, with one large moon, Vanth. It has an estimated diameter of 870 to 960 km, comparable to the Inner Solar System dwarf planet Ceres. Orcus had been accepted by many astronomers as a dwarf planet, though as of 2024 that classification remains somewhat controversial. The surface of Orcus is relatively bright with albedo reaching 23 percent, neutral in color, and rich in water ice. The ice is predominantly in crystalline form, which may be related to past cryovolcanic activity. Other compounds like methane or ammonia may also be present on its surface. Orcus was discovered by American astronomers Michael Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz on 17 February 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">90377 Sedna</span> Dwarf planet

Sedna is a dwarf planet in the outermost reaches of the inner 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 as yet remains unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moons of Uranus</span> Natural satellites of the planet Uranus

Uranus, the seventh planet of the Solar System, has 28 confirmed moons. Most of them are named after characters that appear in, or are mentioned in, the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. Uranus's moons are divided into three groups: thirteen inner moons, five major moons, and ten irregular moons. The inner and major moons all have prograde orbits and are cumulatively classified as regular moons. In contrast, the orbits of the irregular moons are distant, highly inclined, and mostly retrograde.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haumea</span> Dwarf planet in the Solar System

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 in the United States and disputably also in 2005 by a team headed by José Luis Ortiz Moreno at the Sierra Nevada Observatory in Spain. On September 17, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Formation and evolution of the Solar System</span> Modelling its structure and composition

There is evidence that the formation of the Solar System began about 4.6 billion years ago with the gravitational collapse of a small part of a giant molecular cloud. Most of the collapsing mass collected in the center, forming the Sun, while the rest flattened into a protoplanetary disk out of which the planets, moons, asteroids, and other small Solar System bodies formed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf planet</span> Small planetary-mass object

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.

IAU definition of <i>planet</i> 2006 International Astronomical Union definition

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined in August 2006 that, in the Solar System, a planet is a celestial body that:

  1. is in orbit around the Sun,
  2. has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium, and
  3. has "cleared the neighbourhood" around its orbit.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">50000 Quaoar</span> Cold classical Kuiper belt object

Quaoar is a large, ringed trans-Neptunian object in the Kuiper belt, a region of icy planetesimals beyond Neptune. It has an elongated ellipsoid 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetary-mass moon</span> Planetary-mass bodies that are also natural satellites

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 are larger than the planet Mercury : Ganymede and Titan, and seven 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, which is the governing body that astronomers recognize when it comes to nomenclature.

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