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Planets: Orbital Properties Planet distance revolution eccentricity inclination (A.U.) (deg) Mercury 0.387 87.969 d 0.2056 7.005 Venus 0.723 224.701 d 0.0068 3.3947 Earth 1.000 365.256 d 0.0167 0.0000 Mars 1.524 686.98 d 0.0934 1.851 Jupiter 5.203 11.862 y 0.0484 1.305 Saturn 9.537 29.457 y 0.0542 2.484 Uranus 19.191 84.011 y 0.0472 0.770 Neptune 30.069 164.79 y 0.0086 1.769 Pluto 39.482 247.68 y 0.2488 17.142 8 Notes: Distance is the semi-major axis in astronomical units (1 A.U. = 1.496× 10 km); rotation and revolution are the sidereal rotation period and sidereal orbital period, h = hours, d = Earth sidereal days; eccentricity is the orbital eccentricity = 1 – (perihelion/semi-major axis); and inclination is the tilt of the orbit with respect to the Earth's orbit. The planet's "mean orbital elements (J2000)" are used for the inclination, eccentricity, and distance. [Yes, Pluto is a dwarf planet.]
Planets: Physical Characteristics Planet
Mass Diameter density oblateness rotation axis tilt mag. field (× ME) (km) (g/cm3) [=(De – Dp)/De] (deg) (× Earth's) Mercury 0.0553 4879 5.427 0.000 58.785 d ~0 0.0006 Venus 0.815 12,104 5.243 0.000 243.686 d 177.36 0.00 Earth 1.000 12,742 5.515 0.00335 23.9345 h 23.45 1.000 Mars 0.107 6779 3.933 0.00648 24.6229 h 25.19 0.00 Jupiter 317.83 139,822 1.326 0.06487 9.9250 h 3.13 19,519 Saturn 95.159 116,464 0.687 0.09796 10.656 h 26.73 578 Uranus 14.536 50,724 1.270 0.02293 17.24 h 97.77 47.9 Neptune 17.147 49,244 1.638 0.01708 16.11 h 28.32 27.0 Pluto 0.0021 2390 1.750 0.000 6.405 d 122.53 0.00 Notes: Mass is given in Earth masses (1 ME = 5.9736× 1024 kg); diameter is the ``volumetric mean diameter'' that takes into the planet's oblateness; oblateness measures how much a planet bulges at the equator [= (equatorial – polar diameter)/(equatorial diameter)]; rotation is the sidereal spin period, "d" in rotation is sidereal day of Earth, and axis tilt is the tilt of the planet's rotation axis with respect to its orbital plane; magnetic field (mag. field) is the total strength (NSSDC gives strength in #gauss × Rplanet3, where Rplanet is the radius of the planet and the Earth's magnetic field strength = 0.3076 gauss × Rplanet3 = 7.981× 1010 gauss.
Planets: Atmospheres atm. g vesc distance albedo temperature press. Planet (×g ) atm. comp. (K) (× E (km/s) (A.U.) (%) Earth's) 100 night, -15 42% O2, 29% Na, 22% H2, 6% He, 0.5% K (note that it is essentially a vacuum) Mercury 0.378 4.3 0.387 11.9 590–725 day 10 96.5% CO2, 3.5% N2, Venus 0.905 10.36 0.723 75 737 92 0.015% SO2, 0.007% Ar, 0.002% H2O, 0.002% CO, 0.001% He, 0.001% Ne Earth
1.000 11.186 1.000
30.6
283 night, 293 day
1.000
78.08% N2, 20.95% O2, 0.934% Ar, 0.038% CO2, H2O highly variable ( <1%)
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Mars
0.379 5.03
1.524
25.0
184 night, 242 day
0.004– 0.009
Jupiter 2.530 59.5
5.203
34.3
165
>>1000
Saturn 1.065 35.5
9.537
34.2
134
>>1000
Uranus 0.905 21.3 19.191 30.0
76
>>1000
Neptune 1.14 23.5 30.069 29.0
72
>>1000
95.32% CO2, 2.7% N2, 1.6% Ar, 0.13% O2, 0.08% CO, 0.021% H2O, 0.01% NO 89.8% H2, 10.2% He, 0.3% CH4, 0.026% NH3. Clouds made of ammonia ice, water ice, ammonium hydrosulfide 96.3% H2, 3.25% He, 0.45% CH4, 0.0125% NH3, 0.0110% HD, 0.0007% C2H6. Clouds made of ammonia ice, water ice, ammonium hydrosulfide 82.5% H2, 15.2% He, 2.3% CH4, 0.0148% HD. Clouds made of ammonia ice, water ice, ammonium hydrosulfide, methane ice 80.0% H2, 19.0% He, 1.5% CH4, 0.0192% HD, 0.0002% C2H6. Clouds made of ammonia ice, water ice, ammonium hydrosulfide, methane ice
40 to CH4, N2 ~50 3 x 10-6 60 Notes: Surface gravity g is given in Earth gravities (1 gE = 9.798 m/s2); escape velocity is vesc, albedo is the percent of ALL of the Sun's energy hitting the planet that is reflected (100% would be perfect reflection); temperature and surface gravity for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune are given at a depth where the atmospheric pressure = 1 Earth atmosphere (1 bar); atmospheric pressure (atm. press.) is at the surface (>>1000 for the jovian planets). Pluto
0.059 1.2
39.482
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Author of original content: Nick Strobel
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