Comparison of Selected Objects in our Solar System
Our solar system is home to various celestial objects, including planets, moons, asteroids, and even dwarf planets.
All of these objects differ in many ways, yet work in perfect unison. A comparative study of the various features of these celestial bodies gives us some fascinating results.
The above animation from planetary scientist Dr. James O’Donoghue helps put in perspective the different objects in the solar system in terms of size, rotational speed, and the axial tilt at which they rotate.
Selected Solar System Objects to Scale
With such a diverse solar system of planets and other celestial objects, there is no shortage of questions to think about. Like what is the exact diameter of Jupiter, or how fast does Pluto rotate?
To answer them, here is a comparison of some select celestial bodies in our solar system, going from the biggest to smallest objects:
| Celestial Body | Diameter (km) | Rotational Period (Hours) | Axial Tilt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 1.4M | 648 | 7.2° |
| Jupiter | 140,982 | 9.9 | 3.1° |
| Saturn | 120,536 | 10.7 | 26.7° |
| Uranus | 51,118 | -17.2 | 97.8° |
| Neptune | 49,528 | 16.1 | 28.3° |
| Earth | 12,756 | 23.9 | 23.5° |
| Venus | 12,104 | -5832 | 177.4° |
| Mars | 6,792 | 24.6 | 25.2° |
| Mercury | 4,879 | 1407.6 | 0.03° |
| Moon | 3,475 | 655.7 | 6.7° |
| Pluto | 2,376 | -153.3 | 122.5° |
| Ceres | 946 | 9 | 4° |
Planets like Venus or Pluto rotate in the opposite direction to Earth, or in retrograde, and thus are denoted with a negative symbol before their values.
Another interesting observation is that the Sun rotates on its axis only once in (Read more...)