|
Planet |
D(AU)1 |
Rotation2
Period |
Orbital
Period |
Axis3
Tilt |
Radius4
(x RE) |
Mass5
(x ME) |
MD6
(x MD, E) |
Dipole7
Tilt |
Number*
of Moons |
| Sun | 0.000 | 25 days# | N/A | 7.25o& | 109+ | 332,000 | X$ | X$ | N/A |
| Mercury | 0.387 | 58.7 days | 88 days | ~0o | 0.382 | 0.055 | ~4.7x10-4 | ~10o | 0 |
| Venus | 0.723 | 243 days | 225 days | -2o | 0.949 | 0.815 | N/A | N/A | 0 |
| Earth | 1.000 | 23.9 hrs | 365 days | 23.5o | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 11.5o | 1 |
| Mars | 1.520 | 24.6 hrs | 1.88 yrs | 24o | 0.533 | 0.107 | ? | ? | 2 |
| Jupiter | 5.200 | 9.92 hrs | 11.9 yrs | 3.1o | 11.200 | 318 | 20,000 | 9.6o | 28 |
| Saturn | 9.540 | 10.7 hrs | 29.5 yrs | 29o | 9.450 | 95.200 | 540 | 0.7o | 18 |
| Uranus | 19.200 | -17.29hrs | 84.0 yrs | -82.1o | 4.100 | 14.600 | 48 | 59o | 17 |
| Neptune | 30.100 | 16.11 hrs | 165 yrs | 28.8o | 3.880 | 17.200 | 26 | 47o | 8 |
| Pluto | 39.400 | 6.39 days | 248 yrs | >50o? | ~0.24 | 0.002 | N.K.* | N.K.* | 1 |
Footnotes:
1 D(AU) is the planet's average distance from the Sun in units of A.U. See the glossary.
2 Rotation period is given in a "fixed" (i.e., non rotating) coordinate system with respect to the stars.
3 Tilt of the planet's rotation axis compared to a line perpendicular to its orbital plane.
4 The Earth's average radius at its equator, RE = 6378 km (or 3963 miles).
5 The Earth's mass ME = 5, 977, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 kg.
6 The planet's magnetic dipole moment, which is a measure of the main part of its magnetic field, its dipole field, in units of MD,E, the Earth's Dipole moment, which is 79, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 Gauss-cm^3.
7 The dipole tilt is the angle between the planet's magnetic dipole axis and its rotation axis.
8 Number of known moons per planet; the total is 64 moons.
* N.K. means "not known."
# Rotation at the Sun's equator. It is slower at higher latitudes.
& Tilt of the rotation axis with respect to the Ecliptic plane.
+ The radius of the Sun refers to the radius of its photosphere.
$ The Sun's magnetic dipole moment and dipole tilt angle are highly variable. In fact, the dipole moment changes polarity approximately every 11 years. It is usually not too useful to describe only the dipole of the Sun when describing the Sun's magnetism, whose field geometry is very complicated.
This table is a modified, extended, and updated version of a table on the characteristics of the planets published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1983).