Tuesday, April 12, 2016

What is the diameter of each planet?

The diameters of each of the planets of our solar system, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are as listed below:


  • Mercury: 4,879 km

  • Venus: 12,104 km

  • Earth: 12,756 km

  • Mars: 6,792 km

  • Jupiter: 142,984 km

  • Saturn: 120,536 km

  • Uranus: 51,118 km

  • Neptune: 49,528 km

Pluto, which is no longer termed as a planet, has a diameter of 2,370 km. 


Looking at these numbers, we can make few observations. Mercury is the smallest planet, while Jupiter is the largest planet. Saturn is the second largest planet. Earth and Venus have roughly the same size. One can also see that outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) or Jovian planets are very large compared to inner planets. 


Interestingly, outer planets (also known as gas giants) have a lower density as compared to the inner planets. Check the attached link for more information about the planets of our solar system.


Hope this helps. 

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