Celestial     calendar

Orbital, physical and photometric data of the planets


Planet

Mean Equatorial
Radius

Mass1

Cubic Capacity

Mean Density

Flattening2

Period of Rotation
around Sun

Sidereal Period
of Rotation3

km

1/Earth

x1024kg

1/Earth

1/Earth

g/cm3

year

d

Mercury

2439.7

0.38

0.330

0.055

0.056

5.43

0

0.24

58.65

Venus

6051.8

0.95

4.869

0.815

0.858

5.24

0

0.62

−243.02

Earth

6378.14

1.00

5.9742

1.000

1.000

5.52

0.003

1.00

0.997

(Moon)

1737.4

0.27

0.0735

0.012

0.02

3.34

0

 

27.32

Mars

3397

0.53

0.642

1.107

0.150

3.94

0.006

1.88

1.03

Jupiter

71492

11.19

1898.8

317.833

1317.933

1.33

0.065

11.86

0.41

Saturn

60268

9.41

568.50

95.159

749.718

0.70

0.098

29.46

0.44

Uranus

25559

3.98

86.625

14.500

61.513

1.30

0.022

84.02

−0.72

Neptune

24764

3.81

102.78

17.204

53.909

1.76

0.017

164.79

0.67

Pluto8

1151

0.24

0.015

0.003

0.012

1.1

0

247.70

−6.39


Planet

Mean
Distance
from Sun

Minimum
Geocentric
Distance4

Angular Equatorial
Diameter5

Magnitude

Geometric
Albedo6

Maximum

Minimum

Maximum

Minimum

AU7

mln km

AU7

"

m

Mercury

0.39

57.89

0.61

11.0

4.8

−1.8

3.5

0.106

Venus

0.72

108.16

0.28

60.2

9.7

−4.7

−3.0

0.65

Earth

1.00

149.60

0.367

(Moon)

 

 

0.0026

31'04.2"

 

−12.74

 

0.12

Mars

1.52

227.99

0.52

17.9

3.7

−2.8

2.0

0.15

Jupiter

5.20

778.36

4.20

46.9

31.8

−2.9

−1.2

0.52

Saturn

9.54

1427.01

8.54

19.5

15.8

−0.4

1.5

0.47

Uranus

19.22

2875.27

18.18

3.9

3.5

5.4

6.0

0.51

Neptune

30.11

4504.39

29.06

2.3

2.2

7.6

7.8

0.41

Pluto8

39.44

5900.14

38.44

0.1

0.1

14.0

15.2

0.3

 

1 Values for the masses include the atmospheres but exclude satellites.

2 The Flattening is the ratio of the difference of the equatorial and polar radii to the equatorial radius.

3 Sidereal Period of Rotation is the rotation at the equator with respect to a fixed frame of reference. A negative sign indicates that the rotation is retrograde with respect to the pole that lies north of the invariable plane of the solar system. The period is measured in days of 86 400 SI seconds.

4 For Mercury and Venus the tabulated Minimum Geocentric Distance is the mean distance of the planet at inferior conjunction; for the outer planets it is the mean distance at opposition.

5 The tabulated Maximum Angular Diameter is based on the equatorial diameter when the planet is at the Minimum Geocentric Distance.

6 The Geometric Albedo is the ratio of the illumination of the planet at zero phase angle to the illumination produced by a plane, absolutely white Lambert surface of the same radius and position as the planet.

7 AU − Astronomical Unit: middle distance between Earth and Sun, equal 149.6 millions km.

8 On August 24, 2006, astronomers at the 26th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union declare that Pluto is no longer a planet. Now Pluto will merely be known as "dwarf planets".

 

Main Astronomical Observatory