THE SOLAR SYSTEM
BODIES IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
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Our planet, Earth, is part of a system of planets that orbit a star, the sun.
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The solar system is comprised of the following major bodies (listed in order from closest to the
sun to farthest away)
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The sun (the star at the center of the solar system)
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Mercury (planet)
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Venus (planet)
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Earth (planet)
• The moon (orbits Earth)
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Mars (planet)
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The asteroid belt
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Jupiter (planet)
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Saturn (planet)
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Uranus (planet)
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Neptune (planet)
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The Kuiper belt (contains asteroids and dwarf planets, such as Pluto)
PROPERTIES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
• All eight planets orbit the sun in the same direction, but at
different angular speeds.
• The planets lie in a disc (called the solar plane) surrounding the
sun.
• The planetary orbits are elliptical (oval shaped). However, if I
projected their orbits on a screen, they would appear to be
nearly circular.
• The sun and all eight planets formed out of the same original
nebula (dust cloud).
THE SUN
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The sun provides both the strongest source of gravity and light in the solar system. It is
the “main body” in the solar system.
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The sun is a star. It creates light via the process of nuclear fusion.
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Mass = 1.989 x 10 30 kg
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Diameter = 1,391,600 km
MERCURY
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Mercury is a rocky (solid) planet. It is the planet closest to the Sun. It is the smallest
planet and has the fastest orbit around the sun.
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Mass = 3.285 x 10 23 kg
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Diameter = 4,879 km
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Orbital radius = 57,910,000 km
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Orbital period = 88 days
VENUS
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Venus is a rocky planet and is often referred to as the “morning star” and “evening star”
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Mass = 4.867 x 10 24 kg
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Diameter = 12,100 km
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Orbital radius = 108,200,000 km
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Orbital period = 225 days
EARTH
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Earth is the planet on which we live. It is the only planet in the universe known to harbor
life.
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Mass = 5.972 x 10 24 kg
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Diameter = 12,740 km
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Orbital radius = 149,600,000 km
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Orbital period = ~365 days
THE MOON
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A moon is a body that orbits a planet. While other planets in our solar system have
moons, the Earth’s moon is by far the largest in size and mass compared to its parent
planet.
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The moon was most likely created when a large body (about the size of Mars) collided
with Earth during its early formation.
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Mass = 7.347 x 10 22 kg
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Diameter = 3,474 km
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Orbital radius = 384,400 km (around Earth)
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Orbital period = ~28 days (around Earth)
MARS
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Mars is a rocky planet and is often called the “red planet.”
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Mars has frozen water on its surface and at one time had a magnetic field and
atmosphere much like Earth.
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Mass = 6.39 x 10 23 kg
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Diameter = 6,779 km
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Orbital radius = 227,900,000 km
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Orbital period = 687 days
THE ASTEROID BELT
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The asteroid belt is a region located between Mars and Jupiter which contains many small
bodies called asteroids.
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The largest body within the
asteroid belt is Ceres.
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The total mass of the belt is about
equal to 4% the mass of the moon.
JUPITER
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Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is often called a “gas giant.” Jupiter has
close to the amount of mass needed to turn a body into a star.
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Mass = 1.898 x 10 27 kg
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Diameter = 139,800 km
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Orbital radius = 778,600,000 km
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Orbital period = 11.86 years
SATURN
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Saturn is a “gas giant” planet and is often regarded as the most beautiful planet in our
solar system due to its rings.
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Mass = 5.683 x 10 26 kg
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Diameter = 116,500 km
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Orbital radius = 1,433,000,000 km
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Orbital period = 29.45 years
URANUS
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Uranus was first discovered by humans in 1781. It is one of two planets that cannot be
seen from Earth with the naked eye.
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Uranus is a gaseous planet and often referred to as an “ice giant.”
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Mass = 8.681 x 10 25 kg
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Diameter = 50,720 km
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Orbital radius = 2,877,000,000 km
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Orbital period = 84.02 years
NEPTUNE
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Neptune was first discovered by humans in 1846. Since its discovery, it has orbited the
sun only one time!
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Neptune is a gaseous planet and is often referred to as an “ice giant.”
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Mass = 1.024 x 10 26 kg
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Diameter = 49,250 km
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Orbital radius = 4,503,000,000 km
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Orbital period = 164.8 years
THE KUIPER BELT
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The Kuiper belt is a region of space beyond that planets that contains asteroids and dwarf
planets.
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The Kuiper belt is similar to the
asteroid belt, but much larger. It is
about 20-200 times as massive and
about 20 times wider than the
asteroid belt.
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The dwarf planet Pluto is in the
Kuiper belt.
PLANETARY SYMBOLS
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Historically, the following symbols have been used to label the Sun, Moon, and planets.