Big, Bigger, Biggest
Although the Sun looks small from Earth, it is really much, much bigger than our planet (and any other planet in the solar system). The Earth is actually one of the smaller planets compared to the giant planets in the outer solar system - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The table below lists the diameters of the planets and the Sun compared to the Earth.
| Body |
Diameter
(Earth = 1) |
| Sun |
109 |
| Mercury |
.38 |
| Venus |
.95 |
| Earth |
1 |
| Mars |
.53 |
| Jupiter |
11.19 |
| Saturn |
9.40 |
| Uranus |
4.04 |
| Neptune |
3.88 |
| Pluto |
.18 |
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
The
Fall 2009 issue of The Earth Scientist, which includes articles on student research into building design for earthquakes and a classroom lab on the composition of the Earth’s ancient atmosphere, is available in our
online store.
You might also be interested in:
Scientists believe that the solar system was formed when a cloud of gas and dust in space was disturbed, maybe by the explosion of a nearby star (called a supernova). This explosion made waves in space
...moreThe solar system is made up of the Sun, the // Call the planets count function defined in the document head print_planet_count('planets'); planets and // Call the planets count function defined in the
...more
Eris is a dwarf planet in our Solar System. Eris was one of the first three objects classified as a dwarf planet, along with Pluto and Ceres. Eris was first spotted in January 2005. Eris is a large sphere
...more
Do you know what a planet is? If so, you are doing better than professional astronomers! Right now astronomers aren't quite sure how to define a planet. Maybe you've heard that some astronomers think Pluto
...more
The Orionid meteor shower happens every year in October. Meteor showers are times when you can see many meteors or "shooting stars" in one night. There are several meteor showers each year. Most meteor
...more
The Leonid meteor shower is one of several major meteor showers that occur on roughly the same date each year. The Leonids typically "peak" (are at their greatest level of activity) in mid to late November.
...more
A meteor shower is an astronomical event during which many meteors can be seen in a short period of time. Most meteor showers have a peak activity period that lasts between several hours and a couple of
...more
