Table of contents

  1. 1. Planet compartmentalization
  2. 2. Primary Planets
  3. 3. Dwarf Planets
  4. 4. Up In everyone's thoughts Classification
  1. 5. Theoretical Planets
  2. 6. Planets Compare
  3. 7. Video Gallery

Planet categorisation

In that respect are Little Jo main categories of classifications when determining the type of ethereal body an object is. These classifications are: terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Dry land, and Mars), gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), ice giants (Uranus and Neptune), and nanus planets (Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake). Ceres at this occurrent time is still labeled Eastern Samoa an star-shaped though it has many characteristics of a dwarf major planet. There are triad rules that are applied to determine whether a heavenly body crapper be classified atomic number 3 a planet. These rules were obstinate by the International Astronomical Northern (or IAU) and are as follows.

  1. Is in orbit around a Sun.
  2. Has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid torso forces so that IT assumes a hydrostatic sense of equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and
  3. Has clean-handed the neighborhood more or less its range.

Primary Planets

Here is a list of all the planets that fall inside these rules according to the IAU. They are listed in ordinate of their distance from the sun.

Terrestrial planets – primarily comprised of a rocky type surface

Mercury — the closest to the sun and the second smallest planet in our solar system, Mercury has a rotation of only 88 years around the Lord's Day. Because of its close proximity to the celestial giant, the surface of the major planet reaches temperatures as high as 840°F during the day and hundreds of degrees below the freeze point at night. There is no air due to the intense temperatures and so the planet's surface is covered with pock Simon Marks and craters from meteor impacts.

Genus Venus — this toxic planet, primarily consisting of carbon dioxide, is succeeding in line from the sun and contains a pressure index that would squeeze anyone who landed on its show u. Though information technology is encourage forth from the sun so Mercury, Venus is the hottest planet in the solar organisation and is able to be seen by the defenseless eye from Earth. A thick dapple shrouds the planet, fashioning it difficult to see its surface which attributes to its brilliance.

Earth — is the planet in which we survive on and is the 3rd planet from the sun. Also called "Terra" the Earth is the only major planet within our solar system that is resourceful of sustaining advance life forms, so much as humans. The Dry land's rotation around the sun is approximately 365 days and it is believed that the Earth is close to four thousand million years.

Mars — the fourth planet from the sun the "Mars", and then called for its cerise color due to the high branding iron content in its soil, has a rotary motion around the solarize of 686 years. Its thin atmosphere, consisting primarily of carbon dioxide, makes IT unsuitable for sustaining life-time, but is believed to deliver erst been capable of it and might still glucinium able in the future.

Gas Giants – massive planets principally comprised of a potpourri of gases in topographic point of a solid surface

Jupiter — the largest planet in our scheme, the mysteries of Jupiter has fascinated astronomers and non-astronomers alike for centuries. Poisonous gases completely cover its surface, hiding what lies beneath and savage storms prevent any landings of probes onto OR images taken of the giant planet. Jove's atmosphere has been driven to be similar to it of the sun containing elements of hydrogen and helium.

Saturn — first viewed via telescope in 1610 by Galileo Galilei, is the 6th planet in our solar system from the sun. Ilk Jupiter, its atmosphere is composed primarily of helium and hydrogen and it is the only planet disclosed so far that has a lower density than water, some 30% glower. It is encircled by a set of 9 whole rings and 3 broken in rings that are comprised principally of ice, rock'n'roll, and space "dust".

Ice Giants – massive planets with a solid ice surface

Uranus — also legendary as the "sideways major planet" because of its awkward revolution, is the 7th planet in our star system from the Dominicus. Its Due north and South poles are located where other planets equators are, given to its strange rotation and its 20 year long seasons. The story of methane gases in its atmosphere business relationship for its bluish color, but the main elements in Uranus' standard pressure is helium and hydrogen.

Neptune — is known every bit the windiest planet in our solar system and 8th furthermost known "planet" from our sun. It has a rotation just about the sun of 165 Earth years. Like Uranus, Neptune has in high spirits traces of methane in its atmosphere, which contributes to its blue distort. IT is believed in that location is a second "unknown" element, though, that makes it a much brighter blue than Uranus.

Dwarf Planets

Dwarf Planets are smaller in mass to their bigger "brothers" simply still hold some qualifications to list them as planets rather than as just fictitious place objects, such as asteroids and meteors. There are presently 4 planets in this family, all of which are currently placed in the Kuiper belt. These planets are Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake. These rules determine the classification of a dwarf planet:

  1. Is in orbit around the Sun,
  2. Has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape,
  3. Has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, and
  4. Is not a satellite, aka not caught in an orbit around a planet.

Pluto — at one time called the 9th major planet in our star scheme, due to the inexperient uranology rules Pluto is no longer considered a planet simply is now a "dwarf" planet. Located beyond Neptune in the Gerard Kuiper Belt (ring of bodies historical Neptune), Pluto is smaller than our ain moon and reaches temperatures of -387°F (-233°C).

Haumea — because of its distance, slight is in truth known about Haumea other then its odd elongated shape and it is roughly the same size as Hades. Information technology's orbit path around the sun takes 285 Earthly concern years and it is successful up of rock with an icy covering over the shallow. This finish causes the dwarf major planet to appear noctilucent, similar to the effect of sunlight connected snow on Earth.

Makemake — is a recently discovered, Process of 2005, nanus satellite set in the Kuiper Belt. Slightly smaller than Pluto, Makemake's surface consists of mainly ice-clogged nitrogen, ethane, and methane. Makemake's orbital path around the sun is more or less 310 Earth years and it, along with Eris, is responsible the new classifications of what constitutes as a planet.

Eris — the next "dwarf" planet inside the Gerard Peter Kuiper Belt is Eris and it has the most extreme orbital path that extends wellspring outside of our star organization. IT is believed that its grade-constructed temperatures varies from -359°F (-217°C) to -405°F (-243°C). Its surface is covered in ice but as it comes closer to the sun and the ice melts, it's show u is closely twin to Pluto's.

Up In The Publicise Classification

These "objects" are currently under examination as to whether they commode be classified as a planet surgery as "Small Star System Bodies". Currently there is only one body in our solar system that falls under this classification, Ceres.

Ceres — upon its first discovery in January of 1801, was believed to be a comet then information technology was determined to be the missing planet between Mars and Jupiter. However, information technology is nested in an angulate belt (the largest in our star system) and then it was reclassified to comprise an asteroid. IT is now considered equally a "dwarf" satellite, but is still labeled equally an asteroid, because in world, like Pluto, they have no estimation how to truly classify this mysterious object.

Theoretical Planets

These planets stimulate still to live physically discovered, but are hypothesized based on scientific calculations as to exist. They may exist beyond our range of view operating room are obscure past other objects. Currently there is only i "possible" planet listed in this field which has been named Planet X (X does not signify the Roman numeral 10) or Planet Nine.

Planet X — reported to Caltech researchers, there is a strong theory that in that location is another satellite in the far reaches of our solar arrangement Planet X. Nicknamed "Satellite Nine", as it is theorized information technology is the 9th major planet in our system, there is no maneuver evidence that the major planet exists, but at that place are several mathematical models and computer simulations that point to its existence. It is believed that the planet may be big than Neptune and have a rotary motion of 10 - 20 thousand World old age around the sun.

Planets Comparison

Planet name Radius, km Mass, kg Density, g/cm Temperature, °C Avg. distance to Sun, km Rotation period Orbital period
Mercury 2240 3.3×1023 5.4 -173 ... 427 3.3×106 ~ 59 d ~ 88 d
Venus 6052 4.9×1024 5.2 462 108×106 ~ 243 d ~ 225 d
Earth 6371 6×1024 5.5 -89 ... 71 150×106 ~ 1 d ~ 365 d
Mars 3390 6.4×1023 3.9 -143 ... 35 228×106 ~ 1 d ~ 1.9 yr
Ceres 473 9.4×1020 2.2 -105 414×106 ~ 9 h ~ 4.6 yr
Jupiter 69911 1.9×1027 1.3 -108 778×106 ~ 10 h ~ 11.9 yr
Saturn 58232 5.7×1026 0.7 -139 1429×106 ~ 10.5 h ~ 29.5 twelvemonth
Uranus 25362 8.7×1025 1.3 -197 2875×106 ~ 17 h ~ 84 yr
Neptune 24622 1×1026 1.6 -201 4504×106 ~ 16 h ~ 164.8 yr
Pluto 1187 1.3×1022 1.9 -229 5915×106 ~ 6.4 d ~ 248 yr
Haumea 620 4×1021 2.6 -223 6465×106 ~ 4 h ~ 284 yr
Makemake 727 4.4×1021 2.3 -237 6838×106 ~ 7.8 h ~ 309 twelvemonth
Eris 1163 1.7×1022 2.5 -243 .. -217 10×109 ~ 26 h ~ 558 twelvemonth
Planet X 20000 6×1025 ? ? 104×109 ? ~ 15000 yr