SOLAR SYSTEM

SOLAR SYSTEM

The solar system consists of the Sun and 8 planets

revolving around it in different orbits. The details are as follows:

SUN

Age : About 5 Billion years

Distance : 149.8 Million Kms

Diameter : 1,38,400 Kms.

Photosphere temperature : 5,770 K

Core temperature : 150,000,000 K

Absolute visual magnitude : 4.75

Rotation (as seen from the

earth at the equator) : 25.38 days

Rotation (near the poles) : 33 days

The sun consists of 71% of Hydrogen, 26.5% Helium and

2.5% of other elements.

The rays of the Sun take about 8 minutes to reach the

earth.

PLANETS

1. MERCURY : It is the planet nearest to

the earth.

Average distance

to the Sun : 57.6 Million Kms.

Diameter : 4,849.6 Kms.

Period of revolution : 88 days

Period of rotation : 58 days 15 hrs 30 mts. 34

sec.

2. VENUS : It is also known as the

Morning Star or the

Evening Star. It is the

brightest of all the

planets.

Diameter : 12,032 Kms.

Period of revolution : 225 days

Period of rotation : 243 days 14mts.

3. EARTH

Equatorial diameter : 12,756 Kms.

Polar diameter : 12,714 Kms.

Distance from the Sun : 149,597,900 Kms.

Period of revolution : 365 days 5 hrs, 48 mts,

45.51 sec.

Period of rotation : 23 hrs 56 mts. 4.09 sec.

4. MARS

Diameter : 6,755.2 Kms.

Distance from the Sun : 225.6 Million Kms.

Period of revolution : 687 days

Period of rotation : 24 hrs 37 mts. 22.663 sec.

5. JUPITER : This is the largest planet

in the solar system.

Diameter : 141,968 Kms.

Distance from the Sun : 772.8 Million Kms.

Period of revolution : 11.9 years

Period of rotation : 9 hrs 50 mts. 30 sec.

6. SATURN : It was discovered by

Galileo.

Diameter : 119,296 Kms.

Distance from the Sun : 1,417.6 Million Kms.

Period of revolution : 29.5 years

Period of rotation : 10 hrs 14 mts.

7. URANUS

Diameter : 52,096 Kms.

Distance from the Sun : 2,852.8 Million Kms.

Period of revolution : 84 years

Period of rotation : 16 hrs 10 mts.

8. NEPTUNE

Diameter : 49,000 Kms.

Distance from the Sun : 4,497 Million Kms.

Period of revolution : 165 years

Period of rotation : 18 hrs 26 mts.