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SOLAR SYSTEM · PLANETS

How big are the planets in our Solar System?

From rocky planets to giants, sizes vary enormously. Compare NASA’s published diameters and discover why diameter and volume tell different stories.

Image from the linked source · Credit: NASA Earth Observatory / Robert Simmon; dati NOAA / Suomi NPP · Source ↗

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The four rocky planets

NASA’s planetary fact sheet lists these diameters: Mercury 4,879 km, Venus 12,104 km, Earth 12,756 km and Mars 6,792 km. Earth is the largest of the four rocky planets; Venus is similar in size but has a very different environment.

The giants

Jupiter, the largest planet, is 142,984 km across; Saturn is 120,536 km, Uranus 51,118 km and Neptune 49,528 km. These are reference values from NASA’s fact sheet: planets are not perfect spheres, so diameter also depends on how it is measured.

Diameter is not volume

Mercury is a little over one-third of Earth’s diameter, but that does not mean three Mercurys would fill Earth. Volume grows with the cube of the dimensions. Mass is a separate property too: Neptune is slightly smaller than Uranus, yet more massive.