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Our solar system is really huge. It’s so big it is really hard to grasp. Uranus’s current distance from Sun is 2,872,500,000 kilometres, and it is not even the farthest planet in the system. The diameter of the Earth is 12,756 kilometres, so you can fit approximately 225,188 Earths between the Sun and Uranus if we ever were able to do such a thing. The numbers are hard to visualize or comprehend with the average distance range we deal with daily; so just consider this: an airliner flying with usual speed will need 20 years to get from the Earth to the Sun. And we are the third planet from the sun out of eight.
So, what is the size and distance of the solar system? For now, it is estimated to be 30 trillion kilometres in diameter. The number really depends on where you draw the line to mark the end of it.
The system consists of the star—the Sun—and 8 planets circling it in their respective orbits. Each and every is unique in one way or another, and their distance from the Sun, we believe, had an impact on how they were formed and how they are now. As far as we know, our planet is the only one with a life form as we understand it. So,149 million kilometres, which is the distance from Earth to the Sun, seems the most favourable in terms of developing sentient life. However, scientists already have grounds to assume there was life on Mars once, but the proof is to be collected. There are some interesting articles in the space news online magazine Orbital Today about current research in the field.
Planets' Distance from the Sun in Order
The distance in space is measured in the distance from our planet to the sun, which is 149,597,870.7 kilometres, and it’s called an astronomical unit (AU). The 8 planets’ distance from the Sun in AU looks as follows according to NASA:
How far are the 7 planets from Earth? In this case, the number won’t be constant, as every planet moves in its orbit, so we need a range here.
What Are the Sizes of Each Planet?
The smallest planet in our solar system is Mercury, which is also the closest to the Sun. Until 2006, Pluto held the title with 2,376 kilometres in diameter, but after being reclassified as a dwarf planet, Mercury took the record.
Here are the sizes of every planet in our solar system, along with the Sun for comparison:
- Sun: 1,391,400 km
- Mercury: 4,879 km
- Venus: 12,104 km
- Earth: 12,756 km
- Mars: 6,792 km
- Jupiter: 142,984 km
- Saturn: 120,536 km
- Uranus: 51,118 km
- Neptune: 49,528 km
Fun Facts About the Planets
If you think numbers are boring, here are some interesting facts about our solar system:
- Saturn’s rings are mostly made of ice.
- Venus is the hottest planet in the system.
- One of Jupiter’s moons has an ocean containing more water than the whole of Earth.
- Uranus and Venus rotate clockwise, and a year is shorter than a day on Venus.
- Mercury is shrinking constantly.
- Neptune produces more heat than it receives from the Sun, and scientists still don’t know why.
The solar system is fascinating to learn about. Each planet still has secrets to share, not to mention that space is not static—things are constantly changing. And there is so much more beyond just the Sun and planets! Various celestial bodies, asteroids, and comets are waiting to be studied and categorized, floating peacefully through space.
We already know a lot, but with each new discovery, it seems we are only scratching the surface of a much bigger picture. Luckily, according to scientists, the Sun will continue to shine for another 5 billion years, so we still have plenty of time to keep exploring and learning more about our vast solar system.
