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What is the biggest planet? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Size it up!
Around its fattest middle part (known as the “circumference”), the Earth is 40,075 kilometers. If you think this sounds big, wait until you hear how big Jupiter’s circumference is!
At 449,197 kilometers around, Jupiter’s circumference is over eleven times bigger than Earth’s, and it is by far the largest planet in our solar system!
In order of size from biggest to smallest, the planets in our solar system rank as follows: Jupiter (circumference of 449,197km), Saturn (circumference of 378,675km), Uranus (circumference of 160,592km), Neptune (circumference of 155,597km), Earth (circumference of 40,075km), Venus (circumference of 38,025km), Mars (circumference of 21,344km), Mercury (circumference of 15,329.1km). – This means that Jupiter’s giant size going all the way around is more than 29 times larger than Mercury’s much smaller circumference! WHOA!
Size it up!
Using your knowledge of the sizes of each planet, make a rough comparison for yourself to see using some balls!
Think about some different sizes of balls you use when playing sports, and then gather them together and line them up to represent the planets! For example, you might use a marble to represent Mercury, a golf ball to represent Mars, a tennis ball to represent Venus, and a really huge beach ball to represent Jupiter! Your model might not be to scale, but it will give you a comparison to look at!
- “Big Planets, Little Planets, Big Moons, Little Moons!” NASA Space Place. 2006. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 30 Nov. 2009
- Gierasch, Peter J., and Philip D. Nicholson. "Jupiter." World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc. 30 Nov. 2009
- “Solar System Exploration: Planets - Comparison Chart.” 2009. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 30 Nov. 2009
We did the thing with the different sized balls to compare sizes of planets. (Not to scale or anything, but just for the sake of a visual). Excellent suggestion!