The Sun and Planets to Scale
	1 pixel = 1000 kilometers
	The apparent brightnesses of the planets cover too wide a range to depict accurately.  This picture gives an idea of their relative brightnesses due to differences in size, color, and reflectivity, but not due to distance from the Earth or Sun.  Only the largest moons and asteroids are shown.

		Equatorial							Mean					Escape			Rotation			Incl.			Visual
		Diam. (km)		Oblateness		Mass			Density		Gravity			(km/s)			Period (days)			(deg.)			Albedo
Sun		1,392,000		0		332,946	.0		1.41		27	.9		617	.5		25 - 35 *
Mercury		4,878		0		0	.055274		5.43		0	.38		4	.3		58	.646		0	.0		0.11
Venus		12,104		0		0	.815005		5.24		0	.91		10	.4		243	.017		177	.3		0.65
Earth		12,756		1/298		1			5.52		1			11	.2		0	.9973		23	.4		0.37
Mars		6,787		1/193		0	.107447		3.94		0	.38		5	.0		1	.0260		25	.2		0.15
Jupiter		142,800		1/15		317	.833		1.33		2	.54		59	.6		0	.4101 **		3	.1		0.52
Saturn		120,000		1/9		95	.159		0.70		1	.08		35	.6		0	.4440		26	.7		0.47
Uranus		51,200		1/45		14	.500		1.30		0	.91		21	.3		0	.718		97	.9		0.51
Neptune		48,600		1/40		17	.204		1.76		1	.19		23	.8		0	.768		29	.6		0.41
Pluto		2,300		?		0	.0026		1.1?		0	.05		1	.2?		6	.3867		94	.		0.5?
Moons					Mass relative to Earth's mass, which is 5.974 x 1024 kg.
Asteroids					Gravity and escape speed at the pole, at the visible surface.
Kuiper Belt Objects					Inclination of the equator relative to the plane of the orbit.
Comets				*	The Sun's surface rotates faster at the equator than at the poles.
				**	At the equator, where Jupiter's atmosphere rotates fastest.
The above table in plain text

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    Jeff Root
    September 4, 2003