Thursday, September 11, 2014

How far is each planet, including Pluto, from the Sun?

The distance of each planet from the Sun varies through their respective year as their orbits are not perfectly circular. Each planet has a "closest" point (perihelion) and a "farthest" point (aphelion). With this knowledge, and the general understanding of the size of the Solar System (to its farthest orbiting planet, usually considered the dwarf planet Pluto) the distance of each planet from the Sun can be estimated. Note: the distance of the Earth to the Sun is considered the standard "Astronomical Unit," often used in determining distances throughout the Solar System.



Mercury: Average: 57 million km
Venus: Average: 108 million km
Earth: Average: 150 million km - 1 A.U.
Mars: Average: 228 million km
Jupiter: Average: 779 million km
Saturn: Average: 1.43 billion km
Uranus: Average: 2.88 billion km
Neptune: Average: 4.50 billion km
Pluto: Average: 5.91 billion km
(Average distances from universetoday.com)



One interesting fact about these average distances is that there is a period during which Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune; this is because of their elliptical orbits, and because Pluto's perihelion is inside Neptune's. The last time this happened was 1999.

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