From meteors to stars, planets to moons. This list includes the ten biggest bodies within our own solar system and some are considerably bigger than others. While the good news is our own Earth makes the list, there really isn’t much in it…
The Ten Largest Bodies in Our Own Solar System by Radius
10 – Titan – Estimated Radius: 2,576 km
It is said that if Titan wasn’t orbiting Saturn it would easily be considered a planet in its own right. It is also said to be a very early version of Earth and is a top pick to host some kind of life. Who knows, maybe we will find out someday if that is true.
9 – Ganymede – Estimated Radius: 2,634 km
Not only is this very large body, it is also the largest moon in the solar system. While there have been several suggestions of missions/probes to this super moon none of got any further than the drawing board.
8 – Mars – Estimated Radius: 3,389 km
Often called the “Red Planet” thanks to its reddish appearance, Mars has a thin atmosphere than it mostly composed of carbon dioxide. While none have yet left for Earth there are several planned missions to Mars in the very near future.
7 – Venus – Estimated Radius: 6,051 km
Sometimes referred to as Earths sister, Venus as a hidden surface said to be under several miles of clouds made from sulphuric acid! Needless to say it is not a planet we are planning on visiting in a hurry.
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6 – Earth – Estimated Radius: 6,371 km
Once thought to be the entire centre of the solar system Earth is a gradually slowing planet that is of course home to us humans. Let us just hope we don’t visit other planets and mess them up as bad as we have our own.
5 – Neptune – Estimated Radius: 24,622 km
This super-sized gas giant has a massive 14 moons (that we know of) and 5 rings that most people don’t know exist. Said to be a chilly -214°C all year round it is not a destination we earthlings will be visiting anytime soon.
4 – Uranus – Estimated Radius: 25,362 km
There are still people today that argue Uranus isn’t a planet at all due to its super slow orbit. As another little weird fact, it also rotates in the opposite direction to Earth and most other planets.
3 – Saturn – Estimated Radius: 58,232 km
Made mostly of hydrogen layers it is the planet with the most extensive rings. These are mostly made of ice and dust there are several thousand tonnes of rock in them as well. Strangely they are also only 20 meters thick on average meaning the pressures exerted around that area must be incredible.
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2 – Jupiter – Estimated Radius: 69,911 km
First discovered by the Babylonians it was named after the king of Roman gods. It’s so big that even its “Red Eye” could hold 3 of our Earths within it and that is little more than a storm!
1 – Sun – Estimated Radius: 696,342 km
This is, of course, our own Star and is 109.2 times the size of Earth! Its centre reaches a mind-blowing 15 million °C and it is said to be roughly 4.6 billion years old.
