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How does Earth size compare to other planets?

Published in Planetary Science 2 mins read

Earth is a medium-sized planet in our solar system; it's significantly larger than the smaller terrestrial planets like Mercury and Mars but dwarfed by the gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn.

Here's a breakdown:

  • Smaller Planets: Mercury is significantly smaller than Earth, with a diameter about 40% of Earth's. Mars is also smaller, about half the diameter of Earth. Venus is the closest to Earth in size, being only slightly smaller.

  • Larger Planets: The gas giants are much larger. Jupiter is the largest planet, with a diameter more than 10 times that of Earth. Saturn is the second-largest, followed by Uranus and Neptune, all considerably bigger than Earth.

Here's a table comparing planetary diameters to Earth's (Earth Diameter ≈ 12,742 km):

Planet Diameter (km) Diameter (Relative to Earth)
Mercury 4,879 0.38
Venus 12,104 0.95
Earth 12,742 1.00
Mars 6,779 0.53
Jupiter 139,822 11.00
Saturn 116,460 9.14
Uranus 50,724 3.98
Neptune 49,244 3.86

In essence, Earth is much larger than Mercury and Mars, similar in size to Venus, but significantly smaller than the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There is a wide range of planetary sizes within our solar system.

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