Robert Makemson Guide to Astronomy in Jacksonville

Planet Atmospheres

Home
Robert Makemson Designs Dome Homes
Observational Physics
Earth and Planetary Science
Outer Limits of Space
Tonight's Sky for Jacksonville Astronomy
Virtual Interactive Solar-system Telescope
Links

Planet Atmospheres and Magnetic Fields

 

Planet g vesc distance albedo temperature atm. press. atm. comp. rotation mag. field

(* gE) (km/s) (A.U.) (%) (K) (* Earth's)

(* Earth's)
Mercury 0.378 4.3 0.387 5.6 100 night, 
590--725 day
10-15 98% He, 2% H2 58.81 d 0.006
Venus 0.907 10.36 0.723 72 737 92 96.5% CO2, 3.5% N2, 
0.015% SO2
243.69 d 0.00
Earth 1.000 11.186 1.000 38.5 283--293 day 1.000 78.084% N2, 20.946% O2, 
0.934% Ar, 0.035% CO2, 
H2O highly variable (< 1%)
23.9345 h 1.000
Mars 0.377 5.03 1.524 16 184--242 day 0.007--0.009 95.32% CO2, 2.7% N2 
1.6% Ar, 0.13% O2, 
0.08% CO, 0.021% H2O, 
0.01% NO
24.623 h 0.00
Jupiter 2.364 59.5 5.203 70 165 > > 100 89% H2, 11% He, 
0.2% CH4, 0.02% NH3
9.925 h 19,519
Saturn 0.916 35.5 9.539 75 134 > > 100 89% H2, 11% He, 
0.3% CH4, 0.02% NH3
10.50 h 578
Uranus 0.889 21.3 19.182 90 76 > > 100 89% H2, 11% He 17.24 h 47.9
Neptune 1.125 23.5 30.06 82 72 > > 100 89% H2, 11% He 16.11 h 27.0
Pluto 0.0675 1.1 39.53 14.5 50 0.003 CH4, N2 6.405 d 0.00

Notes: Surface gravity g is given in Earth gravities (1 gE = 9.803 m/s2); escape velocity is vesc; albedo is the percent of ALL of the Sun's energy hitting the planet that is reflected (100% would be perfect reflection);temperature and surface gravity for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune are given at a depth where the atmospheric pressure = 1 Earth atmosphere; atmospheric pressure (atm. press.) is at the surface (> > 100 for the jovian planets); rotation is the sidereal rotation period, h = hours and d = days; magnetic field (mag. field) is the total strength (NSSDC gives strength in #gauss × Rplanet3, where Rplanet is the radius of the planet and Earth's strength = 0.3076 gauss × RE3 = 7.981×1010 gauss.