1
Jupiter
The undisputed giant of the solar system at nearly 143,000 km across — more than 11 times Earth's width and more massive than all the other planets combined more than twice over.
type: Gas giantmass10e24kg: 1898meanDistanceAU: 5.2
Top 10 Largest Planets and Dwarf Planets in the Solar System by Diameter
The eight planets plus the two largest dwarf planets, Pluto and Eris, ranked by diameter from Jupiter (142,984 km) down to Eris (2,326 km).
Quick answer
Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, 142,984 km across at the equator. Saturn (120,536 km) is second and Uranus (51,118 km) third. The Solar System has only eight planets, so this top 10 adds the two largest dwarf planets, Pluto (2,377 km) and Eris (2,326 km). Planet figures are from NASA's Planetary Fact Sheet.
The Solar System has only eight planets, so this top 10 covers the eight planets plus the two largest dwarf planets: Pluto, the former ninth planet, and Eris, whose discovery in 2005 led the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to create the dwarf planet category in 2006. The range is enormous. Jupiter is more than 11 times as wide as Earth and could hold more than 1,300 Earths by volume, while Eris is less than a fifth of Earth's width.
Equatorial diameter (km)
142,984
Jupiter 120,536
Saturn 51,118
Uranus 49,528
Neptune 12,756
Earth 12,104
Venus 6,792
Mars 4,879
Mercury 2,377
Pluto 2,326
Eris The ranking
2
Saturn
The ringed gas giant is the second-largest world, about 9.4 times wider than Earth at its equator and second only to Jupiter in both size and mass.
type: Gas giantmass10e24kg: 568meanDistanceAU: 9.6
3
Uranus
The larger of the two ice giants at roughly 4 times Earth's width, Uranus is tipped on its side with an axial tilt of 98 degrees, rotating almost perpendicular to its orbit around the Sun.
type: Ice giantmass10e24kg: 86.8meanDistanceAU: 19.2
4
Neptune
The most distant planet is the smaller of the two ice giants, slightly narrower than Uranus but noticeably denser and more massive, with the strongest winds of any planet in the solar system.
type: Ice giantmass10e24kg: 102meanDistanceAU: 30.1
5
Earth
The largest of the four rocky terrestrial planets and the yardstick against which every other world's size is measured. Earth is the only known planet to host life.
type: Terrestrialmass10e24kg: 5.97meanDistanceAU: 1
6
Venus
Nearly Earth's twin in size, Venus is about 650 km narrower in diameter and sits second from the Sun. Its thick carbon dioxide atmosphere makes it the hottest planet in the Solar System.
type: Terrestrialmass10e24kg: 4.87meanDistanceAU: 0.72
7
Mars
About half Earth's width at roughly 6,800 km, Mars is the second-smallest planet and the outermost of the rocky terrestrial worlds. It hosts the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons.
type: Terrestrialmass10e24kg: 0.642meanDistanceAU: 1.52
8
Mercury
The smallest planet in the Solar System, just over a third of Earth's width, and the closest planet to the Sun. Its surface is heavily cratered and resembles Earth's Moon.
type: Terrestrialmass10e24kg: 0.33meanDistanceAU: 0.39
9
Pluto
The largest known dwarf planet by diameter and volume, Pluto was reclassified from planet to dwarf planet by the IAU in 2006. Its surface features a heart-shaped nitrogen-ice plain, water-ice mountains and a thin nitrogen atmosphere.
type: Dwarf planet (Kuiper Belt)mass10e24kg: 0.013meanDistanceAU: 39.5
10
Eris
The most massive known dwarf planet, Eris is slightly smaller than Pluto in diameter but about a quarter more massive. Its discovery in 2005 prompted the IAU to create the dwarf planet category in 2006, reclassifying Pluto.
type: Dwarf planet (Scattered Disc)mass10e24kg: 0.0165meanDistanceAU: 67.7
Full comparison
| # | Name | type | mass10e24kg | meanDistanceAU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jupiter | Gas giant | 1898 | 5.2 |
| 2 | Saturn | Gas giant | 568 | 9.6 |
| 3 | Uranus | Ice giant | 86.8 | 19.2 |
| 4 | Neptune | Ice giant | 102 | 30.1 |
| 5 | Earth | Terrestrial | 5.97 | 1 |
| 6 | Venus | Terrestrial | 4.87 | 0.72 |
| 7 | Mars | Terrestrial | 0.642 | 1.52 |
| 8 | Mercury | Terrestrial | 0.33 | 0.39 |
| 9 | Pluto | Dwarf planet (Kuiper Belt) | 0.013 | 39.5 |
| 10 | Eris | Dwarf planet (Scattered Disc) | 0.0165 | 67.7 |
How we ranked this
Bodies are ranked by diameter in kilometres. The eight planets use the equatorial diameters in NASA's NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheet (Metric), measured at the 1-bar pressure level for the giant planets, which are noticeably wider at the equator than pole to pole. Pluto and Eris are close to spherical, so their mean diameters are used: 2,377 km for Pluto (2,376.6 km) and 2,326 km for Eris (2010 stellar occultation, plus or minus 12 km), as given in their Wikipedia articles. The difference between equatorial and mean diameter for these two bodies is far smaller than the gap to the next body. Only the eight IAU planets and the two largest IAU dwarf planets are included. The other recognized dwarf planets are smaller: Haumea, the largest of them, is an elongated body about 2,122 km along its longest axis and about 1,544 km in mean diameter. Large moons such as Ganymede and Titan, which are wider than Mercury, are not planets or dwarf planets and are excluded. Rank 1 is the widest.
FAQ
What is the largest planet in the solar system?
Jupiter is the largest planet, with an equatorial diameter of about 142,984 km — more than 11 times the width of Earth. It is also more massive than all the other planets combined more than twice over.
Why are Pluto and Eris on this list?
The Solar System has only eight planets. The IAU defines a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is massive enough to be round, and has cleared its orbital neighbourhood. Pluto and Eris meet the first two criteria but not the third, so they are dwarf planets. They are included to make up a top 10 of the largest planets and dwarf planets.
Which is bigger, Pluto or Eris?
Pluto is slightly larger by diameter (2,377 km vs. 2,326 km) and by volume, but Eris is more massive: about 1.65 x 10^22 kg for the Eris-Dysnomia system against about 1.30 x 10^22 kg for Pluto, so roughly a quarter heavier. Eris must therefore be denser than Pluto.
Are all ten bodies ranked the same way by diameter as they are by mass?
Not quite. Uranus is wider than Neptune, but Neptune is more massive (102 vs. 86.8 x 10^24 kg). Among the dwarf planets, Pluto is wider than Eris, but Eris is more massive. The other bodies rank in the same order by diameter and by mass.
Sources
- NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheet (Metric) - diameter, mass
- NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheet Notes - diameter at the equator, 1-bar level for gas giants
- Wikipedia - Pluto (infobox: dimensions 2,376.6 km, mass)
- Wikipedia - Eris (dwarf planet) (infobox: mean diameter 2,326 km, system mass, semi-major axis)
- Wikipedia - Haumea (infobox: dimensions and mean diameter)
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