Note: The data on these pages has been compiled from a number of sources none of which agree on all items. Some of this data, especially for the smaller satellites, is not very accurate in the first place. Furthermore, orbits vary slightly over time due to gravitational interactions. The accuracy of mass and density data is also limited by the uncertainty in the value of the gravitational constant.
- This page presents data on the orbits of the planets and moons along with some historical data.
- The physical data page presents data about the objects themselves.
- A third page presents some additional miscellaneous data about the planets (only).
- The recently discovered tiny moons of Jupiter and Saturn are not included here (but see the links).
- The History and Extrema pages highlight some interesting aspects of this data.
- Much more accurate and detailed data is available from JPL’s Horizons telnet interface or the Solar System Dynamics Web site
- How to compute planetary positions, by Paul Schlyter
- Tutorial on computing planetary positions, by Paul Schlyter
- another page on Astronomical Calculations
- source code for many astronomical algorithms
- math, volume, fraction and circumference calculators at Pi Day
See below for a key to the columns.
Orbital and Historical Data
Name | # | Orbits | Distance (000 km) | O_Period (days) | Incl | Eccen | Discoverer | Date | A.K.A. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sun | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Sol (0) |
Mercury | I | Sun | 57910 | 87.97 | 7 | 0.21 | - | - | (0) |
Venus | II | Sun | 108200 | 224.7 | 3.39 | 0.01 | - | - | (0) |
Earth | III | Sun | 149600 | 365.26 | 0 | 0.02 | - | - | (0) |
Mars | IV | Sun | 227940 | 686.98 | 1.85 | 0.09 | - | - | (0) |
Jupiter | V | Sun | 778330 | 4332.71 | 1.31 | 0.05 | - | - | (0) |
Saturn | VI | Sun | 1429400 | 10759.5 | 2.49 | 0.06 | - | - | (0) |
Uranus | VII | Sun | 2870990 | 30685 | 0.77 | 0.05 | Herschel | 1781 | (0) |
Neptune | VIII | Sun | 4504300 | 60190 | 1.77 | 0.01 | Adams(9) | 1846 | (0) |
Pluto | IX | Sun | 5913520 | 90550 | 17.15 | 0.25 | Tombaugh | 1930 | (0) |
Moon | I | Earth | 384 | 27.32 | 5.14 | 0.05 | - | - | Luna (0) |
Phobos | I | Mars | 9 | 0.32 | 1 | 0.02 | Hall | 1877 | |
Deimos | II | Mars | 23 | 1.26 | 1.8 | 0 | Hall | 1877 | |
Metis | XVI | Jupiter | 128 | 0.29 | 0 | 0 | Synnott | 1979 | 1979 J 3 |
Adrastea | XV | Jupiter | 129 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | Jewitt(1) | 1979 | 1979 J1 |
Amalthea | V | Jupiter | 181 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0 | Barnard | 1892 | |
Thebe | XIV | Jupiter | 222 | 0.67 | 0.8 | 0.02 | Synnott | 1979 | 1979 J2 |
Io | I | Jupiter | 422 | 1.77 | 0.04 | 0 | Galileo(2) | 1610 | |
Europa | II | Jupiter | 671 | 3.55 | 0.47 | 0.01 | Galileo(2) | 1610 | |
Ganymede | III | Jupiter | 1070 | 7.15 | 0.19 | 0 | Galileo(2) | 1610 | |
Callisto | IV | Jupiter | 1883 | 16.69 | 0.28 | 0.01 | Galileo(2) | 1610 | |
Themisto | XVIII | Jupiter | 7507 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/1975 J 1, S/2000 J1 | |||
Leda | XIII | Jupiter | 11094 | 238.72 | 27 | 0.15 | Kowal | 1974 | |
Himalia | VI | Jupiter | 11480 | 250.57 | 28 | 0.16 | Perrine | 1904 | |
Lysithea | X | Jupiter | 11720 | 259.22 | 29 | 0.11 | Nicholson | 1938 | |
Elara | VII | Jupiter | 11737 | 259.65 | 28 | 0.21 | Perrine | 1905 | |
Ananke | XII | Jupiter | 21200 | -631 | 147 | 0.17 | Nicholson | 1951 | |
Carme | XI | Jupiter | 22600 | -692 | 163 | 0.21 | Nicholson | 1938 | |
Pasiphae | VIII | Jupiter | 23500 | -735 | 147 | 0.38 | Melotte | 1908 | |
Sinope | IX | Jupiter | 23700 | -758 | 153 | 0.28 | Nicholson | 1914 | |
Iocaste | XXIV | Jupiter | 20216 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/2000 J 3 | |||
Harpalyke | XXII | Jupiter | 21132 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/2000 J 5 | |||
Praxidike | XXVII | jupiter | 20964 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/2000 J 7 | |||
Taygete | XX | Jupiter | 23312 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/2000 J 9 | |||
Chaldene | XXI | Jupiter | 23387 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/2000 J 10 | |||
Kalyke | XXIII | jupiter | 23745 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/2000 J 2 | |||
Callirrhoe | XVII | Jupiter | 24100 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/1999 J 1 | |||
Megaclite | XIX | Jupiter | 23911 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/2000 J 8 | |||
Isonoe | XXVI | Jupiter | 23078 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/2000 J 6 | |||
Erinome | XXV | Jupiter | 23168 | Sheppard(i) | 2000 | S/2000 J 4 | |||
Pan | XVIII | Saturn | 134 | 0.58 | 0 | 0 | Showalter | 1990 | 1981 S 13 |
Atlas | XV | Saturn | 138 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | Terrile | 1980 | 1980 S 28 |
Prometheus | XVI | Saturn | 139 | 0.61 | 0 | 0 | Collins(3) | 1980 | 1980 S 27 |
Pandora | XVII | Saturn | 142 | 0.63 | 0 | 0 | Collins(3) | 1980 | 1980 S 26 |
Epimetheus | XI | Saturn | 151 | 0.69 | 0.34 | 0.01 | Walker(8) | 1980 | 1980 S 3 |
Janus | X | Saturn | 151 | 0.69 | 0.14 | 0.01 | Dollfus | 1966 | 1980 S 1 |
Mimas | I | Saturn | 186 | 0.94 | 1.53 | 0.02 | Herschel | 1789 | |
Enceladus | II | Saturn | 238 | 1.37 | 0.02 | 0 | Herschel | 1789 | |
Tethys | III | Saturn | 295 | 1.89 | 1.09 | 0 | Cassini | 1684 | |
Telesto | XIII | Saturn | 295 | 1.89 | 0 | 0 | Smith(6) | 1980 | 1980 S 13 |
Calypso | XIV | Saturn | 295 | 1.89 | 0 | 0 | Pascu(7) | 1980 | 1980 S 25 |
Dione | IV | Saturn | 377 | 2.74 | 0.02 | 0 | Cassini | 1684 | |
Helene | XII | Saturn | 377 | 2.74 | 0.2 | 0.01 | Laques(4) | 1980 | 1980 S 6, Dione B |
Rhea | V | Saturn | 527 | 4.52 | 0.35 | 0 | Cassini | 1672 | |
Titan | VI | Saturn | 1222 | 15.95 | 0.33 | 0.03 | Huygens | 1655 | |
Hyperion | VII | Saturn | 1481 | 21.28 | 0.43 | 0.1 | Bond(5) | 1848 | |
Iapetus | VIII | Saturn | 3561 | 79.33 | 14.72 | 0.03 | Cassini | 1671 | |
Phoebe | IX | Saturn | 12952 | -550.48 | 175.3 | 0.16 | Pickering | 1898 | |
Cordelia | VI | Uranus | 50 | 0.34 | 0.14 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1986 | 1986 U 7 |
Ophelia | VII | Uranus | 54 | 0.38 | 0.09 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1986 | 1987 U 8 |
Bianca | VIII | Uranus | 59 | 0.43 | 0.16 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1986 | 1988 U 9 |
Cressida | IX | Uranus | 62 | 0.46 | 0.04 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1986 | 1986 U 3 |
Desdemona | X | Uranus | 63 | 0.47 | 0.16 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1986 | 1986 U 6 |
Juliet | XI | Uranus | 64 | 0.49 | 0.06 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1986 | 1986 U 2 |
Portia | XII | Uranus | 66 | 0.51 | 0.09 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1986 | 1986 U 1 |
Rosalind | XIII | Uranus | 70 | 0.56 | 0.28 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1986 | 1986 U 4 |
Belinda | XIV | Uranus | 75 | 0.62 | 0.03 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1986 | 1986 U 5 |
Puck | XV | Uranus | 86 | 0.76 | 0.31 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1985 | 1985 U 1 |
Miranda | V | Uranus | 130 | 1.41 | 4.22 | 0 | Kuiper | 1948 | |
Ariel | I | Uranus | 191 | 2.52 | 0 | 0 | Lassell | 1851 | |
Umbriel | II | Uranus | 266 | 4.14 | 0 | 0 | Lassell | 1851 | |
Titania | III | Uranus | 436 | 8.71 | 0 | 0 | Herschel | 1787 | |
Oberon | IV | Uranus | 583 | 13.46 | 0 | 0 | Herschel | 1787 | |
Caliban | XVI | Uranus | 7169 | -580 | 140 | 0.08 | Gladman (c) | 1997 | 1997U 1 |
Stephano | XX | Uranus | 7948 | -674 | 143 | 0.24 | Gladman (f) | 1999 | 1999 U 2 |
Sycorax | XVII | Uranus | 12213 | -1289 | 153 | 0.51 | Nicholson (e) | 1997 | 1997 U 2 |
Prospero | XVIII | Uranus | 16568 | -2019 | 152 | 0.44 | Holman (g) | 1999 | 1999 U 3 |
Setebos | XIX | Uranus | 17681 | -2239 | 158 | 0.57 | Kavelaars(d) | 1999 | 1999 U 1 |
Trinculo | XXI | Uranus | Gladman (f) | 2001 | 2001 U 1 | ||||
Naiad | III | Neptune | 48 | 0.29 | 0 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1989 | 1989 N 6 |
Thalassa | IV | Neptune | 50 | 0.31 | 4.5 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1989 | 1989 N 5 |
Despina | V | Neptune | 53 | 0.33 | 0 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1989 | 1989 N 3 |
Galatea | VI | Neptune | 62 | 0.43 | 0 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 1989 | 1989 N 4 |
Larissa | VII | Neptune | 74 | 0.55 | 0 | 0 | Reitsema(h) | 1989 | 1989 N 2 |
Proteus | VIII | Neptune | 118 | 1.12 | 0 | 0 | Voyager 2 | 2 | 1989 N 1 |
Triton | I | Neptune | 355 | -5.88 | 157 | 0 | Lassell | 1846 | |
Nereid | II | Neptune | 5513 | 360.13 | 29 | 0.75 | Kuiper | 1949 | |
Charon | I | Pluto | 20 | 6.39 | 98.8 | 0 | Christy | 1978 | 1978 P 1 |
Nix | II | Pluto | 49 | 24.86 | 0.2 | 0 | Stern(j) | 2005 | 2005 P 1 |
Hydra | III | Pluto | 65 | 38.21 | 0.21 | 0 | Stern(j) | 2005 | 2005 P 2 |
Key:
Orbits Sun or planet about which it orbits.
Distance Mean distance (semimajor axis) between centers x1000 km.
Date Year discovered.
O_Period Sidereal period of orbit in days (negative=retrograde).
Incl Orbital inclination.
Eccen Orbital eccentricity.
A.K.A Object’s provisional name.
Notes:
(0) many other names in use
(1) & Danielson
(2) & Marius
(3) & others
(4) & Lecacheux
(5) & Lassell
(6) & Reitsema, Larson & Fountain
(7) & Seidelmann, Baum & Currie
(8) & Larson & Fountain
(9) & Le Verrier & Galle & d’Arrest
(c) & Nicholson, Burns, & Kavelaars
(d) & Gladman, Holman, Petit, & Scholl
(e) & Gladman, Burns, & Kavelaars
(f) & Holman, Kavelaars, Petit, & Scholl
(g) & Kavelaars, Gladman, Petit, & Scholl
(h) & Hubbard, Tholen, & Lebofsky
(i) & Jewitt, Fernandez, Magnier
(j) & Weaver, et al
This table and those on the other data pages were prepared with the generous help of Dr. Ellis D. Miner at JPL; his assistance was invaluable. But any errors are mine. I would greatly appreciate any bug reports and/or updates to this data.