Appendix 1a: Solar System Data

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

See below for a key to the columns.

Orbital and Historical Data

									   
                        Distance  O_Period				   
Name       #     Orbits (000 km)   (days)    Incl Eccen  Discoverer   Date   A.K.A.
---------  ---- ------- --------  --------  ----- -----  ----------   ----  -------
Sun         -      -        -         -       -     -       -           -   Sol (0)

Mercury    I    Sun        57910    87.97    7.00  0.21     -           -   (0)
Venus      II   Sun       108200   224.70    3.39  0.01     -           -   (0)
Earth      III  Sun       149600   365.26    0.00  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 10759.50    2.49  0.06     -           -   (0)
Uranus     VII  Sun      2870990 30685.00    0.77  0.05  Herschel     1781  (0)
Neptune    VIII Sun      4504300 60190.00    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 (a, 0)

Phobos     I    Mars           9     0.32    1.00  0.02  Hall         1877
Deimos     II   Mars          23     1.26    1.80  0.00  Hall         1877  (b)

Metis      XVI  Jupiter      128     0.29    0.00  0.00  Synnott      1979  1979 J 3
Adrastea   XV   Jupiter      129     0.30    0.00  0.00  Jewitt(1)    1979  1979 J 1
Amalthea   V    Jupiter      181     0.50    0.40  0.00  Barnard      1892
Thebe      XIV  Jupiter      222     0.67    0.80  0.02  Synnott      1979  1979 J 2
Io         I    Jupiter      422     1.77    0.04  0.00  Galileo(2)   1610
Europa     II   Jupiter      671     3.55    0.47  0.01  Galileo(2)   1610
Ganymede   III  Jupiter     1070     7.15    0.19  0.00  Galileo(2)   1610
Callisto   IV   Jupiter     1883    16.69    0.28  0.01  Galileo(2)   1610
Themisto   XVIIIJupiter     7507                         Sheppard(i)  2000  S/1975 J 1, S/2000 J1
Leda       XIII Jupiter    11094   238.72   27.00  0.15  Kowal        1974
Himalia    VI   Jupiter    11480   250.57   28.00  0.16  Perrine      1904
Lysithea   X    Jupiter    11720   259.22   29.00  0.11  Nicholson    1938
Elara      VII  Jupiter    11737   259.65   28.00  0.21  Perrine      1905
Ananke     XII  Jupiter    21200  -631     147.00  0.17  Nicholson    1951
Carme      XI   Jupiter    22600  -692     163.00  0.21  Nicholson    1938
Pasiphae   VIII Jupiter    23500  -735     147.00  0.38  Melotte      1908
Sinope     IX   Jupiter    23700  -758     153.00  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  XXVIIJupiter    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     XXIIIJupiter    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        XVIIISaturn       134     0.58    0.00  0.00  Showalter    1990  1981 S 13
Atlas      XV   Saturn       138     0.60    0.00  0.00  Terrile      1980  1980 S 28
Prometheus XVI  Saturn       139     0.61    0.00  0.00  Collins(3)   1980  1980 S 27
Pandora    XVII Saturn       142     0.63    0.00  0.00  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  0.00  Herschel     1789
Tethys     III  Saturn       295     1.89    1.09  0.00  Cassini      1684
Telesto    XIII Saturn       295     1.89    0.00  0.00  Smith(6)     1980  1980 S 13
Calypso    XIV  Saturn       295     1.89    0.00  0.00  Pascu(7)     1980  1980 S 25
Dione      IV   Saturn       377     2.74    0.02  0.00  Cassini      1684
Helene     XII  Saturn       377     2.74    0.20  0.01  Laques(4)    1980  1980 S 6, Dione B
Rhea       V    Saturn       527     4.52    0.35  0.00  Cassini      1672
Titan      VI   Saturn      1222    15.95    0.33  0.03  Huygens      1655
Hyperion   VII  Saturn      1481    21.28    0.43  0.10  Bond(5)      1848
Iapetus    VIII Saturn      3561    79.33   14.72  0.03  Cassini      1671
Phoebe     IX   Saturn     12952  -550.48  175.30  0.16  Pickering    1898

Cordelia   VI   Uranus        50     0.34    0.14  0.00  Voyager 2    1986  1986 U 7
Ophelia    VII  Uranus        54     0.38    0.09  0.00  Voyager 2    1986  1986 U 8
Bianca     VIII Uranus        59     0.43    0.16  0.00  Voyager 2    1986  1986 U 9
Cressida   IX   Uranus        62     0.46    0.04  0.00  Voyager 2    1986  1986 U 3
Desdemona  X    Uranus        63     0.47    0.16  0.00  Voyager 2    1986  1986 U 6
Juliet     XI   Uranus        64     0.49    0.06  0.00  Voyager 2    1986  1986 U 2
Portia     XII  Uranus        66     0.51    0.09  0.00  Voyager 2    1986  1986 U 1
Rosalind   XIII Uranus        70     0.56    0.28  0.00  Voyager 2    1986  1986 U 4
Belinda    XIV  Uranus        75     0.62    0.03  0.00  Voyager 2    1986  1986 U 5
Puck       XV   Uranus        86     0.76    0.31  0.00  Voyager 2    1985  1985 U 1
Miranda    V    Uranus       130     1.41    4.22  0.00  Kuiper       1948
Ariel      I    Uranus       191     2.52    0.00  0.00  Lassell      1851
Umbriel    II   Uranus       266     4.14    0.00  0.00  Lassell      1851
Titania    III  Uranus       436     8.71    0.00  0.00  Herschel     1787
Oberon     IV   Uranus       583    13.46    0.00  0.00  Herschel     1787
Caliban    XVI  Uranus      7169  -580     140.    0.08  Gladman (c)  1997  1997 U 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   XVIIIUranus     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    0.00  0.00  Voyager 2    1989  1989 N 6
Thalassa   IV   Neptune       50     0.31    4.50  0.00  Voyager 2    1989  1989 N 5
Despina    V    Neptune       53     0.33    0.00  0.00  Voyager 2    1989  1989 N 3
Galatea    VI   Neptune       62     0.43    0.00  0.00  Voyager 2    1989  1989 N 4
Larissa    VII  Neptune       74     0.55    0.00  0.00  Reitsema (h) 1989  1989 N 2
Proteus    VIII Neptune      118     1.12    0.00  0.00  Voyager 2    1989  1989 N 1
Triton     I    Neptune      355    -5.88  157.00  0.00  Lassell      1846
Nereid     II   Neptune     5513   360.13   29.00  0.75  Kuiper       1949

Charon     I    Pluto         20     6.39   98.80  0.00  Christy      1978  1978 P 1

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
(a) Luna's inclination varies from 18.2 to 28.6
(b) Deimos' inclination varies from 0.9 to 2.7
(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

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.

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Bill Arnett; last updated: 2003 Jul 28