List of Solar System extremes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article describes extreme locations of the Solar System. Entries listed in bold are Solar System-wide extremes.

By feature[edit]

Record Data Feature Ref.
Largest canyon 4000 km long, 200 km wide Valles Marineris, Mars [1]
Tallest mountain 22 km (13.6 mi) Rheasilvia central peak, Vesta [2][3]
Tallest volcano 25 km (15.5 mi) Olympus Mons, Mars [4]
Tallest cliff 20 km (12.4 mi) Verona Rupes, Miranda, Uranus [5]
Largest impact crater 2,700 km (1,700 mi) North Polar Basin, Mars [6]

By class[edit]

Type Average density Average temperature Average surface gravity
Lowest Highest Lowest Highest Lowest Highest
Star 1.4 g/cm3

Sun[7][8]

5778 K

Sun[9][10]

274 m/s2

Sun[11]

Major planet 0.7 g/cm3Saturn[12][13] 5.51 g/cm3
Earth

[14][15]

73 K

Neptune[16][17][18]

733 K

Venus[19]

3.70 m/s2
Mercury

[18]

23.1 m/s2
Jupiter

[18]

Dwarf planet 1.4 ±0.2 g/cm3 Orcus[20][NB 1] 2.52 ±0.05 g/cm3 Eris[21] 30 K

Makemake

167 K

Ceres

≈0.2 m/s2 Orcus 0.8 m/s2Eris
Major moon of major or dwarf planet [NB 2] 0.98 g/cm3
Tethys
3.53 g/cm3
Io
[22][23]
38 K
Triton
[24]
250 K
Moon
[25]
0.064 m/s2Mimas 1.796 m/s2Io
Type Escape velocity Mass Volume
(radius)
Lowest Highest Lowest Highest Lowest Highest
Star 617.7 km/s
Sun

[11]

332,830 MEarth
Sun

[26][27]

695,000 km
Sun

[27]

Major planet 4.3 km/s
Mercury
[18]
59.5 km/s
Jupiter
[18]
0.055 MEarth
Mercury
[28]
318 MEarth
Jupiter
[26]
2500 km
Mercury
[29]
69911 km
Jupiter
[28]
Dwarf planet ≈0.43 km/s
Orcus
1.3 km/s
Eris
0.0000916 MEarth
Orcus[20][NB 3]
0.0028 MEarth
Eris
487.3 km
Ceres
1187 km
Pluto
Major moon of major or dwarf planet [NB 2] 0.16 km/s
Mimas
2.74 km/s
Ganymede
0.000006 MEarth
Mimas
0.0250 MEarth
Ganymede
[30]
198 km
Mimas
2634 km
Ganymede
[22][30]
Extreme characteristic Major planet Dwarf planet Major moon
(of a major or dwarf planet) [NB 2]
Densest atmosphere Venus[NB 4]
[31][32]
Pluto Titan[31]

By object[edit]

Astronomical body Elevation
(height above/below datum)
Elevation
(height above/below base)
Surface temperature
Highest Lowest Highest Lowest Highest Lowest
Sun N/A 5,000,000 K
In a solar flare

[33]

1240 K
In a sunspot

[34]

Mercury 3 kilometres (1.9 mi)
Caloris Montes, northwest Caloris Basin rim mountains

[35][36]

723 K
Dayside of Mercury

[37]

89 K
Permanently shaded polar craters

[38]

Venus 11 kilometres (6.8 mi)
Maxwell Montes, Ishtar Terra

[39][40][41][42]

3 kilometres (1.9 mi)
Diana Chasma, Aphrodite Terra

[42][43]

755 K
lowlands of Venus

[38]

644 K
Maxwell Montes, Ishtar Terra

[38]

Earth 8,848 metres (29,029 ft)
Mount Everest, Nepal - Tibet, China

[44]

10,971 metres (35,994 ft)
Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench, Pacific Ocean

[45]

10,200 metres (33,500 ft)
Mauna Kea, Hawaii, United States of America

[44]

7 kilometres (4.3 mi)
Marianas Trench, Pacific Ocean

[46]

330 K
Furnace Creek Ranch,
Death Valley, United States
(more info)
184 K
Vostok Station, Antarctica
(more info)
Mars 27 kilometres (17 mi)
Olympus Mons, Tharsis
[44]
6 kilometres (3.7 mi)
Hellas Planitia

[47]

24 kilometres (15 mi)
Olympus Mons, Tharsis
[48]
9 kilometres (5.6 mi)
Melas Chasma, Valles Marineris

[49]

293 K
Martian equator in midsummer day

[50]

120 K
Martian poles in the depths of winter night

[50]

Jupiter N/A 152 K

[51]

110 K

[51]

Saturn N/A 143 K

[52]

82 K

[52]

Uranus N/A 68 K

[53]

59 K

[53]

Neptune N/A 53 K
[54]
50 K
[54]
Moon 10,786 metres (35,387 ft)
5.4125°, 201.3665°
[55][56]
9.06 kilometres (5.63 mi)
Antoniadi Crater (-172.58°E, 70.38°S)
400 K
midday on the equator
[57]
26 K
Permanently shadowed southwestern edge of the northern polar zone Hermite Crater in winter solstice
[57]
Io 17.3 kilometres (10.7 mi)
Boosaule Montes
[58][59]
Europa 2 kilometres (1.2 mi)
conical mountain (34.5N, 169.5W)
[60]
132 K
Subsolar temperature
[61]
Ganymede 156 K
Subsolar temperature
[61]
80 K
Nighttime temperature
[62]
Callisto 168 K
Subsolar temperature
[61]
80 K
Predawn nighttime temperature
[63]
Titan 2 km (1.2 mi)
Mithrim Montes, Xanadu[64]
Mimas
Enceladus 110 K
Tiger Stripes
[65]
Tethys
Dione
Rhea
Iapetus 20 kilometres (12 mi)Voyager Mountains, equatorial ridge and bulge

[66][67][68]

Ariel
Umbriel
Titania
Oberon
Miranda 20 kilometers (12 mi)

Verona Rupes[5]

Triton
Nereid
Proteus
Charon
Ceres 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi)
Ahuna Mons

[69][70]

235 K

[71]

Pluto 3.4 km (2.1 mi)
Norgay Montes, Tombaugh Regio[72]
45 K

[73]

35 K

[73]
Eris 41 K

[74]

30 K

[74]

Makemake
Haumea
The bodies included in this table are: (1) planemos; (2) major planets, dwarf planets, or moons of major or dwarf planets, or stars; (3) hydrostatically round so as to be able to provide a geodetic datum line.

By distance[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Though astronomers generally accept Orcus as a dwarf planet, some doubt remains
  2. ^ a b c A major moon is a moon that is hydrostatically round.
  3. ^ Mass calculated using Vanth's estimated mass
  4. ^ As the transition from atmosphere to other is unclear for the giant planets, they are not included in this

References[edit]

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External links[edit]

See also[edit]