Trivia

Hard

The Densest Planet In Our Solar System Is?

Earth
Venus
Mars
Neptune

Answer: Earth

Our solar system can be divided, when talking about planet density, pretty neatly along the Mars/Jupiter dividing line. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are in a planetary class known as terrestrial. They’re composed of silicate rocks and/or metals, have a solid surface, and while their general density varies a bit as you move away from the core, it is pretty consistent overall.

Among the inner terrestrial planets, Earth is the densest planet by a somewhat narrow margin. The size of Earth combined with the mass of the iron/nickel core, the molten silicate upper and lower mantle, and the dense crust, yields an overall density of 5.514 g/cm3–our closest competitor in the density Olympics is Mercury with a density of 5.427 g/cm3 , followed by Venus (5.243 g/cm3), with Mars trailing in a distant fourth (3.933 g/cm3).

By contrast, the four outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, are classified as gas and/or ice giants and are characterized by greater size, mass, and a much lower (and wide ranging) density than the inner planets. Despite having significantly bigger volume than the inner planets, the giants have extremely low density. The densest outer planet is Neptune with a mean density of 1.638 g/cm3. Jupiter, despite its size, still manages to hold down a bit of weight and has a density of 1.326 g/cm3. Uranus is in third place at 1.27 g/cm3. So light and airy it might as well be cotton candy, the last giant, Saturn, has a density of 0.687 g/cm3. Saturn’s density, you might note, is lower than that of water–if you could find an enormous intergalactic lake to throw it into, it would float like a beach ball.

More Trivia Questions

Trivia

Hard

The Most Expensive Rare Coin Ever Sold Was?

Trivia

Hard

Which Of These Creatures Is Considered The Most Efficient Predator In The World?

Trivia

Easy

The Nickname For The Process Of Transferring Data Without A Network Is?

Trivia

Hard

Which Color Name Was Introduced To The English Language Via Plant?

Trivia

Hard

The Worst Computer Security Breach In U.S. Military History Was The Result Of?

Trivia

Easy

Despite What Jurassic Park Would Have Us Believe, Which Dinosaurs Were Quite Tiny?

Trivia

Hard

The Largest Country With No Permanent Rivers Is?

Trivia

Very Hard

Where Did Horses Originate From?

Trivia

Easy

Which Spacecraft Will Soon Be The First To Leave Our Solar System?

Trivia

Hard

The Exhaustion People Feel After Quitting Coffee Is A Result Of Hypersensitivity To?