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The four giant planets in our solar system – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune – are found in the outer solar system, at heliocentric distances ranging from 5 to 30 AU. Unlike the terrestrial planets – Mercury, Venus, the Earth, and Mars – located in the inner solar system, within 2 AU from the Sun, the giant planets are characterized by a large size, a large mass, and a low density. They all have a ring system and a large number of satellites. Since models show that the two largest giant planets have extensive gaseous envelopes, they are also referred to as “gas giants,” and there appear to be analogous objects in many extrasolar planetary systems. Tables 1 and 2 summarize the main orbital and physical properties of the giant planets.
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References and Further Reading
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Bagenal F, Dowling T, McKinnon W (2007) Jupiter: the planet, satellites and magnetosphere. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Planetary Science, New York
Bergstrahl JT, Miner ED, Matthews MS (1990) Uranus. University of Arizona Press, Tucson
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Encrenaz T (2001) Jupiter. In: Murdin P (ed) The encyclopedia of astronomy and astrophysics. IoP, Bristol, pp 1330–1336
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Encrenaz, T. (2023). Giant Planets. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65093-6_646
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