🔬 Science & Nature #73
Elements 11–20 on the periodic table — answers & sources
●●○ Not played
Top 10 largest objects in the Solar System
Daily Tens #3 · Thursday, July 16, 2026 · Ranked by mean equatorial diameter
Heads up: the answers are published further down this page.
The answers
This puzzle includes the Sun, planets and moons. The table adds approximate diameters to the original answer order, making the size gaps easier to compare.
| Rank | Answer | Diameter (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sun | 1,391,400 |
| 2 | Jupiter | 142,984 |
| 3 | Saturn | 120,536 |
| 4 | Uranus | 51,118 |
| 5 | Neptune | 49,528 |
| 6 | Earth | 12,756 |
| 7 | Venus | 12,104 |
| 8 | Mars | 6,792 |
| 9 | Ganymede | 5,262.4 |
| 10 | Titan | 5,150 |
Planet values are equatorial diameters from NASA. The Sun uses twice its volumetric mean radius; moon values use twice NASA’s listed radius. Rings and extended atmospheres are excluded. These supporting measurements were checked on September 13, 2026; the original puzzle order is unchanged.
Why are Ganymede and Titan ahead of Mercury?
Mercury measures 4,879 km across in NASA’s comparison table. Ganymede and Titan are both wider, so the two moons take the last places in this diameter ranking. Being a planet does not automatically make an object larger than every moon.
Would ranking by mass change the order?
Yes. Uranus has a larger diameter than Neptune, but NASA lists Neptune as the more massive planet. Diameter measures the distance across a body; mass measures how much matter it contains. Use the stated metric when deciding which answer belongs at each rank.
Does Saturn’s ring system count?
This puzzle compares the bodies themselves. Saturn’s entry uses the planet’s equatorial diameter, with its surrounding rings excluded. Counting a ring system as part of the diameter would change what is being measured.
Further reading and data
- NASA: Planetary Fact Sheet
- NASA: Sun Fact Sheet
- NASA: Jovian Satellite Fact Sheet
- NASA: Saturnian Satellite Fact Sheet
Explanation updated . The puzzle’s original data date is listed below.
Ranking method
- Metric
- Mean equatorial diameter
- Data through
- 2024
- Source
- NASA Planetary Fact Sheets
- Notes
- Includes the Sun and moons. Ranked by diameter, not mass — which is why two moons outrank a planet.
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