Planetary mass

Planetary mass is the quantity of matter in a planet, expressed in units such as kilograms or Earth and Jupiter masses. It influences a planet’s gravity, structure, and orbital effects.

Newton's law of universal gravitation: The law that describes gravitational attraction between masses, proportional to their product and inversely proportional to distance squared. Planetary mass sets the strength of a planet’s gravitational attraction.
Mass: A physical quantity that measures inertia and contributes to gravitational attraction. Planetary mass is a specific application of this general physical quantity.
Mass–radius relation: The relationship between an astronomical body's mass and radius, shaped by its composition and internal structure. Combining planetary mass with radius helps distinguish rocky worlds from gas-rich ones.
Weight: The force exerted on an object by gravity. Mass is an intrinsic quantity, while a planet’s weight depends on an external gravitational field.
Surface gravity: The gravitational acceleration experienced at the surface of an astronomical body. A planet’s mass and radius together determine its surface gravity.
Kilogram: The SI base unit of mass. Kilograms provide the standard unit for reporting a planet’s mass.
Bulk density: The average mass per unit volume of an object. Mass and radius together yield a planet’s bulk density and clues to its composition.
Brown dwarf: A substellar object too low in mass to sustain ordinary hydrogen fusion in its core. The upper planetary-mass range overlaps with objects classified as brown dwarfs.
Hydrostatic equilibrium: A condition in which pressure gradients balance forces such as gravity within a fluid or deformable body. A planet’s mass contributes to the pressure balancing gravity inside it.
Earth mass: A unit of mass equal to the mass of Earth, used to compare astronomical bodies. It makes terrestrial and smaller exoplanet masses easier to compare.

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