Which planet has the greatest mass in the Solar System?

Jupiter has the greatest mass of any planet in the Solar System. It is the Solar System’s largest planet and contains about 318 Earth masses, making it more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined.

Jupiter’s enormous mass comes from its composition and formation. As the young Sun’s surrounding disk cooled, Jupiter formed beyond the frost line, where water and other volatile compounds could freeze into abundant solid material. Its growing core then accumulated a vast envelope of hydrogen and helium, the same light gases that dominate the Sun.

Its mass strongly shapes the Solar System. Jupiter’s gravity controls the orbits of many moons, influences asteroids and comets, and helps define the dynamics of the outer planets. The planet is so massive that the system’s center of mass with the Sun lies just outside the Sun’s visible surface.

A common mix-up is confusing mass with size or volume. Saturn is nearly as wide and is less dense, but Jupiter is more massive. Neptune and Earth are also far smaller by mass.