Convert one Solar mass to kilograms

Explanation

To convert one Solar mass to kilograms all we need is to know the conversion factor and we are done. Luckily, we can compute that factor using the units' definitions below.

We find that one Solar mass is approximately equal to 1.9885 × 10³⁰ kilograms.

Formula

1 M_☉ ≈ 1.9885 × 10³⁰ kg

Solar massesM_☉

dimension	mass
symbol	M_☉
synonyms	Sun masses

This unit represents the mass of the Sun (M_☉).

The Sun is the star at the center of the solar system.

It is a giant ball of plasma powered by nuclear fusion in its core. This plasma is composed of hydrogen at roughly 73% and helium at 25%.

The Sun is a relatively small star classified as a yellow dwarf, but still contains about 99.86% of the total mass of the solar system.

Value

The mass of the Sun is 1.98847×10³⁰ kilograms.

Note: The values used in this converter are borrowed from the Planetary Fact Sheets.

Some Facts

The Sun diameter is a mere 10 times the diameter of Jupiter but its mass is more than a thousand times the one of the biggest planet in the Solar System.

The nuclear fusion reactions within the Sun's core convert 4 millions tons of mater into energy every second. It seems like a lot but in 4.5 billion years it will have only lost about 0.03% of its mass.

kilogramskg

dimension	mass
system	International system of units (SI)
symbol	kg
synonyms	kilos

The kilogram (kg) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units.

Definition of the kilogram

It is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant h to be 6.626 070 15 x 10^–34 when expressed in the unit J s, which is equal to kg m² s^–1, where the metre and the second are defined in terms of c and ∆ν_Cs.

Definition from the BIPM: Unit of mass

History

The first definition of the kilogram was "the mass of a liter of water". But this proved impractical and in 1889, the International Prototype Kilogram, a cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy, was made to serve as the reference.

In 1949 the mass of the IPK was found to be deverging from its copies. So, in order to ensure the stability of the unit, a new definition was devised based on the Planck constant and on 20 May 2019 this new definition came into effect.

Equivalences

One kilogram is equivalent to:

Some Facts

With an average of 1.4 kg (3 lbs), ostrich eggs are huge, yet, they are the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird.

Prefix

kilo

10³

The prefix kilo- comes from the ancient Greek chilioi meaning thousand. The associated multiplicative factor is 1000 or 10³.

Mercury	0.0553
Venus	0.815
Earth	1
Moon	0.0123
Mars	0.107
Jupiter	317.8
Saturn	95.16
Uranus	14.54
Neptune	17.15
Sun	332943

nanogram	ng	0.000000001
microgram	µg	0.000001
milligram	mg	0.001
gram	g	1
kilogram	kg	1000
megagram	Mg	1000000