Template:Infobox planet/doc

Other templates redirecting here: Template:T, Template:T, Template:T, Template:T, Template:T

This template has been designed for the presentation of information on non-stellar astronomical bodies: planets (including extrasolar planets), dwarf planets, moons and minor planets. Some parameters will not be applicable to individual types; these may be omitted without any problems to the template's function.

Usage notes

• This template expects that the Template:Tag tag will be present in articles setting the minorplanet parameter to yes. Pages without a Template:Tag tag will show Cite error: There are Template:Tag tags on this page for a group named "note", but the references will not show without a Template:Tag tag; see Help:Cite errors. at the bottom of the page.
• When parameters relating to minor planets are used (e.g. mp_name), several subheadings and wikilinks within the template are made specific to minor planets. For standard formulas for computable values and sources of physical data, see Template talk:Infobox Nonstellar body#Computed values and Standard asteroid physical characteristics.
• The Proper Orbital Element "Proper orbital period" (in Julian Years and Days) is calculated within the template from Proper Mean Motion and so does not require a parameter.
• For bodies orbiting bodies other than the Sun, include the parameter |apsis = (appropriate suffix). This will replace various parameters' default "-helion" suffix to the suffix set by the apsis parameter. For example, setting |apsis = astron converts the labels "perihelion", "aphelion" and "Argument of perihelion" into "periastron", "apastron" and "Argument of periastron" respectively.

Recommended parameters

For a list of all parameters, see All parameters below.

Exosolar planets

name

image caption
Discovery
Discovered by	discoverer
Discovery site	discovery_site
Discovery date	discovered
Detection method	discovery_method
Designations
Alternative names	alt_names
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major axis	semimajor
Eccentricity	eccentricity
Orbital period	period
Average orbital speed	avg_speed
Inclination	inclination
Angular distance	angular_dist
Longitude of periastron	long_periastron
Time of periastron	time_periastron
Semi-amplitude	semi-amplitude
Physical characteristics
Mean radius	mean_radius
Surface area	surface_area
Volume	volume
Mass	mass
Mean density	density
Equatorial surface gravity	surface_grav
Escape velocity	escape_velocity
Albedo	albedo
Temperature	single_temperature

{{Infobox planet
| name               = <!--(Common/agreed name)-->
| image              = 
| caption            = 
| apsis              = astron
| discovery_ref      = <!--(Any appropriate <ref>(s) to append to the name)-->
| discoverer         = 
| discovery_site     = 
| discovered         = <!--(Date)-->
| discovery_method   = 
| alt_names          = <!--(Any alternative names for the body)-->
| periastron         = 
| apoastron          = 
| semimajor          = 
| avg_speed          = <!--(Average orbital speed)-->
| eccentricity       = 
| period             = <!--(Orbital period)-->
| inclination        = 
| angular_dist       = 
| long_periastron    = <!--(Longitude of periastron)-->
| time_periastron    = <!--(Time of periastron)-->
| semi-amplitude     = 
| mean_radius        = 
| surface_area       = 
| volume             = 
| density            = 
| mass               = 
| surface_grav       = <!--Equatorial surface gravity-->
| escape_velocity    = 
| albedo             = 
| single_temperature = 
}}

Minor planets

name symbol

image caption
Discovery
Discovered by	discoverer
Discovery site	discovery site
Discovery date	discovered
Designations
MPC designation	mp_name
Alternative names	alt_names
Minor planet category	mp_category
Orbital characteristics
Epoch epoch
Aphelion	aphelion
Perihelion	perihelion
Semi-major axis	semimajor
Eccentricity	eccentricity
Orbital period	period
Average orbital speed	avg_speed
Mean anomaly	mean_anomaly
Inclination	inclination
Longitude of ascending node	asc_node
Argument of perihelion	arg_peri
Satellites	satellites
Proper orbital elements
Proper semi-major axis	p_semi_major AU
Proper eccentricity	p_eccentricity
Proper inclination	p_inclination
Proper mean motion	360 degTemplate:\ yr
Proper orbital period	1 yr (365.25 d)
Precession of perihelion	perihelion_rate arcsecTemplate:\ yr
Precession of the ascending node	node_rate arcsecTemplate:\ yr
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	dimensions
Mass	mass
Mean density	density
Equatorial surface gravity	surface_grav
Escape velocity	escape_velocity
Sidereal rotation period	sidereal_day
Axial tilt	axial_tilt
Pole ecliptic latitude	pole_ecliptic_lat
Pole ecliptic longitude	pole_ecliptic_lon
Albedo	albedo
Surface temp. min mean max Kelvin 150 200 Celsius -73
Spectral type	spectral_type
Absolute magnitude (H)	abs_magnitude

{{Infobox planet
| width              = (default is 22em)
| name               = 
| symbol             = 
| image              = 
| caption            = 
| discovery_ref      = <ref>....</ref>
| discoverer         = 
| discovered         = 
| discovery_site     = ''discovery_site''
| mp_name            = <!--(Minor planet name)-->
| mp_category        = <!--(Minor planet category)-->
| alt_names          = <!--(Alternative names)-->
| orbit_ref          = <ref>Osculating Orbital Elements</ref>
| epoch              = 
| aphelion           = 
| perihelion         = 
| semimajor          = 
| eccentricity       = 
| period             = 
| avg_speed          = <!--(Average orbital speed)-->
| inclination        = 
| asc_node           = <!--(Longitude of ascending node)-->
| mean_anomaly       = 
| arg_peri           = <!--(Argument of perihelion)-->
| p_orbit_ref        = <ref>Proper Orbital Elements</ref>
| p_semimajor        = 
| p_eccentricity     = 
| p_inclination      = 
| p_mean_motion      = <!--(Proper orbital mean motion)-->
| perihelion_rate    = <!--(Proper perihelic precession rate)-->
| node_rate          = <!--(Proper nodal precession rate)-->
| satellites         = 
| dimensions         = 
| mass               = 
| density            = 
| surface_grav       = <!--(Equatorial surface gravity)-->
| escape_velocity    = 
| sidereal_day       = 
| axial_tilt         = 
| pole_ecliptic_lat  = <!--(Pole ecliptic latitude)-->
| pole_ecliptic_lon  = <!--(Pole ecliptic longitude)-->
| albedo             = 
| temp_name1         = 
| mean_temp_1        = 
| max_temp_1         = 
| temp_name2         = 
| max_temp_2         = 
| spectral_type      = 
| abs_magnitude      = <!--(Absolute magnitude)-->
}}

See here for means of semi-automating this template's transclusion as regards minor planets.

• For satellites of minor planets, include the parameter |apsis = astron (see above).

Notes on usage

From Wikipedia:WikiProject Astronomical objects/Infoboxes

Most of these entries should be measured in SI units. Some of them, however, should have more "human-accessible" units, in addition to SI units: several such cases are indicated with a second unit name in brackets. In the case of times (orbital periods, rotation), it is best to give all periods in days for comparison purposes, and provide a translation (in parentheses) into years, days, hours, etc.; whatever is most appropriate for the duration being described.

This template is very flexible. Moons with no atmosphere whatsoever could skip the atmospheric composition section entirely, for example (though atmospheric density would still be listed). Moons also wouldn't have their orbital radii listed in AU, since AUs are such large units. For planets, use "perihelion" and "aphelion" instead of "periapsis" and "apoapsis."

In the case of "number of moons" and "is a moon of", only one of these rows will be used by any given object. There aren't any moons with moons (yet), though perhaps "co-orbital with" might be a useful row to add in a few cases.

On orbital characteristics: The orbital circumference should be computed from the semi-major axis using Ramanujan's approximation for ellipses. The ratio of that circumference to the period then gives the average orbital speed. The minimum and maximum speeds follow from Kepler's laws: <math>v_{max} = 2\pi a^2 \frac{\sqrt{1-e^2}}{T a (1-e)}</math> and <math>v_{min} = 2\pi a^2 \frac{\sqrt{1-e^2}}{T a (1+e)}</math>. Note that, by convention, all orbital parameters are given in the primocentric reference system (heliocentric for the planets).

On proper orbital elements: The formulae used by the template to convert from proper mean motion to proper orbital motion are:
O_years = 360 / M   and
O_days = 365.25 x O_years

On physical characteristics: The surface area and volume of non-spherical objects (e.g. moonlets, asteroids) must use the proper ellipsoid formulae, because even slight departures from sphericity will make a large difference, particularly for the area.

On the subject of obliquity: Obliquity is the angle between the object's axis of rotation and the normal to the plane of its orbit. Do not confuse this with the Tilt listed in the JPL pages, which is a measure of the angle between the local Laplace plane and the primary's equatorial plane. In fact, most inner moons have synchronous rotations, so their obliquities will be, by definition, zero. Outer moons simply have not been seen from close up enough to determine their true obliquities (although Phoebe, recently seen by the Cassini probe, is an exception; see Talk:Phoebe (moon) for the derivation of its obliquity).

All parameters

{{Infobox planet
| width                  = <!--(Best given in font-proportional units such as 'em')-->
| name                   = 
| symbol                 = <!--([[File:...]])-->
| background             = 
| image                  = <!--([[File:...]])-->
| caption                = 
| apsis                  = 
| discovery_ref          = <ref>...</ref>
| discoverer             = 
| discovery_site         = 
| discovered             = 
| discovery_method       = 
| mp_name                = 
| pronounced             = 
| named_after            = 
| mp_category            = 
| alt_names              = 
| orbit_ref              = <ref>Osculating Orbital Elements</ref>
| orbit_diagram          = <!-- image link, just like in prose. ex.: [[File:1992 TC orbital diagram.jpg|260px]] -->
| epoch                  = 
| aphelion               = 
| perihelion             = 
| periastron             = 
| apoastron              = 
| periapsis              = 
| apoapsis               = 
| semimajor              = 
| mean_orbit_radius      = 
| eccentricity           = 
| period                 = 
| synodic_period         = 
| avg_speed              = <!--(Average orbital speed)-->
| mean_anomaly           = 
| inclination            = 
| angular_dist           = <!--(Angular distance)-->
| asc_node               = <!--(Longitude of ascending node)-->
| long_periastron        = <!--(Longitude of periastron)-->
| time_periastron        = <!--(Time of periastron)-->
| arg_peri               = <!--(Argument of peri[helion/astron/...])-->
| semi-amplitude         = 
| p_orbit_ref            = <ref>Proper Orbital Elements</ref>
| p_semimajor            = 
| p_eccentricity         = 
| p_inclination          = 
| p_mean_motion          = <!--(Proper orbital mean motion)-->
| perihelion_rate        = <!--(Proper perihelic precession rate)-->
| node_rate              = <!--(Proper nodal precession rate)-->
| satellite_of           = 
| satellites             = 
| dimensions             = 
| flattening             = 
| equatorial_radius      = 
| polar_radius           = 
| mean_radius            = 
| circumference          = 
| surface_area           = 
| volume                 = 
| mass                   = 
| density                = 
| surface_grav           = <!--(Equatorial surface gravity)-->
| escape_velocity        = 
| sidereal_day           = 
| rot_velocity           = <!--(Rotational velocity)-->
| axial_tilt             = 
| right_asc_north_pole   = <!--(North pole right ascension)-->
| declination            = <!--(North pole declination)-->
| pole_ecliptic_lat      = <!--(Pole ecliptic latitude)-->
| pole_ecliptic_lon      = <!--(Pole ecliptic longitude)-->
| albedo                 = 
| single_temperature     = 
| temp_name1             = 
| min_temp_1             = 
| mean_temp_1            = 
| max_temp_1             = 
| temp_name2             = 
| min_temp_2             = 
| mean_temp_2            = 
| max_temp_2             = 
| spectral_type          = 
| magnitude              = <!--(Apparent magnitude)-->
| abs_magnitude          = <!--(Absolute magnitude)-->
| angular_size           = 
| pronounced             = {{IPA-en|<!-- IPA string -->|}}
| adjectives             = 
| atmosphere_ref         = <ref>...</ref>
| surface_pressure       = 
| scale_height           = 
| atmosphere_composition = 
}}

Computed values

This section documents how some minor planet parameters may be computed when they're not directly measured. More detail can be found in Standard asteroid physical characteristics.

Average orbital speed

This is very simply the orbital circumference divided by the orbital period.

The exact circumference of an ellipse is <math>4 a E(e)</math>, where a is the semi-major axis, e the eccentricity, and the function E is the complete elliptic integral of the second kind. This gives

<math>

v_o = \frac{4 a E(e)}{T} </math> E is close to <math> \pi / 2</math> when e is small.

An approximation using a taylor series expansion is

<math>

v_o = \frac{2\pi a}{T}\left[1-\frac{e^2}{4}-\frac{3e^4}{64} - \dots \right] </math>

AstOrb Browser computes a velocity using Ramanujan's approximation for an ellipse's circumference:

<math>v_o \approx \frac{\pi}{T} \left[3(a+b) - \sqrt{(3a+b)(a+3b)}\right] </math>

Where b is the orbit's semi-minor axis:

<math>b = a \sqrt{1-e^2}\,\!</math>

Surface gravity

For a spherical body of mass m, and radius r, the gravitational acceleration at the surface , is given by

<math>g_{\rm spherical} = \frac{GM}{r^2}\,\!</math>

Where G = 6.6742×10⁻¹¹ m³s⁻²kg⁻¹ is the Gravitational constant, M is the mass of the body, and r its radius. This value is very approximate, as most minor planets are far from spherical.

For irregularly shaped bodies, the surface gravity will differ appreciably with location. However, at the outermost point/s, where the distance to the centre of mass is the greatest, the surface gravity is still given by a simple formula, a slightly modified version of the above that uses the largest radius <math>r_{\rm max}</math>

<math>g_{\rm outer} = \frac{GM}{r_{\rm max}^2}\,.\!</math>

because all the body's mass is contained within this radius.

On a rotating body, the apparent weight experienced by an object on the surface is reduced by the centrifugal force, when one is away from the poles. The centrifugal acceleration experienced at the equator is

<math>g_{\rm centrifugal} = -\left(\frac{2\pi}{T}\right)^2 r_{\rm eq}</math>

where T is the rotation period in seconds, and <math>r_{\rm eq}</math> is the equatorial radius (usually also the maximum radius used above). The negative sign indicates that it acts in the opposite direction to the gravitational acceleration g.

The effective surface gravity at the equator is then

<math> g_{\rm effective} \approx g_{\rm gravitational} + g_{\rm centrifugal}

= g_{\rm gravitational} - |g_{\rm centrifugal}|\ .</math>

Escape velocity

For surface gravity g and radius r, the escape velocity is:

<math>v_e = \sqrt{2gr}</math>

This value is much less sensitive to the factors affecting the surface gravity, mentioned above.

Temperature

For asteroid albedo α, semimajor axis a, solar luminosity <math>L_0</math>, and asteroid infrared emissivity ε (usually taken to be ~0.9), the approximate mean temperature T is given by:

<math>T = \left ( \frac{(1 - \alpha) L_0}{\epsilon \sigma 16 \pi a^2} \right )^{\frac{1}{4}}</math>

Where σ is Stefan-Boltzmann constant. See also Template:Cite book.