Earth Masses to Metric Tons (M⊕ to t)
1 Earth mass equals 5.9722×10²¹ metric tons exactly.
How to convert Earth masses to metric tons
To convert Earth masses to metric tons, multiply the number of Earth masses by 5.9722×10²¹. This factor is exact. To go the other way, multiply metric tons by 1.674424835×10⁻²² (rounded).
metric tons = Earth masses × 5.9722×10²¹
Example: 10 Earth masses = 5.9722×10²² metric tons.
Approximate value. Standards for the Earth mass varied by place and period, so this converter uses the most commonly cited value. Treat results as estimates, not exact figures.
About these units
Earth Mass (M⊕)
About 5.9722×10²⁴ kg, the mass of the Earth. Used to compare planets.
Earth mass is the mass of our planet taken as a yardstick for others, and the best current estimate is about 5.9722 x 10^24 kg, with an uncertainty near one part in ten thousand. NASA's Earth fact sheet and the International Astronomical Union's recommended value agree with this figure.
No scale can weigh a planet, so the mass is found by dividing the planet's gravitational parameter by Newton's constant G. The parameter itself is known to about two parts in a billion from satellite tracking, but G is known only to roughly two parts in a hundred thousand, so the mass inherits that limit. For this reason astronomers often quote GM or mass ratios instead.
The history begins with Nevil Maskelyne's Schiehallion experiment in Scotland in the 1770s, whose result implied a density about one fifth too low. Henry Cavendish's laboratory torsion balance of 1798 produced a density within about 1 percent of the modern one. Uncertainty fell to about 0.2 percent by the 1890s. About 333,000 Earth masses make one solar mass.
1 Earth mass = 5.9722×10²⁴ kilograms (approximately).
Sources: Wikipedia: Earth mass; NASA Earth Fact Sheet
Metric Ton (t)
1,000 kilograms (about 2,204.6 lb), also spelled tonne. Used for cargo, grain and vehicle weights outside the US.
Barrels gave the tonne its name. The word goes back to a Germanic root for a large cask, the tun, and a full tun could easily weigh around a tonne. In English this became ton; the spelling tonne has been used in France since 1842, where it replaced the older tonneau, and pre-metric French tonnes were 2,000 livres, about 979 kg. Once the metric system took hold, the tonne was fixed at 1,000 kilograms, which is the mass of roughly a cubic metre of water.
The unit is accepted for use with the SI, and its symbol is a lowercase t with no period. Because it sits close to the old English ton, the two get confused: the short ton used in the US is about 10 percent lighter than a tonne, while the long ton differs by less than 2 percent. NIST calls the unit the metric ton, and the spelling tonne is rare in the US. Very large quantities are stated in prefixed forms such as the megatonne, which equals a teragram. In explosives, a tonne of TNT is taken as about 4.2 gigajoules.
1 metric ton = 1,000 kilograms (exactly).
Sources: Wikipedia: Tonne; Wikipedia: Ton; NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8 (mass conversions)
Related conversions
- Metric tons to Earth masses (reverse)
- Earth masses to kilograms
- Earth masses to grams
- Earth masses to pounds
- Earth masses to ounces
- Kilograms to metric tons
- Grams to metric tons
- Pounds to metric tons
- Ounces to metric tons
- Milligrams to metric tons
- Micrograms to metric tons
- Carats to metric tons
- Stone to metric tons
- Short tons to metric tons
- Long tons to metric tons
- Troy ounces to metric tons
- Daltons to metric tons
See all weight & mass units.