The second planet from the sun. The sizes of the planets of the solar system in ascending order and interesting information about the planets. Let us list the main physical characteristics of Vesta

The solar system is a group of planets revolving in specific orbits around a bright star - the Sun. This star is the main source of heat and light in the solar system.

It is believed that our planetary system was formed as a result of the explosion of one or more stars and this happened about 4.5 billion years ago. At first, the solar system was an accumulation of gas and dust particles, however, over time and under the influence of its own mass, the Sun and other planets arose.

Planets of the Solar System

At the center of the solar system is the Sun, around which eight planets move in their orbits: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

Until 2006, Pluto also belonged to this group of planets; it was considered the 9th planet from the Sun, however, due to its significant distance from the Sun and small size, it was excluded from this list and called a dwarf planet. More precisely, it is one of several dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt.

All of the above planets are usually divided into two large groups: the terrestrial group and the gas giants.

The terrestrial group includes such planets as: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars. They are distinguished by their small size and rocky surface, and in addition, they are located closest to the Sun.

Gas giants include: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. They are characterized by large sizes and the presence of rings, which are ice dust and rocky pieces. These planets consist mainly of gas.

Sun

The Sun is the star around which all the planets and satellites in the solar system revolve. It consists of hydrogen and helium. The Sun is 4.5 billion years old and is only halfway through its life cycle, gradually increases in size. Now the diameter of the Sun is 1,391,400 km. In just the same number of years, this star will expand and reach the orbit of the Earth.

The sun is the source of heat and light for our planet. Its activity increases or becomes weaker every 11 years.

Due to the extremely high temperatures on its surface, a detailed study of the Sun is extremely difficult, but attempts to launch a special device as close to the star as possible continue.

Terrestrial group of planets

Mercury

This planet is one of the smallest in the solar system, its diameter is 4,879 km. In addition, it is closest to the Sun. This proximity predetermined a significant temperature difference. The average temperature on Mercury during the day is +350 degrees Celsius, and at night - -170 degrees.

If we take the Earth year as a guide, Mercury makes a full revolution around the Sun in 88 days, and one day there lasts 59 Earth days. It was noticed that this planet can periodically change the speed of its rotation around the Sun, its distance from it and its position.

There is no atmosphere on Mercury; therefore, it is often attacked by asteroids and leaves behind a lot of craters on its surface. Sodium, helium, argon, hydrogen, and oxygen were discovered on this planet.

A detailed study of Mercury is very difficult due to its close proximity to the Sun. Sometimes Mercury can be seen from Earth with the naked eye.

According to one theory, it is believed that Mercury was previously a satellite of Venus, however, this assumption has not yet been proven. Mercury does not have its own satellite.

Venus

This planet is the second from the Sun. In size it is close to the diameter of the Earth, the diameter is 12,104 km. In all other respects, Venus differs significantly from our planet. A day here lasts 243 Earth days, and a year lasts 255 days. The atmosphere of Venus is 95% composed of carbon dioxide, which creates a greenhouse effect on its surface. This results in an average temperature on the planet of 475 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere also contains 5% nitrogen and 0.1% oxygen.

Unlike the Earth, most of whose surface is covered with water, there is no liquid on Venus, and almost the entire surface is occupied by solidified basaltic lava. According to one theory, there used to be oceans on this planet, however, as a result of internal heating, they evaporated, and the vapors were carried away by the solar wind into outer space. Near the surface of Venus, weak winds blow, however, at an altitude of 50 km their speed increases significantly and amounts to 300 meters per second.

Venus has many craters and hills that resemble the earth's continents. The formation of craters is associated with the fact that the planet previously had a less dense atmosphere.

A distinctive feature of Venus is that, unlike other planets, its movement occurs not from west to east, but from east to west. It can be seen from Earth even without the help of a telescope after sunset or before sunrise. This is due to the ability of its atmosphere to reflect light well.

Venus has no satellite.

Earth

Our planet is located at a distance of 150 million km from the Sun, and this allows us to create on its surface a temperature suitable for the existence of liquid water, and, therefore, for the emergence of life.

Its surface is 70% covered with water, and it is the only planet to contain such an amount of liquid. It is believed that many thousands of years ago, steam contained in the atmosphere created the temperature on the Earth's surface necessary for the formation of water in liquid form, and solar radiation contributed to photosynthesis and the birth of life on the planet.

The peculiarity of our planet is that under the earth’s crust there are huge tectonic plates, which, moving, collide with each other and lead to changes in the landscape.

The diameter of the Earth is 12,742 km. An earthly day lasts 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds, and a year lasts 365 days 6 hours 9 minutes 10 seconds. Its atmosphere is 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and a small percentage of other gases. None of the atmospheres of other planets in the solar system has such an amount of oxygen.

According to scientists, the age of the Earth is 4.5 billion years, approximately the same age that its only satellite, the Moon, has existed. It is always turned to our planet with only one side. There are many craters, mountains and plains on the surface of the Moon. It reflects very little sunlight, so it is visible from Earth in the pale moonlight.

Mars

This planet is the fourth from the Sun and is 1.5 times more distant from it than the Earth. The diameter of Mars is smaller than Earth's and is 6,779 km. The average air temperature on the planet ranges from -155 degrees to +20 degrees at the equator. The magnetic field on Mars is much weaker than that of Earth, and the atmosphere is quite thin, which allows solar radiation to unimpededly affect the surface. In this regard, if there is life on Mars, it is not on the surface.

When surveyed with the help of Mars rovers, it was found that there are many mountains on Mars, as well as dried river beds and glaciers. The surface of the planet is covered with red sand. It is iron oxide that gives Mars its color.

One of the most frequent events on the planet are dust storms, which are voluminous and destructive. It was not possible to detect geological activity on Mars, however, it is reliably known that significant geological events previously occurred on the planet.

The atmosphere of Mars consists of 96% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen and 1.6% argon. Oxygen and water vapor are present in minimal quantities.

A day on Mars is similar in length to those on Earth and is 24 hours 37 minutes 23 seconds. A year on the planet lasts twice as long as on Earth - 687 days.

The planet has two satellites Phobos and Deimos. They are small in size and uneven in shape, reminiscent of asteroids.

Sometimes Mars is also visible from Earth with the naked eye.

Gas giants

Jupiter

This planet is the largest in the solar system and has a diameter of 139,822 km, which is 19 times larger than Earth. A day on Jupiter lasts 10 hours, and a year is approximately 12 Earth years. Jupiter is mainly composed of xenon, argon and krypton. If it were 60 times larger, it could become a star due to a spontaneous thermonuclear reaction.

The average temperature on the planet is -150 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere consists of hydrogen and helium. There is no oxygen or water on its surface. There is an assumption that there is ice in the atmosphere of Jupiter.

Jupiter has a huge number of satellites - 67. The largest of them are Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Ganymede is one of the largest moons in the Solar System. Its diameter is 2634 km, which is approximately the size of Mercury. In addition, a thick layer of ice can be seen on its surface, under which there may be water. Callisto is considered the most ancient of the satellites, since it is its surface that has the largest number of craters.

Saturn

This planet is the second largest in the solar system. Its diameter is 116,464 km. It is most similar in composition to the Sun. A year on this planet lasts quite a long time, almost 30 Earth years, and a day lasts 10.5 hours. The average surface temperature is -180 degrees.

Its atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen and a small amount of helium. Thunderstorms and auroras often occur in its upper layers.

Saturn is unique in that it has 65 moons and several rings. The rings are made up of small particles of ice and rock formations. Ice dust perfectly reflects light, so Saturn's rings are very clearly visible through a telescope. However, it is not the only planet with a diadem; it is just less noticeable on other planets.

Uranus

Uranus is the third largest planet in the solar system and the seventh from the Sun. It has a diameter of 50,724 km. It is also called the “ice planet”, as the temperature on its surface is -224 degrees. A day on Uranus lasts 17 hours, and a year lasts 84 Earth years. Moreover, summer lasts as long as winter - 42 years. This natural phenomenon is due to the fact that the axis of that planet is located at an angle of 90 degrees to the orbit and it turns out that Uranus seems to be “lying on its side.”

Uranus has 27 moons. The most famous of them are: Oberon, Titania, Ariel, Miranda, Umbriel.

Neptune

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun. It is similar in composition and size to its neighbor Uranus. The diameter of this planet is 49,244 km. A day on Neptune lasts 16 hours, and a year is equal to 164 Earth years. Neptune is an ice giant and for a long time it was believed that no weather phenomena occur on its icy surface. However, it was recently discovered that Neptune has raging vortices and wind speeds that are the highest among the planets in the solar system. It reaches 700 km/h.

Neptune has 14 moons, the most famous of which is Triton. It is known to have its own atmosphere.

Neptune also has rings. This planet has 6 of them.

Interesting facts about the planets of the solar system

Compared to Jupiter, Mercury seems like a dot in the sky. These are the actual proportions in the solar system:

Venus is often called the Morning and Evening Star, since it is the first of the stars visible in the sky at sunset and the last to disappear from visibility at dawn.

An interesting fact about Mars is the fact that methane was found on it. Due to the thin atmosphere, it constantly evaporates, which means that the planet has a constant source of this gas. Such a source could be living organisms inside the planet.

There are no seasons on Jupiter. The biggest mystery is the so-called “Great Red Spot”. Its origin on the surface of the planet has not yet been fully elucidated. Scientists suggest that it was formed by a huge hurricane, which has been rotating at very high speed for several centuries.

An interesting fact is that Uranus, like many planets in the solar system, has its own ring system. Due to the fact that the particles that make up them do not reflect light well, the rings could not be detected immediately after the discovery of the planet.

Neptune has a rich blue color, so it was named after the ancient Roman god - the master of the seas. Due to its distant location, this planet was one of the last to be discovered. At the same time, its location was calculated mathematically, and after time it was able to be seen, and precisely in the calculated place.

Light from the Sun reaches the surface of our planet in 8 minutes.

The solar system, despite its long and careful study, still conceals many mysteries and secrets that have yet to be revealed. One of the most fascinating hypotheses is the assumption of the presence of life on other planets, the search for which is actively continuing.

Closest to the Sun and smallest planet systems, only 0.055% of the size of the Earth. 80% of its mass is the core. The surface is rocky, cut with craters and funnels. The atmosphere is very rarefied and consists of carbon dioxide. The temperature on the sunny side is +500°C, on the reverse side -120°C. Gravitational and magnetic field not on Mercury.

Venus

Venus has a very dense atmosphere made of carbon dioxide. The surface temperature reaches 450°C, which is explained by the constant greenhouse effect, the pressure is about 90 Atm. The size of Venus is 0.815 the size of Earth. The planet's core is made of iron. There is a small amount of water on the surface, as well as many methane seas. Venus has no satellites.

Planet Earth

The only planet in the Universe on which life exists. Almost 70% of the surface is covered with water. The atmosphere consists of a complex mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and inert gases. The planet's gravity is ideal. If it were smaller, oxygen would be in, if larger, hydrogen would accumulate on the surface, and life could not exist.

If you increase the distance from the Earth to the Sun by 1%, the oceans will freeze; if you decrease it by 5%, they will boil.

Mars

Due to the high content of iron oxide in the soil, Mars has a bright red color. Its size is 10 times smaller than that of Earth. The atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide. The surface is covered with craters and extinct volcanoes, the highest of which is Olympus, its height is 21.2 km.

Jupiter

The largest of the planets in the solar system. 318 times larger than Earth. Consists of a mixture of helium and hydrogen. The interior of Jupiter is hot, and therefore vortex structures predominate in its atmosphere. Has 65 known satellites.

Saturn

The structure of the planet is similar to Jupiter, but above all, Saturn is known for its ring system. Saturn is 95 times larger than Earth, but its density is the lowest in the solar system. Its density is equal to the density of water. Has 62 known satellites.

Uranus

Uranus is 14 times larger than Earth. Unique for its sideways rotation. The inclination of its rotation axis is 98°. The core of Uranus is very cold because it releases all its heat into space. Has 27 satellites.

Neptune

17 times larger than Earth. Emits a large amount of heat. It exhibits low geological activity; on its surface there are geysers from. Has 13 satellites. The planet is accompanied by the so-called “Neptune Trojans,” which are bodies of an asteroid nature.

Neptune's atmosphere contains large amounts of methane, which gives it its characteristic blue color.

Features of the planets of the solar system

A distinctive feature of the planets of the solar system is the fact that they rotate not only around the Sun, but also along their own axis. Also, all planets are, to a greater or lesser extent, warm celestial bodies.

The boundless space, despite the apparent chaos, is a fairly harmonious structure. In this gigantic world, the immutable laws of physics and mathematics also apply. All objects in the Universe, from small to large, occupy their specific place, move along given orbits and trajectories. This order was established more than 15 billion years ago, since the formation of the Universe. Our solar system, the cosmic metropolis in which we live, is no exception.

Despite its colossal size, the Solar System fits within the human framework of perception, being the most studied part of the cosmos, with clearly defined boundaries.

Origin and main astrophysical parameters

In a Universe where there are an infinite number of stars, there are certainly other solar systems. Only in our galaxy alone Milky Way There are approximately 250-400 billion stars, so it cannot be ruled out that there may be worlds with other life forms in the depths of space.

Even 150-200 years ago, people had meager ideas about space. The size of the Universe was limited by telescope lenses. The Sun, Moon, planets, comets and asteroids were the only known objects, and the entire cosmos was measured by the size of our galaxy. The situation changed dramatically at the beginning of the 20th century. Astrophysical exploration of outer space and the work of nuclear physicists over the past 100 years have given scientists insight into how the Universe began. The processes that led to the formation of stars and provided the building material for the formation of planets became known and understood. In this light, the origin of the solar system becomes clear and explainable.

The Sun, like other stars, is a product of the Big Bang, after which stars formed in space. Objects of large and small sizes appeared. In one of the corners of the Universe, among a cluster of other stars, our Sun was born. By cosmic standards, the age of our star is small, only 5 billion years. At the site of her birth, a gigantic construction site was formed, where, as a result of the gravitational compression of the gas and dust cloud, other objects of the solar system were formed.

Each celestial body took on its own form and took its assigned place. Some celestial bodies, under the influence of the Sun's gravity, became permanent satellites, moving in their own orbit. Other objects ceased to exist as a result of the counteraction of centrifugal and centripetal processes. This whole process took about 4.5 billion years. The mass of the entire solar economy is 1.0014 M☉. Of this mass, 99.8% is the Sun itself. Only 0.2% of the mass comes from other space objects: planets, satellites and asteroids, fragments of cosmic dust orbiting around it.

The orbit of the Solar System has an almost circular shape, and the orbital speed coincides with the speed of the galactic spiral. As it passes through the interstellar medium, the stability of the solar system is given by gravitational forces acting within our galaxy. This in turn provides stability to other objects and bodies of the Solar System. The movement of the Solar system takes place at a considerable distance from the super-dense star clusters of our galaxy, which carry potential danger.

In terms of its size and number of satellites, our solar system cannot be called small. There are small solar systems in space that have one or two planets and, due to their size, are barely noticeable in outer space. Representing a massive galactic object, the solar system moves through space at a tremendous speed of 240 km/s. Even despite such a rapid run, the Solar System completes a full revolution around the center of the galaxy in 225 -250 million years.

The exact intergalactic address of our star system is as follows:

• local interstellar cloud;
• local bubble in the Orion-Cygnus arm;
• The Milky Way galaxy, part of the Local Group of galaxies.

The Sun is the central object of our system and is one of the 100 billion stars that make up the Milky Way galaxy. In terms of its size, it is a medium-sized star and belongs to the spectral class G2V Yellow dwarfs. The diameter of the star is 1 million. 392 thousand kilometers, and it is in the middle of its life cycle.

For comparison, the size of Sirius, the brightest star, is 2 million 381 thousand km. Aldebaran has a diameter of almost 60 million km. The huge star Betelgeuse is 1000 times larger than our Sun. The size of this supergiant exceeds the size of the solar system.

Our star's closest neighborhood neighbor is considered to be Proxima Centauri, which will take about 4 years to reach at the speed of light.

The Sun, thanks to its enormous mass, holds eight planets near it, many of which, in turn, have their own systems. The position of objects moving around the Sun is clearly demonstrated by the diagram of the Solar System. Almost all the planets in the solar system move around our star in the same direction, along with the rotating Sun. The orbits of the planets are practically in the same plane, have different shapes and move around the center of the system at different speeds. Movement around the Sun is counterclockwise and in one plane. Only comets and other objects, mainly those located in the Kuiper belt, have orbits with a large angle of inclination to the ecliptic plane.

Today we know exactly how many planets there are in the Solar System, there are 8 of them. All celestial bodies of the Solar System are at a certain distance from the Sun, periodically moving away or approaching it. Accordingly, each of the planets has its own, different from the others, astrophysical parameters and characteristics. It should be noted that 6 of the 8 planets in the Solar System rotate around their axis in the direction in which our star rotates around its own axis. Only Venus and Uranus rotate in the opposite direction. In addition, Uranus is the only planet in the solar system that practically lies on its side. Its axis is inclined 90° to the ecliptic line.

Nicolaus Copernicus demonstrated the first model of the solar system. In his view, the Sun was the central object of our world, around which other planets, including our Earth, revolve. Subsequently, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton improved this model by placing objects in it in accordance with mathematical and physical laws.

Looking at the presented model, one can imagine that the orbits of space objects are located at equal distances from each other. The solar system in nature looks completely different. The greater the distance to the planets of the solar system from the Sun, the greater the distance between the orbit of the previous celestial object. The table of distances of objects from the center of our star system allows you to visually imagine the scale of the solar system.

As the distance from the Sun increases, the speed of rotation of the planets around the center of the Solar System slows down. Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, completes a full revolution around our star in just 88 Earth days. Neptune, located at a distance of 4.5 billion kilometers from the Sun, makes a complete revolution in 165 Earth years.

Despite the fact that we are dealing with a heliocentric model of the solar system, many planets have their own systems consisting of natural satellites and rings. The satellites of the planets move around the mother planets and obey the same laws.

Most of the satellites of the Solar System rotate synchronously around their planets, always turning the same side towards them. The Moon is also always turned to the Earth with one side.

Only two planets, Mercury and Venus, do not have natural satellites. Mercury is even smaller in size than some of its satellites.

Center and boundaries of the solar system

The main and central object of our system is the Sun. It has a complex structure and consists of 92% hydrogen. Only 7% is used for helium atoms, which, when interacting with hydrogen atoms, become fuel for an endless nuclear chain reaction. At the center of the star there is a core with a diameter of 150-170 thousand km, heated to a temperature of 14 million K.

A brief description of the star can be reduced to a few words: it is a huge natural thermonuclear reactor. Moving from the center of the star to its outer edge, we find ourselves in the convective zone, where energy transfer and plasma mixing occur. This layer has a temperature of 5800K. The visible part of the Sun is the photosphere and chromosphere. Our star is crowned by the solar corona, which is the outer shell. The processes occurring inside the Sun affect the entire state of the Solar System. Its light warms our planet, the force of attraction and gravity keep objects in near space at a certain distance from each other. As the intensity of internal processes decreases, our star will begin to cool. The consumable stellar material will lose its density, causing the star's body to expand. Instead of a yellow dwarf, our Sun will turn into a huge Red Giant. For now, our Sun remains the same hot and bright star.

The border of the kingdom of our star is the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud. These are extremely remote areas of outer space that are influenced by the Sun. In the Kuiper belt and in the Oort Cloud there are a lot of other objects of various sizes that in one way or another influence the processes occurring inside the Solar system.

The Oort Cloud is a hypothetical spherical space that surrounds the Solar System along its entire outer diameter. The distance to this region of space is more than 2 light years. This area is home to comets. It is from there that these rare space guests, long-period comets, come to us

The Kuiper Belt contains residual material that was used during the formation of the Solar System. Mostly small particles space ice, a cloud of frozen gas (methane and ammonia). There are also large objects in this area, some of which are dwarf planets, and smaller fragments similar in structure to asteroids. The main known objects of the belt are the dwarf planets of the solar system Pluto, Haumea and Makemake. A spaceship can reach them in one light year.

Between the Kuiper Belt and deep space, a highly sparse region exists at the outer edges of the belt, mostly consisting of remnants of cosmic ice and gas.

Today, it is possible that large trans-Neptunian space objects exist in this region of our star system, one of which is the dwarf planet Sedna.

Brief characteristics of the planets of the solar system

Scientists have calculated that the mass of all planets belonging to our star is no more than 0.1% of the mass of the Sun. However, even among this small amount, 99% of the mass comes from the two largest cosmic objects after the Sun - the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The sizes of the planets in the solar system vary greatly. Among them there are babies and giants, similar in their structure and astrophysical parameters to failed stars.

In astronomy, it is customary to divide all 8 planets into two groups:

• planets with a rocky structure are classified as terrestrial planets;
• planets, which are dense clumps of gas, belong to the group of gas giant planets.

Previously it was believed that our star system includes 9 planets. Only recently, at the end of the 20th century, Pluto was classified as a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt. Therefore, the question of how many planets are in the solar system today can be firmly answered - eight.

If we arrange the planets of the solar system in order, the map of our world will look like this:

• Venus;
• Earth;
• Jupiter;
• Saturn;
• Uranus;

In the very middle of this parade of planets is the asteroid belt. According to scientists, these are the remains of a planet that existed in the early stages of the solar system, but died as a result of a cosmic cataclysm.

The inner planets Mercury, Venus and Earth are the planets closest to the Sun, closer than other objects in the Solar System, and therefore are completely dependent on the processes occurring on our star. At some distance from them is the ancient God of War - the planet Mars. All four planets are united by similarities in structure and identity of astrophysical parameters, therefore they are classified as planets of the Terrestrial group.

Mercury, a close neighbor of the Sun, is like a hot frying pan. It seems paradoxical that, despite its close location to the hot star, Mercury experiences the most significant temperature differences in our system. During the day, the surface of the planet heats up to 350 degrees Celsius, and at night the cosmic cold rages with a temperature of 170.2 °C. Venus is a real boiling cauldron, where there is enormous pressure and high temperatures. Despite its gloomy and dull appearance, Mars today is of greatest interest to scientists. The composition of its atmosphere, astrophysical parameters similar to those on Earth, and the presence of seasons give hope for the subsequent development and colonization of the planet by representatives of terrestrial civilization.

Gas giants, which for the most part are planets without a solid shell, are interesting for their satellites. Some of them, according to scientists, may represent cosmic territories in which, under certain conditions, the emergence of life is possible.

The terrestrial planets are separated from the four gas planets by the asteroid belt - the internal boundary beyond which lies the kingdom of the gas giants. Next behind the asteroid belt, Jupiter, with its attraction, balances our solar system. This planet is the largest, largest and densest in the solar system. The diameter of Jupiter is 140 thousand km across. This is five times more than our planet. This gas giant has its own system of satellites, of which there are about 69 pieces. Among them, real giants stand out: the two largest satellites of Jupiter - Ganymede and Calypso - are larger in size than the planet Mercury.

Saturn, the brother of Jupiter, also has a huge size - 116 thousand km. in diameter. Saturn's retinue is no less impressive - 62 satellites. However, this giant stands out in the night sky with something else - a beautiful system of rings encircling the planet. Titan is one of the largest satellites of the solar system. This giant has a diameter of more than 10 thousand km. Among the kingdom of hydrogen, nitrogen and ammonia there can be no known forms of life. However, unlike their host, Saturn's moons have a rocky structure and a hard surface. Some of them have an atmosphere; Enceladus is even supposed to have water.

The series of giant planets continues with Uranus and Neptune. These are cold, dark worlds. Unlike Jupiter and Saturn, where hydrogen predominates, here there is methane and ammonia in the atmosphere. Instead of condensed gas, high-temperature ice is present on Uranus and Neptune. In view of this, both planets were classified into one group - ice giants. Uranus is second in size only to Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune. Neptune's orbit has a diameter of almost 9 billion kilometers. It takes the planet 164 Earth years to go around the Sun.

Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune represent the most interesting objects for study today for scientists.

Last news

Despite the enormous amount of knowledge that humanity possesses today, despite the achievements of modern means of observation and research, a lot of unresolved questions remain. What kind of solar system actually is, which planet may later turn out to be suitable for life?

Man continues to observe the nearest space, making more and more new discoveries. In December 2012, the whole world could watch an enchanting astronomical show - a parade of planets. During this period, all 7 planets of our solar system could be seen in the night sky, including even such distant ones as Uranus and Neptune.

A closer study today is carried out with the help of space automatic probes and devices. Many of them have already managed not only to fly to the most extreme regions of our star system, but also beyond its borders. The first artificially created space objects that managed to reach the boundaries of the solar system were the American probes Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11.

It is interesting to theoretically speculate how far these devices will be able to advance beyond the borders? Launched in 1977, the American automatic probe Voyager 1, after 40 years of work studying planets, became the first spacecraft to leave our system.

The solar system is the central star, the Sun, and all the cosmic bodies that revolve around it.

There are 8 largest celestial bodies, or planets, in the solar system. Our Earth is also a planet. In addition to it, 7 more planets travel around the Sun in space: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The last two can only be observed from Earth through a telescope. The rest are visible to the naked eye.

More recently, another celestial body, Pluto, was considered a planet. It is located very far from the Sun, beyond the orbit of Neptune, and was discovered only in 1930. However, in 2006, astronomers introduced a new definition of a classical planet, and Pluto did not fall under it.

The planets have been known to people since ancient times. The closest neighbors of the Earth are Venus and Mars, the farthest from it are Uranus and Neptune.

Large planets are usually divided into two groups. The first group includes the planets closest to the Sun: these are terrestrial planets, or inner planets, - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. All of these planets have a high density and a solid surface (although there is a liquid core underneath). The largest planet in this group is Earth. However, the planets farthest from the Sun - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - are significantly larger than the Earth. That's why they got the name giant planets. They are also called outer planets. Thus, the mass of Jupiter exceeds the mass of the Earth by more than 300 times. Giant planets differ significantly from the terrestrial planets in their structure: they do not consist of heavy elements, but of gas, mainly hydrogen and helium, like the Sun and other stars. Giant planets do not have a solid surface - they are just balls of gas. That's why they are also called gas planets.

Between Mars and Jupiter there is a belt asteroids, or minor planets. An asteroid is a small planet-like body in the Solar System, ranging in size from a few meters to a thousand kilometers. The largest asteroids in this belt are Ceres, Pallas and Juno.

Beyond the orbit of Neptune there is another belt of small celestial bodies, which is called the Kuiper belt. It is 20 times wider than the asteroid belt. Pluto, which lost its planetary status and was classified as dwarf planets, is just in this belt. There are other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt that are similar to Pluto, and in 2008 they were named as such - plutoids. These are Makemake and Haumea. By the way, Ceres from the asteroid belt is also classified as a dwarf planet (but not a plutoid!).

Another plutoid - Eris - is comparable in size to Pluto, but is located much further from the Sun - beyond the Kuiper belt. Interestingly, Eris was at one time even a candidate for the role of the 10th planet in the solar system. But as a result, it was the discovery of Eris that caused a revision of the status of Pluto in 2006, when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) introduced a new classification of celestial bodies of the Solar System. According to this classification, Eris and Pluto did not fall under the concept of a classical planet, but “earned” only the title of dwarf planets - celestial bodies that revolve around the Sun, are not satellites of planets and have a large enough mass to maintain an almost round shape, but, unlike planets, they are not able to clear their orbit from other space objects.

The solar system, in addition to the planets, includes their satellites that revolve around them. There are currently 415 satellites in total. The Earth's constant satellite is the Moon. Mars has 2 satellites - Phobos and Deimos. Jupiter has 67 satellites, and Saturn has 62. Uranus has 27 satellites. And only Venus and Mercury do not have satellites. But the “dwarfs” Pluto and Eris have satellites: Pluto has Charon, and Eris has Dysnomia. However, astronomers have not yet come to a final conclusion whether Charon is a satellite of Pluto or the Pluto-Charon system is a so-called double planet. Even some asteroids have satellites. The champion in size among satellites is Ganymede, a satellite of Jupiter; Saturn's satellite Titan is not far behind it. Both Ganymede and Titan are larger than Mercury.

In addition to planets and satellites, the solar system is crisscrossed by tens, or even hundreds of thousands of different small bodies: tailed celestial bodies - comets, a huge number of meteorites, particles of gas and dust matter, scattered atoms of various chemical elements, flows of atomic particles and others.

All objects of the Solar system are held in it due to the gravitational force of the Sun, and they all rotate around it, moreover, in the same direction with the rotation of the Sun itself and practically in the same plane, which is called plane of the ecliptic. The exception is some comets and Kuiper belt objects. In addition, almost all objects of the Solar system rotate around their own axis, and in the same direction as around the Sun (the exception is Venus and Uranus; the latter even rotates “lying on its side”).

Pluto's orbit is highly inclined relative to the ecliptic (17°) and highly elongated

Almost the entire mass of the solar system is concentrated in the Sun - 99.8%. The four largest objects - the gas giants - account for 99% of the remaining mass (with Jupiter and Saturn accounting for the majority - about 90%). As for the size of the solar system, astronomers have not yet reached a consensus on this issue. According to modern estimates, the size of the solar system is at least 60 billion kilometers. To at least approximately imagine the scale of the solar system, let us give a more clear example. Within the Solar System, the unit of distance is taken to be the astronomical unit (AU) - the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. It is approximately 150 million km (light travels this distance in 8 minutes 19 seconds). The outer limit of the Kuiper Belt is located at a distance of 55 AU. e. from the Sun.

Another way to imagine the actual size of the solar system is to imagine a model in which all sizes and distances are reduced to a billion times . In this case, the Earth would be about 1.3 cm in diameter (the size of a grape). The moon will rotate at a distance of about 30 cm from it. The sun will be 1.5 meters in diameter (about the height of a person) and located 150 meters from the Earth (about a city block). Jupiter is 15 cm in diameter (the size of a large grapefruit) and 5 city blocks away from the Sun. Saturn (the size of an orange) is 10 blocks away. Uranus and Neptune (lemons) - 20 and 30 quarters. A person on this scale would be the size of an atom; and the nearest star is 40,000 km away.

It's hard to believe, but once upon a time Space was completely empty. There were no planets, no satellites, no stars. Where did they come from? How was the Solar System formed? These questions have troubled humanity for many centuries. This article will help give some idea of ​​what the Cosmos is and will open Interesting Facts about the planets of the solar system.

How it all began

The Universe is the entire visible and invisible Cosmos, along with all existing cosmic bodies. Several theories have been put forward for its appearance:

3. Divine intervention. Our Universe is so unique, everything in it is thought out to the smallest detail, that it could not arise by itself. Only the Great Creator can create such a miracle. It is absolutely not a scientific theory, but it has a right to exist.

Disputes about the reasons for the true emergence of outer space continue. In fact, we have an idea of ​​the solar system, which includes a burning star and eight planets with their satellites, galaxies, stars, comets, black holes and much more.

Amazing discoveries or interesting facts about the planets of the solar system

Outer space beckons with its mystery. Each celestial body keeps its own mystery. Thanks to astronomical discoveries, valuable information about celestial wanderers appears.

Closest to the sun is Mercury. There is an opinion that he was once a satellite of Venus. But as a result of a cosmic catastrophe, the cosmic body separated from Venus and acquired its own orbit. A year on Mercury lasts 88 days, and a day lasts 59 days.

Mercury is the only planet in the solar system where you can observe the movement of the Sun in the opposite direction. This phenomenon has a completely logical explanation. The speed of the planet's rotation around its axis is much slower than the movement in its orbit. Because of this difference in speed conditions, the effect of changing the movement of the Sun occurs.

On Mercury you can observe a fantastic phenomenon: two sunsets and sunrises. And if you move to the 0˚ and 180̊ meridians, you can witness three sunsets and sunrises per day.

Venus comes next after Mercury. It lights up in the sky during sunset on Earth, but can only be observed for a couple of hours. Because of this feature, she was nicknamed "Evening Star". It is interesting that the orbit of Venus lies inside the orbit of our planet. But it moves along it in the opposite direction, counterclockwise. A year on the planet lasts 225 days, and 1 day lasts 243 Earth days. Venus, like the Moon, has a change of phases, transforming either into a thin sickle or into a wide circle. There is an assumption that some types of terrestrial bacteria can live in the atmosphere of Venus.

Earth- truly the pearl of the solar system. Only on it there is a huge variety of life forms. People feel so comfortable on this planet and don’t even realize that it is rushing along its orbit at a speed of 108,000 km per hour.

The fourth planet from the Sun is Mars. He is accompanied by two companions. A day on this planet is equal in length to that of Earth – 24 hours. But 1 year lasts 668 days. Just like on Earth, the seasons change here. Seasons also cause changes in the appearance of the planet.

Jupiter- the largest space giant. It has many satellites (more than 60 pieces) and 5 rings. Its mass exceeds the Earth by 318 times. But, despite its impressive size, it moves quite quickly. It turns around its own axis in just 10 hours, but covers the distance around the Sun in 12 years.

The weather on Jupiter is bad - constant storms and hurricanes, accompanied by lightning. A striking representative of such weather conditions is the Great Red Spot - a vortex moving at a speed of 435 km/h.

Distinctive feature Saturn, definitely are his rings. These flat formations are made of dust and ice. The thickness of the circles ranges from 10 - 15 m to 1 km, width from 3,000 km to 300,000 km. The rings of the planet are not a single whole, but are formed in the form of thin spokes. The planet is also surrounded by more than 62 satellites.

Saturn has an incredibly high rotation rate, so much so that it is compressed at the poles. A day on the planet lasts 10 hours, a year lasts 30 years.

Uranus, like Venus, it moves around the star counterclockwise. The uniqueness of the planet lies in the fact that it “lies on its side”, its axis tilted at an angle of 98˚. There is a theory that the planet took this position after a collision with another space object.

Like Saturn, Uranus has a complex ring system consisting of a collection of inner and outer rings. Uranus has 13 of them in total. It is believed that the rings are the remains of a former satellite of Uranus that collided with the planet.

Uranus does not have a solid surface; a third of its radius, approximately 8,000 km, is a gas shell.

Neptune- the last planet of the solar system. It is surrounded by 6 dark rings. The most beautiful shade of sea green gives the planet methane, which is present in the atmosphere. Neptune completes one orbit in 164 years. But it moves quickly enough around its axis, and a day passes in
16 hours. In some places, Neptune's orbit intersects with Pluto's orbit.

Neptune has a large number of satellites. Basically, they all orbit in front of Neptune's orbit and are called internal. There are only two external satellites accompanying the planet.

You can observe it on Neptune. However, the flares are too weak and occur throughout the planet, and not exclusively at the poles, as on Earth.

Once upon a time there were 9 planets in outer space. This number included Pluto. But due to its small size, the astronomical community has classified it as a dwarf planet (asteroid).

Here are some interesting facts and amazing stories about the planets of the solar system are discovered in the process of exploring the black depths of space.