About the weather on the planets of the solar system. Why does Mercury have no atmosphere?

In fact, even in the future, when a vacation somewhere around Jupiter is as common as today - on an Egyptian beach, the main tourist center will still remain Earth. The reason for this is simple: there is always good weather. But on other planets and satellites, this is very bad.

Mercury

The surface of the planet Mercury resembles that of the moon

Although Mercury has no atmosphere at all, it does have a climate. And creates it, of course, the scorching proximity of the Sun. And since air and water cannot efficiently transfer heat from one part of the planet to another, there are truly deadly temperature changes here.

On the day side of Mercury, the surface can warm up to 430 degrees Celsius - enough to melt tin, and on the night side - drop to -180 degrees Celsius. Against the backdrop of the terrifying heat nearby, at the bottom of some craters it is so cold that dirty ice has been preserved in this eternal shadow for millions of years.

The axis of rotation of Mercury is not tilted, like that of the Earth, but is strictly perpendicular to the orbit. Therefore, you won’t admire the change of seasons here: the same weather costs all year round. In addition to this, a day on the planet lasts about one and a half of our year.

Venus

Craters on the surface of Venus

Let's face it: the wrong planet was named Venus. Yes, in the dawn sky she really shines like clean water gem. But that's until you get to know her better. The neighboring planet can be considered as a visual aid on the issue of what the greenhouse effect that has crossed all boundaries can create.

The atmosphere of Venus is incredibly dense, restless and aggressive. Consisting mostly of carbon dioxide, she absorbs more solar energy than the same Mercury, although it is much farther from the Sun. Therefore, the planet is even hotter: almost unchanged over the course of the year, the temperature here is kept around 480 degrees Celsius. Add to this atmospheric pressure, which on Earth can only be obtained by diving into the ocean to a kilometer depth, and you hardly want to be here.

But this is not the whole truth about the bad character of the beauty. On the surface of Venus, powerful volcanoes continuously erupt, filling the atmosphere with soot and sulfur compounds, which quickly turn into sulfuric acid. Yes, on this planet go acid rain- and really acidic, which would easily leave wounds on the skin and corrode the photographic equipment of tourists.

However, tourists would not even be able to straighten up here to take a picture: the atmosphere of Venus rotates much faster than itself. On Earth, the air goes around the planet in almost a year, on Venus - in four hours, generating a constant hurricane-force wind. It is not surprising that even specially trained spacecraft could not survive for more than a few minutes in this disgusting climate. It's good that there is no such thing on our home planet. Our nature does not have bad weather, which is confirmed at http://www.gismeteo.ua/city/daily/4957/, and this is good news.

Mars

Atmosphere of Mars, image taken by the Viking artificial satellite in 1976. Galle's "smiley crater" is visible on the left

Fascinating finds that have been made on the Red Planet for last years, show that Mars was very different in the distant past. Billions of years ago, it was a humid planet with a good atmosphere and vast bodies of water. In some places, traces of the ancient coastline remained on it - but that's all: today it is better not to get here. Modern Mars is a naked and dead icy desert, through which powerful dust storms now and then sweep.

There is no dense atmosphere on the planet that could hold heat and water for a long time. How it disappeared is still not very clear, but most likely, Mars simply does not have enough “attractive power”: about twice smaller than Earth, it has almost three times less gravity.

As a result, deep cold reigns here at the poles and polar caps remain, consisting mainly of “dry snow” - frozen carbon dioxide. Admittedly, near the equator, daytime temperatures can be very comfortable, around 20 degrees Celsius. But, however, at night it will still fall several tens of degrees below zero.

Despite the frankly weak atmosphere of Mars, snow storms at its poles and dust storms in other parts are not at all uncommon. Samums, khamsins and other debilitating desert winds, carrying myriads of all-penetrating and prickly grains of sand, winds that are encountered only in certain regions on Earth, here can cover the entire planet, making it completely unphotographable for several days.

Jupiter and environs

To assess the scale of Jupiter's storms, even a powerful telescope is not required. The most impressive of them - the Great Red Spot - has not subsided for several centuries, and has three times the size of our entire Earth. However, he may soon lose his position as a long-term leader. A few years ago, astronomers discovered a new vortex on Jupiter, Oval BA, which is not yet the size of the Great Red Spot, but is growing at an alarming rate.

No, Jupiter is unlikely to attract even fans of extreme recreation. Hurricane winds blow constantly here, they cover the entire planet, moving at a speed of under 500 km / h, and often in opposite directions, which creates terrifying turbulent eddies at their borders (such as the Great Red Spot familiar to us, or Oval BA).

In addition to temperatures below -140 degrees Celsius and the deadly force of gravity, one more fact must not be forgotten - there is nowhere to walk on Jupiter. This planet is a gas giant, generally devoid of a definite solid surface. And even if some desperate skydiver managed to dive into its atmosphere, he would end up in the semi-liquid depths of the planet, where colossal gravity creates matter of exotic forms - say, superfluid metallic hydrogen.

But ordinary divers should pay attention to one of the satellites of the giant planet - Europe. In general, of the many satellites of Jupiter, at least two in the future will certainly be able to claim the title of "tourist Mecca".

For example, Europe is entirely covered by an ocean of salt water. The diver is expanse here - the depth reaches 100 km - if only to break through the ice crust that covers the entire satellite. So far, no one knows what the future follower of Jacques-Yves Cousteau will find on Europa: some planetary scientists suggest that conditions suitable for life may be found here.

Another Jupiter moon, Io, will no doubt become a favorite of photobloggers. The powerful gravity of a close and huge planet constantly deforms, “crumples” the satellite and heats its bowels to enormous temperatures. This energy breaks through to the surface in areas of geological activity and feeds hundreds of constantly active volcanoes. Due to the weak gravity on the satellite, the eruptions throw out impressive streams that rise hundreds of kilometers in height. Photographers are waiting for extremely mouth-watering shots!

Saturn with "suburbs"

No less tempting from the point of view of photography, of course, is Saturn with its brilliant rings. Of particular interest may be an unusual storm near the north pole of the planet, which has a shape of almost regular hexagon with sides of almost 14 thousand km.

But for a normal rest, Saturn is not at all adapted. In general, this is the same gas giant as Jupiter, only worse. The atmosphere here is cold and dense, and local hurricanes can move faster than sound and faster than a bullet - a speed of more than 1600 km / h was recorded.

But the climate of Saturn's moon Titan can attract a whole crowd of oligarchs. The point, however, is not at all in the surprising mildness of the weather. Titan is the only celestial body known to us that has a fluid cycle, like on Earth. Only the role of water is played here by ... liquid hydrocarbons.

The very substances that on Earth constitute the main wealth of the country - natural gas(methane) and other combustible compounds - on Titan are present in excess, in liquid form: for this it is cold enough here (- 162 degrees Celsius). Methane swirls in the clouds and rains, fills the rivers that flow into almost full-fledged seas... To pump - not to pump!

Uranus

Not the most distant, but the coldest planet in the entire solar system: the “thermometer” here can drop to an unpleasant mark of − 224 degrees Celsius. It is not much warmer than absolute zero. For some reason - perhaps due to a collision with some large body - Uranus rotates lying on its side, and North Pole the planets are turned towards the sun. Apart from powerful hurricanes, there is nothing to see here.

Neptune and Triton

Neptune (top) and Triton (below)

Like other gas giants, Neptune is a very turbulent place. Storms here can reach sizes larger than our entire planet and move at a record speed known to us: almost 2500 km / h. Other than that, it's a boring place. It is worth visiting Neptune only because of one of its satellites - Triton.

In general, Triton is as cold and monotonous as its planet, but tourists are always intrigued by everything transient and perishing. Triton is just one of those: the satellite is slowly approaching Neptune, and after a while it will be torn apart by its gravity. Some of the debris will fall on the planet, and some may form a kind of ring, like that of Saturn. It is not yet possible to say exactly when this will happen: somewhere in 10 or 100 million years. So you should hurry up to have time to see Triton - the famous "Dying Satellite".

Pluto

Deprived high rank planet, Pluto remained in dwarfs, but we can safely say: this is a very strange and inhospitable place. The orbit of Pluto is very long and strongly elongated into an oval, which is why the year here lasts almost 250 Earth years. During this time, the weather changes a lot.

While winter reigns on the dwarf planet, it freezes entirely. As it approaches the Sun, Pluto heats up. Surface ice, composed of methane, nitrogen and carbon monoxide, begins to evaporate, creating a thin atmospheric shell. Temporarily, Pluto becomes like a completely full-fledged planet, and at the same time like a comet: due to its dwarf size, the gas is not retained, but is carried away from it, creating a tail. Normal planets don't behave like this.

All these climatic anomalies are quite understandable. Life arose and developed precisely in terrestrial conditions, so the local climate is almost ideal for us. Even the worst Siberian frosts and tropical storms look like childish pranks compared to what awaits vacationers on Saturn or Neptune. Therefore, our advice to you for the future is not to waste long-awaited days of rest on these exotic places. We’d better take care of our own cozy one, so that even when interplanetary travel becomes available, our descendants can relax on an Egyptian beach or just outside the city, on a clean river.

closest to the sun and smallest planet system, only 0.055% of the size of the Earth. 80% of its mass is the core. The surface is rocky, indented with craters and funnels. The atmosphere is very rarefied and consists of carbon dioxide. The temperature of the sunny side is +500°C, reverse side-120оС. There is no gravitational or magnetic field on Mercury.

Venus

Venus has a very dense atmosphere 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 the Earth. The core of the planet 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 where 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 gravity of the planet has an ideal value. If it were smaller, oxygen would be in, if it were larger, hydrogen would collect 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 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 the earth. The atmosphere is made up 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. Larger than the Earth 318 times. Consists of a mixture of helium and hydrogen. Inside, Jupiter is hot, and therefore vortex structures predominate in its atmosphere. It 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 95 times larger than the earth, but its density is the smallest among the solar system. Its density is equal to the density of water. It has 62 known satellites.

Uranus

Uranus is 14 times larger than Earth. It is unique in its rotation "on its side". The tilt of its axis of rotation is 98o. The core of Uranus is very cold, because it gives off all the heat into space. Has 27 satellites.

Neptune

Larger than the Earth 17 times. Emits a lot of heat. It shows 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 a large amount of methane, which gives it its characteristic blue color.

Features of the planets of the solar system

hallmark of the planets solar fact their rotation not only around the Sun, but also along its own axis. Also, all planets are warm to a greater or lesser extent.

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  • Planets of the solar system

The solar system is a collection of cosmic bodies, the interaction between which is explained by the laws of gravity. The sun is the central object of the solar system. Being at different distances from the Sun, the planets rotate in almost the same plane, in the same direction along elliptical orbits. 4.57 billion years ago, the solar system was born as a result of powerful compression of a cloud of gas and dust.

The sun is a huge hot star, mostly composed of helium and hydrogen. Only 8 planets, 166 moons, 3 dwarf planets revolve in elliptical orbits around the Sun. As well as billions of comets, small planets, small meteoroids, cosmic dust.

The Polish scientist and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in the middle of the 16th century described the general characteristics and structure of the solar system. He changed the prevailing opinion at that time that the Earth was the center of the universe. He proved that the center is the Sun. The rest of the planets move around it along certain trajectories. The laws explaining the motion of the planets were formulated by Johannes Kepler in the 17th century. Isaac Newton, physicist and experimenter, substantiated the law of universal attraction. However, it was only in 1609 that they were able to study in detail the main properties and characteristics of the planets and objects of the solar system. The great Galileo invented the telescope. This invention made it possible to observe the nature of planets and objects with one's own eyes. Galileo was able to prove that the sun rotates on its axis by observing the movement of sunspots.

The main characteristics of the planets

The weight of the Sun exceeds the mass of others by almost 750 times. The force of gravity of the Sun allows it to hold 8 planets around it. Their names are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. All of them revolve around the Sun along a certain trajectory. Each of the planets has its own system of satellites. Previously, another planet revolving around the Sun was Pluto. But modern scientists, based on new facts, have deprived Pluto of the status of a planet.

Jupiter is the largest of the 8 planets. Its diameter is approximately 142,800 km. This exceeds the diameter of the Earth by 11 times. The planets closest to the Sun are considered terrestrial or inner planets. These include Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They, like the Earth, are composed of solid metals and silicates. This allows them to differ significantly from other planets located in the solar system.

The second type of planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. They are called outer, or Jupiterian planets. These planets are giant planets. They consist mainly of molten hydrogen and helium.

Almost all planets in the solar system have satellites. About 90% of the satellites are concentrated mainly in orbits around the Jovian planets. The planets move around the Sun in certain trajectories. Additionally, they also rotate around their own axis.

Small objects in the solar system

The most numerous and smallest bodies in the solar system are asteroids. A whole belt of asteroids is located between Mars and Jupiter, consists of objects with a diameter of more than 1 km. Clusters of asteroids are also called the "asteroid belt". The flight path of some asteroids is very close to the Earth. The number of asteroids in the belt is up to several million. The largest body is the dwarf planet Ceres. This is a lump irregular shape with a diameter of 0.5-1 km.

Comets, consisting mainly of ice fragments, belong to a peculiar group of small bodies. From major planets and their companions, they are distinguished by their low weight. The diameter of the largest comets is only a few kilometers. But all comets have huge “tails” that are larger than the Sun in volume. When comets come close to the Sun, the ice evaporates and a dust cloud forms around the comet as a result of sublimation processes. The released dust particles under the pressure of the solar wind begin to glow.

Another cosmic body is a meteor. As it enters Earth's orbit, it burns up, leaving a luminous trail in the sky. A variety of meteors are meteorites. These are larger meteors. Their trajectory sometimes passes close to the Earth's atmosphere. Due to the instability of the trajectory of movement, meteors can fall on the surface of our planet, forming craters.

One more objects solar system are centaurs. They are comet-like bodies, consisting of ice fragments of large diameter. According to their characteristics, structure and nature of movement, they are considered both comets and asteroids.

According to the latest data from scientific research, the solar system was formed as a result of gravitational collapse. As a result of powerful compression, a cloud was formed. Under the influence of gravitational forces, planets were formed from particles of dust and gas. The solar system belongs to the galaxy Milky Way and removed from its center by about 25-35 thousand light years. Every second throughout the universe, systems of planets similar to the solar system are born. And, very likely, they also have sentient beings like us.

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Those who continue to believe that the solar system includes nine planets are deeply mistaken. The thing is that in 2006 Pluto was expelled from the big nine and now belongs to the category of dwarf planets. There are eight ordinary ones, although the authorities of Illinois legislated in their state for Pluto the former status.

Instruction

After 2006, Mercury became the smallest planet. For scientists, it is of interest both because of the unusual relief in the form of jagged slopes that strewn the entire surface, and the period of rotation around its axis. It turns out that it is only a third less than the time of a complete revolution around the Sun. This is due to the strong tidal effect of the star, which slowed down the natural rotation of Mercury.

Venus, the second farthest from the center of gravity, is famous for its "hotness" - the temperature of its atmosphere is even higher than that of the previous object. The effect is due to the greenhouse system present on it, which arose due to the increased density and the predominance of carbon dioxide.

The third planet - Earth - is the habitat of people, and so far it is the only one where the presence of life has been accurately recorded. It has something that the previous two do not have - a satellite called the Moon, which joined it shortly after its formation, and this significant event occurred about 4.5 billion years ago.

The most warlike sphere of the solar system can be called Mars: its color is red due to high percentage in the soil of iron oxide, geological activity ended just 2 million years ago, and two satellites were attracted by force from among the asteroids.

Fifth in distance from the Sun, but the first in size, Jupiter has unusual story. It is believed that he had all the makings of turning into a brown dwarf - a small star, because the smallest of this category exceeds it in diameter by only 30%. Larger than it is, Jupiter will no longer receive dimensions: if its mass increased, this would lead to an increase in density under the influence of gravity.

Saturn is the only one among all the others that has a noticeable disk - the Cassini belt, consisting of small objects and debris surrounding it. Like Jupiter, it belongs to the class of gas giants, but is significantly inferior in density not only to it, but also to terrestrial water. Despite its "gaseousness", Saturn has a real northern lights at one of its poles, and its atmosphere is raging with hurricanes and storms.

The next on the list, Uranus, like its neighbor Neptune, belongs to the category of ice giants: its bowels contain the so-called “hot ice”, which differs from the usual high temperature, but does not turn into steam due to strong compression. In addition to the "cold" component, Uranus also has a number of rocks, as well as the complex structure of clouds.

Closes the list of Neptune, discovered in a very unusual way. Unlike other planets discovered by visual observation, that is, more complex optical devices, Neptune was not noticed immediately, but only due to the strange behavior of Uranus. Later, through complex calculations, the location of the mysterious object exerting influence on him was discovered.

Advice 4: Which planets in the solar system have an atmosphere

Earth's atmosphere is very different from the atmospheres of other planets in the solar system. Having a nitrogen-oxygen basis, the earth's atmosphere creates the conditions for life, which, due to certain circumstances, cannot exist on other planets.

Instruction

Venus is the closest planet to the planet that has an atmosphere, and of such a high density that even Mikhail Lomonosov in 1761 claimed its existence. The presence of an atmosphere on Venus is so obvious fact that until the twentieth century, mankind was under the influence of the illusion that the Earth and Venus are twin planets, and that life is also possible on Venus.

Space research has shown that things are far from rosy. The atmosphere of Venus is ninety-five percent carbon dioxide, and does not release heat from the Sun to the outside, creating a greenhouse effect. Because of this, the temperature on the surface of Venus is 500 degrees Celsius, and the likelihood of life on it is negligible.

Mars has an atmosphere similar in composition to Venus, also consisting mainly of carbon dioxide, but with impurities of nitrogen, argon, oxygen and water vapor, however, in very small quantities. Despite the acceptable temperature of the surface of Mars at certain times of the day, it is impossible to breathe such an atmosphere.

In defense of supporters of ideas about life on other planets, it is worth noting that planetary scientists, having studied chemical composition rocks of Mars, in 2013 stated that 4 billion years ago, the red planet was due to the presence of accompanying cosmic bodies held by gravity.


Start at scientific research Jupiter's satellites were laid back in the 17th century by the famous astronomer Galileo Galilei. He discovered the first four satellites. Thanks to the development of the space industry and the launch of interplanetary research stations, it became possible to discover small moons of Jupiter. Currently, based on information from the NASA space laboratory, it is safe to talk about 67 satellites with confirmed orbits.


It is believed that the moons of Jupiter can be grouped into outer and inner. External objects include objects located at a considerable distance from the planet. The orbits of the inner ones are much closer.


Satellites with internal orbits, or as they are also called Jupiterian moons, are quite large bodies. Scientists have noticed that the arrangement of these moons is similar to the solar system, only in miniature. Jupiter in this case acts as if in the role of the Sun. External satellites differ from internal ones in their small size.


Among the most famous large satellites of Jupiter, one can note those that belong to the so-called Galilean satellites. These are Ganymede (dimensions in km - 5262.4,), Europe (3121.6 km), Io. as well as Calisto (4820, 6 km).


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The atmosphere is the gaseous shell of the planet, moving together with the planet in world space as a whole. Almost all the planets in our solar system have their own atmospheres, but only Earth's atmosphere can support life. In the atmospheres of planets there are aerosol particles: solid dust particles raised from the solid surface of the planet, liquid or solid particles resulting from the condensation of atmospheric gases, meteor dust. Let us consider in detail the composition and features of the atmospheres of the planets of the solar system.

Mercury. There are traces of an atmosphere on this planet: helium, argon, oxygen, carbon and xenon are recorded. The pressure of the atmosphere on the surface of Mercury is extremely low: it is two trillionth of the normal earth pressure. atmospheric pressure. With such a rarefied atmosphere, the formation of winds and clouds is impossible in it, it does not protect the planet from the heat of the Sun and cosmic radiation.

Venus. In 1761, Mikhail Lomonosov, observing the passage of Venus across the disk of the Sun, noticed a thin iridescent rim that surrounded the planet. This is how the atmosphere of Venus was discovered. This atmosphere is extremely powerful: the pressure at the surface turned out to be 90 times greater than at the surface of the Earth. The atmosphere of Venus is 96.5% carbon dioxide. No more than 3% is accounted for by nitrogen. In addition, impurities of inert gases (first of all, argon) were found. The greenhouse effect in the atmosphere of Venus raises the temperature by 400 degrees!

The sky on Venus has a bright yellow-green hue. The foggy haze extends to a height of about 50 km. Further, up to a height of 70 km, clouds of small drops of sulfuric acid go. It is believed that it is formed from sulfur dioxide, the source of which may be volcanoes. The speed of rotation at the level of the upper boundary of the clouds is different than above the very surface of the planet. This means that a hurricane-force wind at a speed of 100-300 m/s is constantly blowing over the equator of Venus at an altitude of 60-70 km in the direction of the planet's motion. The uppermost layers of Venus's atmosphere are composed almost entirely of hydrogen.

The atmosphere of Venus extends up to an altitude of 5500 km. In accordance with the rotation of Venus from east to west, the atmosphere also rotates in the same direction. According to the temperature profile, the atmosphere of Venus is divided into two regions: the troposphere and the thermosphere. On the surface, the temperature is + 460 ° C, it changes little day and night. To the upper boundary of the troposphere, the temperature drops to -93°C.

Mars. The sky of this planet is not black, as it was supposed, but pink. It turned out that the dust hanging in the air absorbs 40% of the incoming sunlight, creating a color effect. The atmosphere of Mars is 95% carbon dioxide. About 4% is accounted for by nitrogen and argon. Oxygen and water vapor in the Martian atmosphere is less than 1%. The average atmospheric pressure at the surface level is 15,000 times less than on Venus, and 160 times less than at the Earth's surface. The greenhouse effect raises average temperature near the surface at 9°C.

Mars is characterized by sharp fluctuations in temperature: during the day the temperature can reach +27°С, but by morning it can reach -50°С. This is due to the fact that the rarefied atmosphere of Mars is not able to retain heat. One of the manifestations of the temperature difference is very strong winds, whose speed reaches 100 m/s. On Mars there are clouds of a wide variety of shapes and types: cirrus, wavy.

Earth- the planet of the solar system, located at a distance of 150 million kilometers from the sun. The earth revolves around him average speed 29.765 km/s. It makes a complete revolution around the Sun in a period equal to 365.24 mean solar days. Earth satellite - Moon, circulates at a distance of 384,400 km. Incline earth's axis to the plane of the ecliptic 66° 33" 22", period of revolution around the axis 23 h 56 min 4.1 s. Shape - geoid, spheroid. The equatorial radius is 6378.16 km, the polar one is 6356.777 km. Surface area - 510.2 million km 2. The mass of the Earth is 6 * 10 24 kg. Volume - 1.083 * 10 12 km 3. The gravitational field of the Earth determines the existence of the atmosphere and the spherical shape of the planet.

The average density of the Earth is 5.5 g/cm 3 . This is almost twice as high as the density of surface rocks (about 3 g/cm3). The density increases with depth. Inner part The lithosphere forms the core, which is in a molten state. Studies have shown that the core is divided into two zones: the inner core (radius about 1300 km), which is probably solid, and the liquid outer core (radius about 3400 km). The hard shell is also heterogeneous, it has a sharp interface at a depth of about 40 km. This boundary is called the Mohorovichic surface. The region above the Mohorović surface is called bark, below - mantle. The mantle, like the crust, is in a solid state, with the exception of individual lava "pockets". With depth, the density of the mantle increases from 3.3 g/cm 3 near the surface of Mohorovicic and up to 5.2 g/cm 3 at the boundary of the core. At the boundary of the core, it jumps up to 9.4 g/cm 3 . The density at the center of the Earth is in the range from 14.5 g/cm 3 to 18 g/cm 3 . At the lower boundary of the mantle, the pressure reaches 1300,000 atm. When descending into the mines, the temperature rises rapidly - by about 20 ° C per 1 kilometer. The temperature in the center of the Earth, apparently, does not exceed 9000°C. Since the rate of temperature increase with depth decreases on average as one approaches the center of the Earth, heat sources should be concentrated in the outer parts of the lithosphere, most likely in the mantle. The only conceivable reason for the heating of the mantle is radioactive decay. 71% of the earth's surface is occupied by oceans, which form the bulk of the hydrosphere. Earth- the only planet in the solar system that has a hydrosphere. The hydrosphere supplies water vapor to the atmosphere. Water vapor through infrared absorption creates a significant greenhouse effect, raising the average temperature of the Earth's surface by about 40°C. The presence of the hydrosphere played decisive role in the origin of life on earth.

The chemical composition of the Earth's atmosphere at sea level is oxygen (about 20%) and nitrogen (about 80%). Modern composition of the Earth's atmosphere, apparently, is very different from the primary, which took place 4.5 * 10 9 years ago, when the crust was formed. The biosphere - plants, animals and microorganisms - significantly affects both general characteristics planet Earth, and the chemical composition of its atmosphere.

Moon

The diameter of the Moon is 4 times less than the Earth's, and the mass is 81 times less. Moon- the celestial body closest to the Earth.

The density of the Moon is less than that of the Earth (3.3 g/cm3). It does not have a core, but a constant temperature is maintained in the bowels. Significant temperature drops were recorded on the surface: from +120°С in the subsolar point of the Moon to -170°С on the opposite side. This is explained, firstly, by the absence of an atmosphere, and secondly, by the duration lunar day and a lunar night equal to two Earth weeks.

The relief of the lunar surface includes lowlands and mountainous areas. Traditionally, the lowlands are called "seas", although they are not filled with water. From Earth, the "seas" are visible as dark spots on the Moon's surface. Their names are quite exotic: the Sea of ​​Cold, the Ocean of Storms, the Sea of ​​Moscow, the Sea of ​​Crises, etc.

Mountainous areas are occupied most the surface of the Moon and include mountain ranges and craters. The names of many lunar mountain ranges are similar to those of the earth: Apennines, Carpathians, Altai. The highest mountains reach a height of 9 km.

Craters occupy the largest area of ​​the lunar surface. Some of them have a diameter of about 200 km (Clavius ​​and Schickard). some are several times smaller (Aristarchus, Anaximei).

The lunar surface is most convenient for observation from the Earth in places where day and night border, i.e., near the terminator. In general, only one hemisphere of the Moon can be seen from the Earth, but exceptions are possible. As a result of the fact that the Moon moves in its orbit unevenly and its shape is not strictly spherical, its periodic pendulum oscillations about its center of mass are observed. This leads to the fact that about 60% of the lunar surface can be observed from the Earth. This phenomenon is called the libration of the moon.

There is no atmosphere on the moon. Sounds do not propagate on it, because there is no air.

Moon phases

The moon does not have its own luminosity. therefore, it is visible only in the part where the rays of the sun or reflected by the Earth fall. This explains the phases of the moon. Every month, the Moon, moving in its orbit, passes between the Earth and the Sun and faces us dark side(new moon). A few days later, a narrow crescent of the young moon appears in the western part of the sky. The rest of the lunar disk is dimly lit at this time. After 7 days, the first quarter comes, after 14-15 - the full moon. On the 22nd day, the last quarter is observed, and after 30 days, the full moon again.

Moon exploration

The first attempts to study the surface of the Moon took place quite a long time ago, but direct flights to the Moon began only in the second half of the 20th century.

In 1958, the first landing of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon took place, and in 1969 the first people landed on it. These were the American cosmonauts N. Armstrong and E. Oldrnn, who were brought there spaceship"Apollo 11".

The main objectives of the flights to the Moon were to take soil samples and study the topography of the Moon's surface. Photographs of the invisible side of the Moon were first taken by the Luna-Z and Luna-9 spacecraft. Soil sampling was carried out by the Luna-16, Luna-20 and other devices.

Sea tides and tides on Earth.

On Earth, high and low tides alternate on average every 12 hours and 25 minutes. The phenomenon of ebbs and flows is associated with the attraction of the Earth to the Sun and Moon. But due to the fact that the distance to the Sun is too large (150 * 10 6 km), the solar tides are much weaker than the lunar ones.

On the part of our planet that faces the Moon, the force of attraction is greater, and less on the peripheral direction. As a result of this, the water shell of the Earth is stretched along the line connecting the Earth with the Moon. Therefore, in the part of the Earth facing the Moon, the water of the World Ocean bulges (a tide occurs). Along the circle, the plane of which is perpendicular to the Earth-Moon line and passes through the center of the Earth, the water level in the oceans decreases (there is a low tide).

The tides slow down the rotation of the Earth. According to the calculations of scientists earlier, the Earth day was no more than 6 hours.

Mercury

  • Distance from the Sun - 58 * 10 6 km
  • Average density - 54 200 kg / m 3
  • Mass - 0.056 Earth masses
  • The period of revolution around the Sun is 88 Earth days
  • Diameter - 0.4 Earth diameter
  • Satellites - no
  • Physical conditions:

  • closest planet to the sun
  • No atmosphere
  • The surface is littered with craters
  • The daily temperature range is 660°С (from +480°С to -180°С)
  • The magnetic field is 150 times weaker than the earth's

Venus

  • Distance from the Sun - 108 * 10 6 km
  • Average density - 5240 kg / m 3
  • Mass - 0.82 Earth masses
  • The period of revolution around the Sun is 225 Earth days
  • The period of revolution around its own axis is 243 days, the rotation is reverse
  • Diameter - 12,100 km
  • Satellites - no

Physical conditions

The atmosphere is denser than Earth. The composition of the atmosphere: carbon dioxide - 96%, nitrogen and inert gases> 4%, oxygen - 0.002%, water vapor - 0.02%. The pressure is 95-97 atm., the temperature at the surface is 470-480 ° C, which is due to the presence of greenhouse effect. The planet is surrounded by a layer of clouds consisting of droplets of sulfuric acid with impurities of chlorine and sulfur. The surface is mostly smooth, with few ridges (10% of the surface) and craters (17% of the surface). The soil is basalt. magnetic field no.

Mars

  • Distance from the Sun - 228 * 10 6 km
  • Average density - 3950 kg / m 3
  • Mass - 0.107 Earth masses
  • The period of revolution around the Sun is 687 Earth days
  • The period of revolution around its own axis is 24 h 37 min 23 s
  • Diameter - 6800 km
  • Satellites - 2 satellites: Phobos, Deimos

Physical conditions

The atmosphere is rarefied, the pressure is 100 times less than the earth. The composition of the atmosphere: carbon dioxide - 95%, nitrogen - more than 2%. oxygen - 0.3%, water vapor - 1%. The daily temperature range is 115°C (from +25°C during the day to -90°C at night). In the atmosphere, rare clouds and fog are observed, which indicates the release of moisture from groundwater reservoirs. The surface is littered with craters. The soil includes phosphorus, calcium, silicon, as well as iron oxides, which give the planet its red color. The magnetic field is 500 times weaker than the earth's.

Jupiter

  • Distance from the Sun - 778 * 10 6 km
  • Average density - 1330 kg / m 3
  • Mass - 318 Earth masses
  • The period of revolution around the Sun is 11.86 years
  • Period of revolution around its axis - 9 h 55 min 29 s
  • Diameter - 142,000 km
  • Satellites - 16 satellites. Io, Gunnmed, Callisto, Europe are the largest
  • 12 satellites rotate in one direction and 4 - in the opposite direction

Physical conditions

The atmosphere contains 90% hydrogen, 9% helium and 1% other gases (mainly ammonia). Clouds are made of ammonia. The radiation of Jupiter is 2.9 times greater than the energy received from the Sun. The planet is strongly flattened at the poles. The polar radius is 4400 km less than the equatorial one. Large cyclones are formed on the planet with a lifetime of up to 100 thousand years. The Great Red Spot observed on Jupiter is an example of such a cyclone. There may be a solid core in the center of the planet, although the bulk of the planet is in a liquid state. The magnetic field is 12 times stronger than the earth's.

Saturn

  • Distance from the Sun - 1426 * 10 6 km
  • Average density - 690 kg / m 3
  • Mass - 95 Earth masses
  • The period of revolution around the Sun is 29.46 years
  • Period of revolution around its axis - 10 h 14 min
  • Diameter - 50,000 km
  • Satellites - about 30 satellites. Most are icy.
  • Some: Pandora, Prometheus, Janus, Epimetheus, Dione, Helen, Mimas, Encelau, Tefnia, Rhea, Titan, Yanet, Phoebe.

Physical conditions

The atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium, methane, ammonia. It receives 92 times less heat from the Sun than the Earth, reflects 45% of this energy. It gives off twice as much heat as it receives. Saturn has rings. The rings are divided into hundreds of individual rings. Discovered by X. Huygens. Rings are not solid. They have a meteorite structure, that is, they consist of solid particles of various sizes. The magnetic field is comparable to that of the earth.

Uranus

  • Distance from the Sun - 2869 * 10 6 km
  • Average density - 1300 kg / m 3
  • Mass - 14.5 Earth masses
  • The period of revolution around the Sun is 84.01 years
  • Period of revolution around its own axis -16 h 48 min
  • Equatorial diameter - 52,300 km
  • Satellites - 15 satellites. Some of them are: Oberon (the most distant and second largest), Miranda, Cordelia (the closest to the planet), Ariel, Umbriel, Titania
  • 5 satellites move in the direction of the planet's rotation near the plane of its equator in almost circular orbits, 10 revolve around Uranus inside Miranda's orbit

Physical conditions

The composition of the atmosphere: hydrogen, helium, methane. Atmospheric temperature -150°С by radio emission. Methane clouds have been found in the atmosphere. The bowels of the planet are hot. The axis of rotation is inclined at an angle of 98°. Found 10 dark rings separated by gaps. The magnetic field is 1.2 times weaker than the earth's and extends over 18 radii. There is a radiation belt.

Neptune

  • Distance from the Sun - 4496 * 10 6 km
  • Average density - 1600 kg / m 3
  • Mass - 17.3 Earth masses
  • The period of revolution around the Sun is 164.8 years
  • Satellites - 2 satellites: Triton, Nereid

Physical conditions

The atmosphere is extended and consists of hydrogen (50%), helium (15%), methane (20%), ammonia (5%). The temperature of the atmosphere is about -230°C according to calculations, and according to radio emission -170°C. This indicates the hot bowels of the planet. Neptune was discovered on September 23, 1846 by I. G. Gallev from the Berlin Observatory using the calculations of the astronomer J. J. Le Verrier.

Pluto

  • Distance from the Sun - 5900 * 10 6
  • Average density - 1000-1200 kg / m 3
  • Mass - 0.02 Earth masses
  • The period of revolution around the Sun is 248 years
  • Diameter - 3200 km
  • The period of revolution around its axis is 6.4 days
  • Satellites - 1 satellite - Charon, was discovered in 1978 by JW Krnsti from the Marine Laboratory in Washington.

Physical conditions

No visible signs of an atmosphere were found. Above the surface of the planet, the maximum temperature is -212°C, and the minimum is -273°C. Pluto's surface is thought to be covered by a layer of methane ice, and water ice is also possible. Acceleration free fall on the surface is 0.49 m/s 2 . The speed of Pluto's orbit is 16.8 km/h.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh and named after ancient greek god the underworld, because it is poorly illuminated by the Sun. Charon, according to the ancient Greeks, was the carrier of the dead to the kingdom of the dead across the river Styx.

The Sun, eight of the nine planets (except Mercury) and three of the sixty-three satellites have an atmosphere. Each atmosphere has its own special chemical composition and behavior called "weather". Atmospheres are divided into two groups: for terrestrial planets, the dense surface of the continents or the ocean determines the conditions at the lower boundary of the atmosphere, and for gas giants, the atmosphere is practically bottomless.

About the planets separately:

1. Mercury has practically no atmosphere - only an extremely rarefied helium shell with a density earth's atmosphere at an altitude of 200 km. Probably, helium is formed during the decay radioactive elements in the bowels of the planet. Mercury has a weak magnetic field and no satellites.

2. The atmosphere of Venus consists mainly of carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as a small amount of nitrogen (N2) and water vapor (H2O). Hydrochloric acid (HCl) and hydrofluoric acid (HF) were found as small impurities. Surface pressure 90 bar (as in the earth's seas at a depth of 900 m); the temperature is about 750 K over the entire surface both day and night. The reason for this high temperature near the surface of Venus in what is not quite accurately called the "greenhouse effect": the sun's rays pass relatively easily through the clouds of its atmosphere and heat the surface of the planet, but the thermal infrared radiation the surface itself escapes through the atmosphere back into space with great difficulty.

3. The rarefied atmosphere of Mars consists of 95% carbon dioxide and 3% nitrogen. Water vapor, oxygen and argon are present in small quantities. The average pressure at the surface is 6 mbar (i.e., 0.6% of the earth's). At such a low pressure, there can be no liquid water. The average daily temperature is 240 K, and maximum in summer at the equator it reaches 290 K. Daily temperature fluctuations are about 100 K. Thus, the climate of Mars is the climate of a cold, dehydrated high-altitude desert.

4. A telescope on Jupiter shows cloud bands parallel to the equator; bright zones in them are interspersed with reddish belts. Probably, bright zones are areas of updrafts where the tops of ammonia clouds are visible; reddish belts are associated with downdrafts, the bright color of which is determined by ammonium hydrosulfate , as well as compounds of red phosphorus, sulfur, and organic polymers. In addition to hydrogen and helium, CH4, NH3, H2O, C2H2, C2H6, HCN, CO, CO2, PH3, and GeH4 have been spectroscopically detected in Jupiter's atmosphere.

5. In a telescope, the disk of Saturn does not look as impressive as Jupiter: it has a brownish-orange color and weakly pronounced belts and zones. The reason is that the upper regions of its atmosphere are filled with light-scattering ammonia (NH3) fog. Saturn is farther from the Sun, therefore, the temperature of its upper atmosphere (90 K) is 35 K lower than that of Jupiter, and ammonia is in a condensed state. With depth, the temperature of the atmosphere increases by 1.2 K / km, so the cloud structure resembles that of Jupiter: under a cloud layer of ammonium hydrosulfate there is a layer of water clouds. In addition to hydrogen and helium, CH4, NH3, C2H2, C2H6, C3H4, C3H8, and PH3 have been spectroscopically detected in Saturn's atmosphere.

6. The atmosphere of Uranus contains mainly hydrogen, 12-15% helium and some other gases. The temperature of the atmosphere is about 50 K, although in the upper rarefied layers it rises to 750 K during the day and 100 K at night.

7. The Great Dark Spot and a complex system of vortex flows were discovered in the atmosphere of Neptune.

8. Pluto has a highly elongated and inclined orbit; at perihelion, it approaches the Sun at 29.6 AU and recedes at aphelion at 49.3 AU. Pluto passed perihelion in 1989; from 1979 to 1999 it was closer to the Sun than Neptune. However, due to the large inclination of Pluto's orbit, its path never intersects with Neptune. The average surface temperature of Pluto is 50 K, it changes from aphelion to perihelion by 15 K, which is quite noticeable at such low temperatures. In particular, this leads to the appearance of a rarefied methane atmosphere during the period of the planet's passage of perihelion, but its pressure is 100,000 times less than the pressure of the earth's atmosphere. Pluto cannot hold the atmosphere for a long time, because it is smaller than the moon.