Which planets do not have natural satellites. The largest satellites in the world

Most a large number of satellites among the planets solar system the planet Jupiter has as many as 63. In addition to them, this planet can also boast of a system of rings. The first 4 satellites were discovered back in the Middle Ages in the 17th century with the help of a telescope, and the last (most of them) - at the end of the 20th century with the help of spacecraft. The sizes of most of them are not too large - only from 2 to 4 kilometers in diameter. Saturn has a little less satellites - 60. But one of its satellites, Titan, is the second largest in the solar system and has a diameter of 5100 km.

The third largest satellite is Uranus. He has 27 of them. And such planets as Venus and Mercury do not have satellites at all. 5-11-2010

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it controversial issue. In each country, different cars are chosen to work in a taxi. Basically, the selection of cars is based on price. Very important specifications car. Now that quality car maintenance, Why do all the planets look different? The reason why the planets seem different to us is that each of them is made up of different substances. Despite the fact that they all revolve around the Sun and are part of the same solar system, their composition varies. Very little is known about what the planets are made of, and this is one of those questions that man hopes to get answered with the help of space research that has been carried out and is planned. There are so many different bodies located and all of them are divided into types and classes. For example, you often hear that on such and such a planet or star ... and so on. What is the difference between a star and a planet? The difference between them is quite large, although at first glance it is not noticeable. To make it more clear, imagine our Sun and Earth. The sun is the real star. And here is the Earth For those who decide to learn any of foreign languages It should be noted that there are subjective and objective assessments practical action. The subjective ones speak about the proximity of the new language to the native one, and the objective ones - about the number of rules that describe the language being studied. The fewer of them, the easier it is to learn. There are the following Language Difficulty Levels: - the first one is the easiest (English, French, Italian, Spanish, German). - second - medium complexity Why planets revolve around the Sun? Have you ever spin a ball tied to a string? Then you know that as the ball spins, it pulls on the string. The ball will pull on the string as long as it rotary motion. The planets move in exactly the same way as your ball. Only they have much more mass. And besides, the planets revolve around the sun. But where is the rope that holds them? In fact, no string exists. Exists

A satellite is a dense natural object that revolves around a planet. No specific scientific explanation provides a satisfactory answer to the question of how satellites came into existence, although there are several theories. The moon was considered the only satellite, but after the invention of the telescope, satellites of others were discovered. Each planet has one or more satellites except for Mercury and Venus. Jupiter the largest number satellites - 67. Technological advances have allowed man to detect and even send spacecraft on an expedition to other planets and their satellites.

The largest moons in our solar system are:

Ganymede

Ganymede is the largest moon in our system, orbiting Jupiter. Its diameter is 5262 km. The satellite is larger than Mercury and Pluto, and could easily be called a planet if it revolved around the Sun. Ganymede has its own magnetic field. It was discovered by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei on January 7, 1610. The satellite orbits at a distance of about 1,0700,400 km from Jupiter and takes 7.1 Earth days to complete its orbit. The surface of Ganymede has two main types of scenery. It has lighter and younger regions, as well as a darker crater region. The atmosphere of the satellite is thin and contains oxygen in dispersed molecules. Ganymede is mostly made up of water ice and rock, and presumably has underground oceans. The name of the satellite comes from the name of the prince in ancient Greek mythology.

Titanium

Titan is a moon of Saturn with a diameter of 5,150 km, making it the second largest moon in the solar system. It was discovered by the Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens in 1655. The satellite has a dense atmosphere similar to that of Earth. 90% of the atmosphere consists of nitrogen, and the remaining 10% are methane, a small amount of ammonia, argon and ethane. Titan makes a complete revolution around Saturn in 16 days. On the surface of the satellite there are seas and lakes filled with liquid hydrocarbons. This is the only cosmic body in the solar system, except for the Earth, which has water bodies. The name of the satellite is taken from ancient Greek mythology, in honor of the ancient gods called titans. Ice and rock make up the bulk of Titan's mass.

Callisto

Callisto is the second largest moon of Jupiter and the third largest moon in the solar system. It has a diameter of 4821 km and is estimated by scientists to be about 4.5 billion years old; its surface is mostly dotted with craters. Callisto was discovered by Galileo Galilei on January 7, 1610. The satellite got its name in honor of a nymph from ancient Greek mythology. Callisto orbits Jupiter at a distance of about 1,882,700 km and completes its orbit in 16.7 Earth days. It is the most distant moon from Jupiter, meaning it has not been significantly affected by the planet's powerful magnetosphere. Water ice as well as other materials such as magnesium and hydrated silicates make up most satellite mass. Callisto has a dark surface and is thought to be a salty sea underneath.

And about

Io is the third largest moon of Jupiter and the fourth largest in the solar system. Its diameter is 3,643 km. The first satellite was discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. This is the most volcanically active space body along with the Earth. Its surface mainly consists of floodplains of liquid rocks and lava lakes. Io is located about 422,000 km from Jupiter, and makes a complete revolution around the planet in 1.77 Earth days. The satellite has spotted species dominated by white, red, yellow, black and orange. Io's atmosphere is dominated by sulfur dioxide. The satellite was named after a nymph from ancient Greek mythology who was seduced by Zeus. Beneath Io's surface is an iron core and an outer layer of silicates.

Other major satellites

Other large satellites of the solar system include: the Moon (3,475 km), the Earth; Europe (3,122 km), Jupiter; Triton (2,707 km), Neptune; Titania (1,578 km), Uranus; Rhea (1,529 km), Saturn and Oberon (1,523 km), Uranus. Most observations of these satellites are made from Earth. Advances in technology enable scientists to send spacecraft to different corners Solar System for more information about the planets and their moons.

Table: TOP 10 largest satellites in the solar system

The science

Our solar system has great amount various space bodies, including 200 large satellites revolving around the main planets, dwarf planets and even around asteroids. Many of these satellites have curious features. In this article, you will be introduced to the 10 most interesting companions our star system and learn about their features.

1) Nereid, satellite of Neptune

Nereid was discovered in 1949 Gerard Kuiper. It is the third largest moon of Neptune. It has the most eccentric orbit of any satellite in the solar system. Because of this, the distance between the planet and its satellite varies greatly. The satellite can fly up to Neptune as close as 1.4 million kilometers. The farthest he can retire to a distance of 9.6 million kilometers. To make one revolution around Neptune, given such a far distance from it, Nereid needs 360 Earth days.

2) Mimas, moon of Saturn

This one is not large satellite was opened in 1789 William Herschel. The average diameter of this object is about 400 kilometers. Mimas is notable for the fact that on its surface there is a giant Herschel crater with a diameter of about 130 kilometers and a depth of 10 kilometers. Herschel is not the largest crater in the solar system, but it is very unusual. The crater covers one-third of the surface of Mimas and makes it look like the Death Star Station from Star Wars.

3) Iapetus, satellite of Saturn

Discovered in 1671 Giovanni Cassini, Saturn's moon Iapetus has been recognized as one of the strangest moons in the solar system. The diameter of Iapetus averages 1460 kilometers. Distinctive feature of this satellite is that it has areas of different colors that reflect light differently. One half of the planet is black as coal, while the other half is exceptionally light and bright. Because of this, we can only observe a satellite when it appears on one side of the planet. Iapetus also has a mountain range - an equatorial mountain ring that reaches a height of about 10 kilometers and encircles the object along its equator. Scientists have put forward 2 hypotheses explaining the appearance of these mountains. According to one version, the ring was formed at the beginning of the existence of the satellite, when Iapetus rotated much faster than now. Other scientists believe that Mountain chain formed from the material of another satellite, which belonged to Iapetus itself, but crashed, and its fragments settled on the equator of Iapetus.

4) Dactyl, satellite of the asteroid Ida

Discovered in 1995 with spaceship Galileo, the satellite of the asteroid Ida - Dactyl - is about a kilometer in diameter. This satellite is notable for being the first discovered satellite orbiting an asteroid. Scientists still cannot say for sure about the origin of this satellite and do not know whether it is part of the native asteroid, or was once captured by this asteroid. Dactyl proves the existence of moons around asteroids. After that, scientists noticed two dozen more similar satellites around various other asteroids in the solar system.

5) Europa, satellite of Jupiter

Europa has been discovered Galileo Galilei in January 1610. It is quite a bit smaller than our moon. Europa's surface is striking, carved with dark intersecting lines. Scientists suggest that the lines represent cracks and breaks in the ice shell of Europa. Perhaps the cracks were formed due to the influence of Jupiter and other satellites orbiting the planet. Beneath the thick layer of ice on Europa may be an ocean of liquid salt water, which is what makes the satellite special. Unlike the Earth, it is believed that Europa has a very deep ocean, so it covers the entire satellite completely. Since Europa is located quite far from the Sun, its ocean has frozen, forming a crust about 100 kilometers thick. Perhaps because of the internal more high temperature the water under the ice crust can remain liquid.

6) Enceladus, moon of Saturn

Enceladus is the sixth largest moon of Saturn. It is not the largest, but it has a number of interesting features. Enceladus discovered in 1789 William Herschel. It is the brightest cosmic body in the solar system and reflects 100 percent of sunlight from its surface. This fact makes it one of the coldest places, the temperature on the surface of the satellite is about minus 200 degrees Celsius. As you can see in the image, this satellite has a certain number of impact craters, but there are also fairly smooth areas that indicate that the surface of the satellite flattened out in the geologically recent past. On the south pole the satellite has large dark faults, which also indicate recent geological activity. These fractures release tons of material that makes up Saturn's E ring.

7) Io, satellite of Jupiter

Io was discovered in January 1610 by the same Galileo Galilei. It is slightly larger than our moon. Io is the most volcanically active place in the solar system. The satellite is covered with many volcanoes, which release jets of substances at a distance of about 300 kilometers above the surface. Ordinarily, an object of this size should have ceased volcanic activity a very long time ago, but due to Io's orbital resonances with Jupiter, Europa and Ganymede, tidal heating occurs in the bowels of the satellite. If we omit the details, we can say that the increased volcanic activity of the satellite is associated with nearby cosmic bodies and the composition of its internal characteristics. Tidal heating causes most of the material underlying the surface to remain in a liquid state, which constantly changes the surface of the satellite.

8) Titan, satellite of Saturn

Titan is the only satellite besides our Moon on whose surface a spacecraft has landed. It was opened in 1655 Christian Huygens. Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system. It is covered with dense foggy atmosphere, consisting mainly of methane, nitrogen and ethane. This satellite is known for having an atmosphere similar to that of a planet. It is also the only place in the solar system where scientists have proven that there is liquid on the surface, although this liquid is far from water, but methane.

9) Triton, satellite of Neptune

Triton was discovered in October 1846 by the astronomer William Lassell, 17 days after the discovery of Neptune itself. It is the largest of the moons of the planet Neptune. Triton has the distinction of being the only major moon in the solar system that orbits the planet in the opposite direction to the planet's own rotation. This suggests that Triton is a satellite captured by Neptune, because all natural satellites in the solar system rotate in the same direction as their planets. The only thing that scientists can not yet come to consensus about how Neptune captured such a large body into its orbit. Triton is one of the coldest places in the solar system. When Voyager 2 flew past it in 1989, he found that Triton's temperature is minus 235 degrees Celsius, that is, it is close to absolute zero. Voyager 2 also helped detect active geysers on Triton, which is why Triton is considered one of the few geologically active satellites in the solar system.

10) Ganymede, satellite of Jupiter

Discovered in 1610 Galileo Galilei, Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system. It is larger than the planet Mercury and is about three times the size of Mars. It is so large that it could be considered a planet if it did not revolve around Jupiter, but around the Sun. A notable feature of this satellite is that it is the only satellite in our system that has its own magnetic field. It has a molten iron core, thanks to which a magnetic field arises. In 1996 the space telescope Hubble discovered a thin layer of oxygen around the satellite, but it is so thin that it cannot support life.

Just the other day, my mother told me: she comes into the room in the evening, sees me (I was only five or six years old) looking out the window and crying. When asked what upset me, I replied: “I feel sorry for the Moon, but the Earth has only one.” The next day, my mother opened the book to a page about a planet that had there were satellites more than everyone else- so as not to reassure the daughter later.

Planet with the most moons

If we talk about the solar system, then the undisputed leader is Jupiter. Him as many as 69 satellites- that's for sure who is not lonely without the company. Moreover, these are only those that were found - it is assumed that in practice themabout a hundred.

It was thanks to them that Jupiter acquired its unusual striped coloration.

Galilean satellites

The earliest moons of Jupiter were discovered by Galileo. Of course, his telescope was not very powerful, and therefore he saw only four the biggest Jupiter moons:

Names for them came up Simon Mari. His first notes were actually dated before Galileo, but the scientist made a fatal mistake - he delayed the publication. Marius tried for a very long time to prove that it was he who discovered the satellites first. He did not succeed, but, as a consolation prize, he received opportunity to name them as he pleases.

And he chose names from mythology for the name - in honor of the beloved god Jupiter. The idea was not bad, but even a loving god clearly did not have so many love attachments.

Jupiter - the thief of satellites

Some moons of Jupiter rotate in the opposite direction. It is believed that they were ordinary cosmic bodies, they moved for themselves and did not touch anyone, they only got into their misfortune in the gravitational field of the gas giant - and now they have to spin around it.

But since revolving around the invader, then do it in defiance of everyone. Such a movement is called retrograde. They are quite easy to recognize by their names. The rule is: if the name ends with the letter “e”, then the satellite is moving in the opposite direction.

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Since childhood, I loved astronomy, which is why I studied this science well. Jupiter was my favorite planet. Jupiter -the most big planet Solar system, this gas giant is the fifth in distance from the Sun, and has a large number of satellites.

Jupiter - the owner of the largest number of satellites

Since ancient times, Jupiter was known to our ancestors, they composed many legends about this planet and called it the names of their deities. Modern name the planet is named after a Roman deity - Thunderer Jupiter. On Earth, Jupiter can be seen with the naked eye. and it's not strange, because The planet is second only to the Sun in mass.. Some scientists believe that if Jupiter were a little bigger, it would turn into another Sun in our system. Since the planet does not have a solid surface and liquid water, it is believed that life on it is impossible, but scientists suggest the existence of life in the upper layers of its atmosphere.

Major moons of Jupiter

Jupiter andhas at least sixty seven satellites, but there are probably many more, the number of satellites may exceed a hundred. Ironically, the moons were given the names of deities associated in some way with the divine Jupiter. The most famous moons of Jupiter:

• Europa is a moon of Jupiterhas an ocean And where there is water, life is not ruled out. Also in the waters of the ocean of Europe there is a huge amount of oxygen, and this, in turn, makes it possible for the emergence of not only single-celled, but also more complex life forms;
• And about - volcanic planet, which is covered with great volcanoes and products of their eruption;
• Ganymede -the largest satellite in the entire solar system. It is covered with deep craters, which testify to the frequent fall of meteor showers;
• Callisto- a planet that has ocean water, as on Europa, the existence of life is possible on Callisto.

These four satellites rotate synchronously around Jupiter and always face it on the same side.

Minor moons of Jupiter

Other satellites often have irregular shape and represent rocky bodies. One of the most interesting small satellites - Amalthea. Amalthea was once a whole body, but due to a meteor bombardment, it fell apart into parts that, under the influence of gravity, connected, but never became a single whole.

It is assumed that the giant Jupiter once had many more satellites, but due to the strong gravity of the planet, they fell to its surface.

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AT school years I really liked astronomy. Observations of the stars, diaries of observations - there was a special romance in this, which not everyone understands. The telescope was for me cherished dream. And when they gave it to me, at first I began to examine the planets. And my first object was not Saturn, with its rings. It was Jupiter, because of the galaxy of satellites.

How many moons does Jupiter have

On the this moment known about 79 satellites: from dwarfs with a diameter of several kilometers to almost full-fledged planets. In addition, Jupiter has its own ring system. In addition, the number 79 is most likely not final. New satellites are being discovered to this day, the last one became known this year, 2018.

All these objects simply cannot be listed, most of them have alphanumeric names. But it is worth mentioning the most basic ones discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. These include:

• Europe;
• Ganymede;
• Calisto.

Their names were given by Simon Marius, another great scientist. They are taken from ancient Greek myths. These satellites can be attributed to the most unusual. So, Europe is completely covered with ice, under which there is an ocean. Scientists even admit the presence of life in it. And Io is the owner of the largest active volcano in the solar system.

Why does Jupiter have so many moons

The number of Jupiter's moons can be attributed to the fact that it is the largest object in our native solar system, after the Sun itself. Therefore, in the past, it easily captured small planets flying in similar orbits into its gravitational field. He also captured various dust, fragments, asteroids, which served as the foundation for the formation of some satellites already in orbit around the giant.

How many moons do other planets have

Do not forget that other planets also have beads of objects rotating around them. So, Saturn has 62 of them, Uranus has 27, Neptune has 14. Nearby is the dwarf Pluto, which has as many as five satellites.

So it turns out that our solar system is amazing and unique. Sometimes, to see miracles, just look at the sky.

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In the summer of 2011, I watched with excitement the launch of the Juno interplanetary station to explore Jupiter. She was supposed to fly to the planet that has the most satellites in the solar system. The robot station did it. On the solar panels she transmitted so much data that scientists will be busy deciphering for several years.

How many moons does Jupiter have

It is almost 2.5 times larger than all the planets in the solar system together. This huge mass compared to the Sun even shifts the center of gravity beyond its limits. Such a colossal size and weight of the planet determine the huge number of satellites and the presence of dust rings.

In the 17th century, Galileo saw large satellites through a telescope:

• Europe;
• Ganymede;
• Callisto.

By the seventies of the 19th century, 9 more satellites were discovered.

The Voyager 1 spacecraft, following Jupiter past Saturn, recorded the presence of three new satellites in 1979. Later, 51 satellites were discovered thanks to new types of telescopes.

Presumably Jupiter has at least 100 "moons", the study of which continues.

The largest

Io - the closest satellite to Jupiter - is affected by the gravitational forces of both the planet and Ganymede with Europa, which leads to heating of the body, deformation and active volcanic activity. Io's motion causes the strongest thunderstorms on Jupiter.

Europa is covered in water that is thought to harbor life. The temperature on the surface is below zero by 150-220 degrees Celsius - a "crystal" satellite with a metal core and a stone mantle. There is oxygen in the atmosphere.

Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system. It is larger than Mercury. The surface is covered with ice and dotted with numerous craters, and oxygen has been found in the atmosphere.

Callisto is composed of water and rocks and is the body with the oldest surface. It is the site of a planned space base for Europa exploration.

Internal and external

In inner orbit to Io are:

• Metis;
• Amalthea;
• Adrastea;
• Thebe.

59 external satellites were recorded. Those close to Jupiter rotate with it in one direction, the rest - in the opposite direction.

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Moons of Jupiter

Our solar system is a completely unique phenomenon. The main thing that I understood over the years of my passion for astronomy is that it is impossible to answer a single question unambiguously. So with the number of satellites, everything is very difficult. In terms of the number of planets revolving around the planet, the absolute leader will, of course, be Jupiter.

In total, this gas giant, named after the Roman god of thunder, 69 famous modern science satellites. Some of them - Callisto, And about, Ganymede and Europe- so large that they can be seen even with not very powerful binoculars. Discovered them for the first time Galileo in 1610.

Jupiter is a very “greedy” planet (as, by the way, is the deity who shared her name with him). Almost half of its satellites have retrograde orbit. They can be difficult to spot as they move in the opposite direction and hence their trajectory is more difficult to calculate. The reason for this strange movement is simple: the planets were stolen by a giant planet less massive neighbors. These "captives" include:

• Pafis;
• Evporie;
• Gelike;
• Telksinoe;
• Harpalike;
• Evante;
• Tione;
• Jocasta;
• Calais;
• Ananke;
• Hermippa;
• and about two dozen more planetoids of different sizes and shapes.

And how many small satellites this gas giant can have, not yet discovered astronomers! For example, a tiny 4-kilometer Dia was discovered through a telescope, but was soon lost, and its existence was confirmed only after 12 years!

Saturn is the leader in the number of small satellites

If we count which planet has the most satellites, approaching this term literally - as a space object revolving around the planet, then Jupiter will have to make room. The palm will be torn from him Saturn, "Lord of the Rings" of the solar system.

He has only officially recognized satellites 62 , of which the largest, having a spherical shape, are Rhea, Dione, ice balls Enceladus and Mimas, Tethys, consisting of water ice and stone. And, of course, the giant Titanium, the second largest after Ganymede. Its size is more than 5 thousand kilometers, and the mass is so great that it is able to hold the atmosphere (and it is one and a half times denser than the earth).

And besides that, around Saturn revolve three big rings consisting, in addition to frozen gas, of asteroids of various sizes. The number of only the largest, according to calculations, is several hundred thousand!

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