The rotation of the planets around the sun. Mnemonic in its purest form

The solar system occupies a very insignificant position - like a planetary system. It consists of a single star and a huge number of space objects of various sizes rotating around it (planets, comets, asteroids, etc.). The Sun star occupies an unconditionally dominant position due to its superiority in mass, which is almost 99.9% of the mass of the entire system. This causes the gravitational attraction and rotation of the surrounding bodies. The next most important objects in the system are the eight planets, and their combined mass is about 0.1% of the mass of the entire system. They are satellites of the Sun, but they themselves can have satellites. All other objects are already completely insignificant, which, however, does not prevent astronomers from discovering, studying and diligently cataloging them with interest.

terrestrial planets

The direction of rotation of the Sun and the rotation of the planets around the Sun coincide, in addition, all the planets themselves rotate around their axis and move in space in almost the same plane along stable orbits. Thus, all the planets can be placed on a conditional disk and numbered in order of their distance from the center. The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is equal to one astronomical unit (1 AU), which is 149,597,870,700 meters. Using this unit of measurement, it is convenient to represent the distance of the remaining planets: Mercury - 0.38 AU, Venus - 0.72 AU, Earth (the third planet from the Sun) - 1 AU, Mars - 1.52 a.u. These four planets are often referred to as the terrestrial planets or minor inner planets. Within these limits, there are three more interesting object: this is the Moon - a satellite of the Earth, Deimos and Phobos - satellites of Mars. Mercury and Venus have no satellites.

asteroid belt

The region beyond the orbit of Mars is called the asteroid belt or the main belt. It consists of approximately three hundred thousand asteroids, but their combined weight is only 4% of the mass of the moon. In other words, there is a lot of debris orbiting the Sun in the asteroid belt. Which one is the largest? In this group, this is Ceres, discovered by astronomers in 1801 and until 1802 was considered a full-fledged planet. Since 2006, Ceres has been considered a dwarf planet (all other objects in the belt have remained asteroids or smaller bodies). The largest asteroids are Pallas, Vesta and Hygiea.

giant planets

Behind the asteroid belt, the inner region of the solar system ends and the outer region begins, where the orbits of the remaining four planets pass. These are gas giants, which are much larger than the terrestrial planets. Their names and distance from the Sun: Jupiter - 5.2 AU, Saturn - 9.58 AU, Uranus - 19.23 AU. and Neptune - 30.1 a.u. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, its mass exceeds the Earth by 318 times! Saturn is famous for its rings, namely, the billions visible from Earth small particles, which are spinning in its orbit. Technically, all gas giants have rings, but only Saturn has such a bright appearance. Also, the giants differ from the terrestrial planets in the presence of a large number satellites - 170 versus 3. Moreover, many satellites were discovered by astronomers only in last years, which means that new discoveries are expected in the future.

Kuiper Belt

The space beyond Neptune is very far from us and objects in that area are called trans-Neptunian. Within a radius of 30 to 55 a.u. there is an area called the Kuiper belt, and it has a huge amount of icy asteroids and even dwarf planets (Pluto, Haumea, Makemake). Another thing is that even if you add up the mass of all these objects, then only the Earth - far from the largest classical planet - will still be tens or even hundreds of times heavier. The most remarkable celestial body of the belt is Pluto and its satellites. This dwarf planet was considered a full-fledged ninth planet for nearly a century until it was reclassified. Also noteworthy is that for a short period of time Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune, but the bodies do not intersect. Including because the orbits of trans-Neptunian objects are strongly inclined relative to the ecliptic.

Scattered disk

Farther away is the scattered disk region. It extends from 50 AU up to 120-150 AU, and space objects in it are already completely disordered in terms of inclination to the ecliptic (up to 90 °) and have very elongated orbits. The largest known disk object is the dwarf planet Eris. Since the area has been poorly studied, it is completely impossible to predict how many and what objects have yet to be discovered. The scattered disk is sometimes considered as one space with the Kuiper belt. At the far edge of the region, the heliopause begins (the boundary where the solar wind collides with interstellar matter, which, according to one version, is the boundary of the solar system).

Oort cloud

Further areas have not yet been visited by spacecraft from Earth and are hypothetical. However, various indirect signs suggested that areas and clusters of trillions of small icy space objects also exist outside the heliopause. In particular, a large asteroid Sedna was discovered - a contender for the title of a dwarf planet. Its orbit is extremely elongated, and at the maximum approach to the Sun, the object is in a scattered disk (76 AU), but at the maximum distance - at 975 AU! At the same time, the Oort cloud itself, according to the most daring calculations, extends to a distance of up to 50,000 AU.

border areas

The boundary of the solar system is most often marked where the Sun's gravitational pull still outstrips that of other stars. According to this criterion, the boundary is assumed to be approximately at a distance of 125,000 AU, i.e. about two light years. Many theories have been put forward about objects that may be there, including a second star, Nemesis, a satellite of the Sun, and a fifth gas giant. However, all this is not confirmed by any real data and looks more like legends.

This is a system of planets, in the center of which is bright Star, source of energy, heat and light - the Sun.
According to one theory, the Sun was formed along with the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago as a result of the explosion of one or more supernovae. Initially, the solar system was a cloud of gas and dust particles, which, in motion and under the influence of their mass, formed a disk in which arose new star The sun and our entire solar system.

At the center of the solar system is the Sun, around which nine large planets revolve in orbits. Since the Sun is displaced from the center of the planetary orbits, then during the cycle of revolution around the Sun, the planets either approach or move away in their orbits.

There are two groups of planets:

Terrestrial planets: and . These planets are small in size with a rocky surface, they are closer than others to the Sun.

Giant planets: and . These are large planets, consisting mainly of gas, and they are characterized by the presence of rings consisting of ice dust and many rocky pieces.

But does not fall into any group, because, despite its location in the solar system, it is located too far from the Sun and has a very small diameter, only 2320 km, which is half the diameter of Mercury.

Planets of the solar system

Let's start a fascinating acquaintance with the planets of the solar system in order of their location from the Sun, and also consider their main satellites and some other space objects (comets, asteroids, meteorites) in the gigantic expanses of our planetary system.

Rings and moons of Jupiter: Europa, Io, Ganymede, Callisto and others...
The planet Jupiter is surrounded by a whole family of 16 satellites, and each of them has its own, unlike other features ...

Rings and moons of Saturn: Titan, Enceladus and more...
Not only the planet Saturn has characteristic rings, but also on other giant planets. Around Saturn, the rings are especially clearly visible, because they consist of billions of small particles that revolve around the planet, in addition to several rings, Saturn has 18 satellites, one of which is Titan, its diameter is 5000 km, which makes it the most great companion solar system...

Rings and moons of Uranus: Titania, Oberon and others...
The planet Uranus has 17 satellites and, like other giant planets, thin rings encircling the planet, which practically do not have the ability to reflect light, therefore they were discovered not so long ago in 1977 quite by accident ...

Rings and moons of Neptune: Triton, Nereid and others...
Initially before the exploration of Neptune spacecraft Voyager 2 was aware of two satellites of the planet - Triton and Nerida. Interesting fact that the Triton satellite has a reverse direction of orbital motion, strange volcanoes were also discovered on the satellite that erupted nitrogen gas like geysers, spreading a dark mass (from liquid to vapor) for many kilometers into the atmosphere. During its mission, Voyager 2 discovered six more satellites of the planet Neptune...

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

It is believed that our system of planets 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 a collection 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

In 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 belongs to this group of planets, it was considered the 9th planet from the Sun, however, due to its considerable distance from the Sun and its small size, it was excluded from this list and called a dwarf planet. Rather, it is one of several dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt.

All the above planets are usually divided into two large groups: terrestrial group and 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 closer than the others to the Sun.

The gas giants include: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. They are characterized big sizes and the presence of rings, which are ice dust and rocky pieces. These planets are made up mostly of gas.

Sun

The sun is the star around which all the planets and moons in the solar system revolve. It is made up of hydrogen and helium. The Sun is 4.5 billion years old and is only in the middle of its life cycle gradually increases in size. Now the diameter of the Sun is 1,391,400 km. In 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 extremely high temperatures on its surface, a detailed study of the Sun is extremely difficult, but attempts to launch special apparatus as close as possible to the star 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 neighborhood predetermined a significant temperature difference. average temperature on Mercury in the daytime is +350 degrees Celsius, and at night - -170 degrees.

If we focus on the earth's year, then Mercury makes a complete 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, in connection with this, asteroids often attack it and leave behind a lot of craters on its surface. Sodium, helium, argon, hydrogen, oxygen were discovered on this planet.

A detailed study of Mercury presents great difficulties due to its close proximity to the Sun. Mercury can sometimes 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 has no 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 is significantly different from our planet. A day here lasts 243 Earth days, and a year - 255 days. The atmosphere of Venus is 95% carbon dioxide, which creates a greenhouse effect on its surface. This leads to the fact that the average temperature on the planet is 475 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere also includes 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.

There are many craters and hills on Venus, reminiscent of terrestrial continents. The formation of craters is associated with the fact that earlier the planet had a less dense atmosphere.

A distinctive feature of Venus is that, unlike the other planets, its movement does not occur 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 water in liquid form, and, therefore, for the emergence of life.

Its surface is 70% covered with water, and it is the only one of the planets that has such an amount of liquid. It is believed that many thousands of years ago, the 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.

A feature of our planet is that under the earth's crust there are huge tectonic plates that, moving, collide with each other and lead to a change in the landscape.

The diameter of the Earth is 12,742 km. An Earth day lasts 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds, and a year - 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, about the same time its only satellite, the Moon, exists. 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 can be seen from Earth in a pale moonlight.

Mars

This planet is the fourth in a row 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 the Earth, and the atmosphere is quite rarefied, which allows unhindered solar radiation affect the surface. In this regard, if there is life on Mars, it is not on the surface.

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

One of the most frequent events on the planet are dust storms, which are voluminous and destructive. Geological activity on Mars could not be detected, however, it is reliably known that significant geological events took place on the planet earlier.

The atmosphere of Mars is 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 duration to that on Earth and is 24 hours 37 minutes 23 seconds. A year on the planet lasts twice as long as the earth - 687 days.

The planet has two moons Phobos and Deimos. They are small 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 the 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 is made up 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 great amount 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 is visible on its surface, under which there may be water. Callisto is considered the oldest of the satellites, since it is its surface that has the largest number 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 is 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 ice particles and rock formations. Ice dust perfectly reflects light, so the rings of Saturn are very clearly visible in a telescope. However, he is not the only planet to have 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 is 84 Earth years. At the same time, summer lasts as long as winter - 42 years. Such a natural phenomenon 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, as it were, "lies 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. In its composition and size, it is similar 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 belongs to the ice giants and for a long time it was believed that no weather events occur on its icy surface. However, it has recently been found that Neptune has raging eddies and wind speeds the highest of 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 that it has its own atmosphere.

Neptune also has rings. This planet has 6.

Interesting facts about the planets of the solar system

Compared to Jupiter, Mercury appears to be a dot in the sky. These are actually the 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 rarefied atmosphere, it is constantly evaporating, which means that the planet has a constant source of this gas. Such a source can be living organisms inside the planet.

Jupiter has no seasons. The biggest mystery is the so-called "Great Red Spot". Its origin on the surface of the planet is still not fully understood. Scientists suggest that it was formed by a huge hurricane that rotates with very high speed for several centuries now.

An interesting fact is that Uranus, like many planets in the solar system, has its own system of rings. Due to the fact that the particles that make up them reflect light poorly, 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 remote location, this planet was one of the last to be discovered. At the same time, its location was calculated mathematically, and over time it could be seen, and it was in the calculated place.

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

The solar system, despite its long and thorough study, is still fraught with many mysteries and mysteries 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.

solar system- it is soldered by forces mutual attraction system of celestial bodies. It includes: the central star - the Sun, 8 large planets with their satellites, several thousand small planets, or asteroids, several hundred observed comets and countless meteoroids, dust, gas and small particles . It was formed through gravitational contraction gas and dust cloud approximately 4.57 billion years ago.

Sun

Merkur uy

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.

The ancient Romans considered Mercury the patron of trade, travelers and thieves, as well as the messenger of the gods. No wonder it's not big planet, rapidly moving across the sky after the Sun, received his name. Mercury has been known since ancient times, but the ancient astronomers did not immediately realize that they see the same star in the morning and in the evening. Mercury is closer to the Sun than the Earth: the average distance from the Sun is 0.387 AU, and the distance to the Earth varies from 82 to 217 million km. The inclination of the orbit to the ecliptic i = 7° is one of the largest in the solar system. The axis of Mercury is almost perpendicular to the plane of its orbit, and the orbit itself is very elongated (eccentricity e = 0.206). The average velocity of Mercury in orbit is 47.9 km/s. Due to the tidal influence of the Sun, Mercury fell into a resonant trap. The period of its revolution around the Sun (87.95 Earth days) measured in 1965 refers to the period of rotation around the axis (58.65 Earth days) as 3/2. Mercury completes three complete rotations around its axis in 176 days. During the same period, the planet makes two revolutions around the Sun. Thus, Mercury occupies the same position in orbit relative to the Sun, and the orientation of the planet remains the same. Mercury has no satellites. If they were, then in the process of the formation of the planet they fell on protomercury. The mass of Mercury is almost 20 times less than the mass of the Earth (0.055M or 3.3 10 23 kg), and the density is almost the same as that of the Earth (5.43 g/cm3). The radius of the planet is 0.38R (2440 km). Mercury is smaller than some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

Venus

The second planet from the Sun, has an almost circular orbit. It passes closer to Earth than any other planet.

But the dense, cloudy atmosphere does not allow you to directly see its surface. Atmosphere: CO 2 (97%), N2 (approx. 3%), H 2 O (0.05%), impurities CO, SO 2, HCl, HF. Thanks to greenhouse effect, the surface temperature is heated to hundreds of degrees. The atmosphere, which is a dense blanket of carbon dioxide, traps the heat that comes from the Sun. This leads to the fact that the temperature of the atmosphere is much higher than in the oven. Radar images show a very wide variety of craters, volcanoes and mountains. There are several very large volcanoes, up to 3 km high. and hundreds of kilometers wide. The outpouring of lava on Venus takes much longer than on Earth. The surface pressure is about 107 Pa. The surface rocks of Venus are similar in composition to terrestrial sedimentary rocks.
Finding Venus in the sky is easier than any other planet. Its dense clouds reflect sunlight well, making the planet bright in our sky. Every seven months for several weeks, Venus is the brightest object in the western sky in the evening. Three and a half months later, it rises three hours before the Sun, becoming the brilliant "morning star" of the eastern sky. Venus can be observed an hour after sunset or an hour before sunrise. Venus has no satellites.

3rd from Sol no planet. The speed of the Earth's circulation in an elliptical orbit around the Sun is - 29.765 km / s. Incline earth's axis to the plane of the ecliptic 66 o 33 "22"". The Earth has a natural satellite - the Moon. The Earth has a magnetsmart and electric fields. The Earth was formed 4.7 billion years ago from gas scattered in the protosolar system- dust substances. The composition of the Earth is dominated by: iron (34.6%), oxygen (29.5%), silicon (15.2%), magnesium (12.7%). The pressure in the center of the planet is 3.6 * 10 11 Pa, the density is about 12,500 kg / m 3, the temperature is 5000-6000 o C. Most of thethe surface is occupied by the World Ocean (361.1 million km 2; 70.8%); land is 149.1 million km 2 and forms six motherscoves and islands. It rises above the level of the world ocean by an average of 875 meters (the highest height is 8848 meters - the city of Chomolungma). Mountains occupy 30% of the land, deserts cover about 20% of the land surface, savannas and light forests - about 20%, forests - about 30%, glaciers - 10%. Average depth ocean about 3800 meters, the largest - 11022 meters (Marian Trench in pacific ocean), the volume of water is 1370 million km 3, the average salinity is 35 g / l. The atmosphere of the Earth, the total mass of which is 5.15 * 10 15 tons, consists of air - a mixture of mainly nitrogen (78.1%) and oxygen (21%), the rest is water vapor, carbon dioxide, noble and other gases. About 3-3.5 billion years ago, as a result of the natural evolution of matter, life arose on Earth, and the development of the biosphere began.

Mars

The fourth planet from the Sun, similar to Earth, but smaller and colder. Mars has deep canyonsgiant volcanoes and vast deserts. Around the Red Planet, as Mars is also called, two small moons fly: Phobos and Deimos. Mars is the planet following the Earth, if counted from the Sun, and the only space world, apart from the Moon, that can already be reached with the help of modern missiles. For astronauts, this four-year journey could be the next frontier in space exploration. Near the equator of Mars, in the region called Tharsis, there are volcanoes of colossal proportions. Tarsis is the name that astronomers gave to a hill that has 400 km. wide and about 10 km. in height. There are four volcanoes on this plateau, each of which is simply a giant in comparison with any terrestrial volcano. The most grandiose volcano of Tarsis, Mount Olympus, rises above the surrounding area for 27 km. About two-thirds of the surface of Mars is highlands with a large number of impact craters and surrounded by hard rock fragments. Near the volcanoes of Tharsis snakes a vast system of canyons about a quarter of the equator long. The Mariner Valley is 600 km wide, and its depth is such that Mount Everest would sink entirely to its bottom. Sheer cliffs rise thousands of meters, from the bottom of the valley to the plateau above. In ancient times, there was a lot of water on Mars, large rivers flowed on the surface of this planet. Ice caps lie at the South and North Poles of Mars. But this ice does not consist of water, but of frozen atmospheric carbon dioxide (it freezes at a temperature of -100 o C). Scientists believe that surface water is stored in the form of ice blocks buried in the ground, especially in polar regions. Atmospheric composition: CO 2 (95%), N 2 (2.5%), Ar (1.5 - 2%), CO (0.06%), H 2 O (up to 0.1%); pressure near the surface is 5-7 hPa. In total, about 30 interplanetary space stations were sent to Mars.

Jupiter

The fifth planet from the Sun, the largest planet in the solar system. Jupiter is not a solid planet. Unlike the four solid planets closest to the Sun, Jupiter is a gas ball. The composition of the atmosphere: H 2 (85%), CH 4 , NH 3 , He (14%). Jupiter's gas composition is very similar to that of the sun. Jupiter is a powerful source of thermal radio emission. Jupiter has 16 satellites (Adrastea, Metis, Amalthea, Thebe, Io, Lysitea, Elara, Ananke, Karma, Pasiphe, Sinope, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Leda, Himalia), as well as a 20,000 km wide ring, almost closely adjacent to planet. Jupiter's rotation speed is so great that the planet bulges along the equator. In addition, such a rapid rotation causes very strong winds in the upper atmosphere, where the clouds are stretched out in long colorful ribbons. There are a very large number of vortex spots in the clouds of Jupiter. The largest of them, the so-called Great Red Spot, is larger than the Earth. The Great Red Spot is huge size a storm in the atmosphere of Jupiter, which has been observed for 300 years. Inside the planet, under enormous pressure, hydrogen from a gas turns into a liquid, and then from a liquid into a solid. At a depth of 100 km. there is a vast ocean of liquid hydrogen. Below 17000 km. hydrogen is compressed so strongly that its atoms are destroyed. And then it starts behaving like metal; in this state, it easily conducts electricity. An electric current flowing in metallic hydrogen creates a strong magnetic field around Jupiter.

Saturn

The sixth planet from the Sun, has an amazing system of rings. Due to the rapid rotation around its axis, Saturn seems to be flattened at the poles. The wind speed at the equator reaches 1800 km/h. The rings of Saturn are 400,000 km wide, but they are only a few tens of meters thick. The inner parts of the rings revolve around Saturn faster than the outer ones. The rings are mostly made up of billions of small particles, each of which orbits Saturn as a separate microscopic moon. Probably, these "microsatellites" consist of water ice or rocks covered with ice. Their size ranges from a few centimeters to tens of meters. The rings contain more large objects- stone blocks and fragments up to hundreds of meters in diameter. The gaps between the rings arise under the influence of the gravitational forces of seventeen moons (Hyperion, Mimas, Tethys, Titan, Enceladus, etc.), which cause the rings to split. The composition of the atmosphere includes: CH 4 , H 2 , He, NH 3 .

Uranus

7th from Sun planet. It was discovered in 1781 by the English astronomer William Herschel, and named after Greek about the sky god Uranus. The orientation of Uranus in space differs from the rest of the planets of the solar system - its axis of rotation lies, as it were, "on its side" relative to the plane of revolution of this planet around the Sun. The axis of rotation is inclined at an angle of 98 o . As a result, the planet is turned towards the Sun alternately then north pole, then the south, then the equator, then the middle latitudes. Uranus has more than 27 satellites (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon, Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda, Pack, etc.) and a system of rings. At the center of Uranus is a core composed of stone and iron. The composition of the atmosphere includes: H 2 , He, CH 4 (14%).

Neptune

E its orbit intersects with Pluto's in some places. The equatorial diameter is the same as that of Uranus, although ra Neptune is located 1627 million km farther from Uranus (Uranus is located 2869 million km from the Sun). Based on these data, we can conclude that this planet could not be noticed in the 17th century. One of the striking achievements of science, one of the evidence of the unlimited cognizability of nature was the discovery of the planet Neptune by calculations - "on the tip of a pen." Uranus - the planet following Saturn, which for many centuries was considered the most distant planet, was discovered by V. Herschel at the end of the 18th century. Uranus is hardly visible to the naked eye. By the 40s of the XIX century. accurate observations have shown that Uranus deviates just barely from the path it should follow, given the perturbations from all the known planets. Thus the theory of motion of celestial bodies, so rigorous and precise, was put to the test. Le Verrier (in France) and Adams (in England) suggested that if perturbations from the known planets do not explain the deviation in the motion of Uranus, it means that the attraction of an as yet unknown body acts on it. They almost simultaneously calculated where behind Uranus there should be an unknown body that produces these deviations by its attraction. They calculated the orbit of an unknown planet, its mass and indicated the place in the sky where in given time there must have been an unknown planet. This planet was found in a telescope at the place indicated by them in 1846. It was called Neptune. Neptune is not visible to the naked eye. On this planet, winds blow at speeds up to 2400 km / h, directed against the rotation of the planet. These are the strongest winds in the solar system.
Atmospheric composition: H 2 , He, CH 4 . It has 6 satellites (one of them is Triton).
Neptune is the god of the seas in Roman mythology.

Our solar system is made up of the sun, planets orbiting it, and smaller celestial bodies. All of these are mysterious and amazing, because they are still not fully understood. Below will be indicated the sizes of the planets of the solar system in ascending order, and briefly talk about the planets themselves.

There is everything famous list planets, in which they are listed in order of their distance from the Sun:

Pluto used to be in last place, but in 2006 it lost its status as a planet, as larger celestial bodies were found farther away. These planets are divided into stone (inner) and giant planets.

Brief information about the stone planets

The inner (stone) planets include those bodies that are located inside the asteroid belt that separates Mars and Jupiter. They got their name "stone" because they consist of various hard rock, minerals and metals. They are united by a small number or even the absence of satellites and rings (like Saturn). On the surface of the stone planets there are volcanoes, depressions and craters formed as a result of the fall of other cosmic bodies.

But if we compare their sizes and arrange them in ascending order, the list will look like this:

Brief information about the giant planets

The giant planets are located beyond the asteroid belt and therefore they are also called outer. They consist of very light gases - hydrogen and helium. These include:

But if you make a list by the size of the planets in the solar system in ascending order, then the order changes:

A little information about the planets

In modern scientific understanding, a planet means a celestial body that revolves around the Sun and has enough mass for its own gravity. Thus, there are 8 planets in our system, and, importantly, these bodies are not similar to each other: each has its own unique differences, as in appearance, and in the very components of the planet.

- This is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest among the rest. She weighs 20 times smaller than Earth! But, despite this, it has a sufficiently high density, which allows us to conclude that there are a lot of metals in its depths. Due to its close proximity to the Sun, Mercury is subject to sharp temperature changes: at night it is very cold, during the day the temperature rises sharply.

- This is the next planet close to the Sun, in many ways similar to the Earth. It has a more powerful atmosphere than the Earth, and is considered a very hot planet (its temperature is above 500 C).

is a unique planet due to its hydrosphere, and the presence of life on it led to the appearance of oxygen in its atmosphere. Most of the surface is covered with water, and the rest is occupied by the continents. A unique feature is the tectonic plates, which move, albeit very slowly, which leads to a change in the landscape. The Earth has one satellite - the Moon.

Also known as the "Red Planet". It gets its fiery red color due to the large amount of iron oxides. Mars has a very rarefied atmosphere and a much smaller atmospheric pressure compared to the earth. Mars has two satellites - Deimos and Phobos.

- this is a real giant among the planets of the solar system. Its weight is 2.5 times the weight of all the planets combined. The surface of the planet is made up of helium and hydrogen and is similar in many ways to the sun. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is no life on this planet - no water and no solid surface. But Jupiter has a large number of satellites: on this moment known 67.

- this planet is famous for the presence of rings, consisting of ice and dust, revolving around the planet. With its atmosphere, it resembles that of Jupiter, and is slightly smaller in size than this giant planet. In terms of the number of satellites, Saturn is also a little behind - he knows 62 of them. large satellite Titanium is larger than Mercury.

- the most light planet among the outside. Its atmosphere is the coldest in the entire system (minus 224 degrees), it has a magnetosphere and 27 satellites. Uranus is made up of hydrogen and helium, and ammonia ice and methane have also been noted. Due to the fact that Uranus has a large axial tilt, it seems that the planet is rolling rather than rotating.

- despite being smaller than y, it is heavier than it and exceeds the mass of the Earth. This is the only planet that was found through mathematical calculations, and not through astronomical observations. On this planet, the most strong winds in the solar system. Neptune has 14 moons, one of which, Triton, is the only one that rotates backwards.

It is very difficult to imagine all the scales of the solar system within the studied planets. People think that the earth is huge planet, and, in comparison with other celestial bodies, it is. But if you put giant planets next to it, then the Earth already takes on tiny sizes. Of course, next to the Sun, all celestial bodies seem small, so to represent all the planets in their full scale is a difficult task.

most known classification The planets are considered to be their distance from the Sun. But a listing that takes into account the sizes of the planets of the solar system in ascending order will also be correct. The list will be presented as follows:

As you can see, the order has not changed much: the first lines are the inner planets, and the first place is occupied by Mercury, and the other positions - outer planets. In fact, it doesn’t matter at all in what order the planets are located, from this they will not become less mysterious and beautiful.