Relative sizes of planets in the solar system. Planets of our solar system

On conditional map In the solar system, the difference in the dimensions of celestial bodies does not seem so significant to us, but if we look in more detail, comparing the sizes of the planets will become a real discovery for us.

The diameter of the Earth is only 12,000 kilometers. For us living here, the distance seems enormous, but the circumference of the Sun is almost 117 times greater! This is despite the fact that by the standards of the Universe it is considered a rather small celestial body.

Comparison of planet sizes with the Sun

Let us consider in more detail the physical and mathematical parameters of each object in order to clearly see their colossal difference (unit of measurement is km).

Comparison of the sizes of the planets of the solar system. Click to enlarge.

Mercury. "Dwarf" among all planets. With a radius of about 2.5 thousand and a mass of 3.3x10 23 kg. This is only 0.055 of the Earth. Among other things, their density is almost the same, equal to 5.4 g / cubic meter. cm. Surface area - about 15%.
Venus. Girth 6.05 thousand and weight 4.87x10 24 kg it is 20% less. Surface – 4.6x10 8 squares, (10% difference).
Earth. Radius - 6.4 thousand, weight 5.98x10 24 kg, area 510 million square meters.
Mars. Diameter - 6.8 thousand, that is, almost half of ours. Weight 6.42x10 23 kg forms a tenth of its mass. Surface – 144.37 million squares. The parameters of Mars are superior only to Mercury.
Jupiter. Gas giant of the solar system. Its radius is eleven times greater than that of the object, its surface dimensions are 120! Its weight is almost 3.2 green planets.
Saturn. It ranks second in size after Jupiter. The girth is four times larger than ours. Regarding the dimensions, the following comparison can be made: the expanses of Saturn will accommodate approximately 10 Earths.
Uranus. The radius is almost the same as its neighbor Saturn. Weight 8.68x10 25 kg it is about 14.5 times ahead of the human habitation.
Neptune. The area/mass ratio is approximately 15/17, respectively. The diameter of Neptune is 4 Earth equators.

Obviously: the sizes of the planets compared to the Sun are extremely small, but is it true that the famous star is the most gigantic object in the Universe? Let's figure it out further.

Comparison of the sizes of stars and planets

Everyone knows that the Sun is a huge star, the dimensions of which repeatedly exceed those of other celestial bodies. However, there are countless celestial bodies in the Universe, relative to which a star appears as a small point.

Comparison of the sizes of the moons of the solar system. Click to enlarge.

Red dwarfs, such as Centauri and Proxima, are considered the most compact. Differences with the Sun – 78% decreasing. That is, they are slightly larger than Jupiter.

Rigel has a heavier/larger ratio - 17/62, respectively. Do you think this is an impressive figure? Introducing Betelgeuse - it's like 20 Suns. And some objects from the constellation Big Dog almost 2000 times larger. If they occupied the positions of our luminaries, they could easily reach Saturn.

The solar system is a planetary system that includes the central star - the Sun - and all the natural objects of space revolving around it. It was formed by gravitational compression of a gas and dust cloud approximately 4.57 billion years ago. Let's find out which planets are included in solar system, how they are located in relation to the Sun and their brief characteristics.

Brief information about the planets of the solar system

The number of planets in the Solar System is 8, and they are classified in order of distance from the Sun:

Inner planets or terrestrial planets- Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They consist mainly of silicates and metals
Outer planets– Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are the so-called gas giants. They are much more massive than the terrestrial planets. The largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, consist mainly of hydrogen and helium; smaller gas giants, Uranus and Neptune, in addition to hydrogen and helium, contain methane and carbon monoxide.

Rice. 1. Planets of the Solar System.

The list of planets in the Solar System, in order from the Sun, looks like this: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. By listing the planets from largest to smallest, this order changes. Most major planet is Jupiter, then comes Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars and finally Mercury.

All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction as the Sun's rotation (counterclockwise when viewed from the Sun's north pole).

Mercury has the highest angular velocity - it manages to complete a full revolution around the Sun in just 88 Earth days. And for the most distant planet - Neptune - the orbital period is 165 Earth years.

Most of the planets rotate around their axis in the same direction as they revolve around the Sun. The exceptions are Venus and Uranus, with Uranus rotating almost “lying on its side” (axis tilt is about 90 degrees).

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Table. The sequence of planets in the solar system and their features.

*Planet*	*Distance from the Sun*	*Circulation period*	*Rotation period*	*Diameter, km.*	*Number of satellites*	*Density g/cub. cm.*
Mercury

Terrestrial planets (inner planets)

The four planets closest to the Sun consist predominantly of heavy elements, have a small number of satellites, and have no rings. They are largely composed of refractory minerals such as silicates, which form their mantle and crust, and metals, such as iron and nickel, which form their core. Three of these planets—Venus, Earth, and Mars—have atmospheres.

Mercury- is the closest planet to the Sun and smallest planet systems. The planet has no satellites.
Venus- is close in size to the Earth and, like the Earth, has a thick silicate shell around an iron core and an atmosphere (because of this, Venus is often called the “sister” of the Earth). However, the amount of water on Venus is much less than on Earth, and its atmosphere is 90 times denser. Venus has no satellites.

Venus is the hottest planet in our system, its surface temperature exceeds 400 degrees Celsius. Most probable cause such a high temperature is greenhouse effect, arising from a dense atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide.

Rice. 2. Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system

Earth- is the largest and most dense of the terrestrial planets. The question of whether life exists anywhere other than Earth remains open. Among the terrestrial planets, the Earth is unique (primarily due to its hydrosphere). The Earth's atmosphere is radically different from the atmospheres of other planets - it contains free oxygen. Earth has one natural satellite— The Moon, the only large satellite of the terrestrial planets of the Solar System.
Mars – smaller than Earth and Venus. It has an atmosphere consisting mainly of carbon dioxide. There are volcanoes on its surface, the largest of which, Olympus, exceeds the size of all terrestrial volcanoes, reaching a height of 21.2 km.

Outer Solar System

The outer region of the Solar System is home to gas giants and their satellites.

Jupiter- has a mass 318 times that of Earth, and 2.5 times more massive than all other planets combined. It consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter has 67 moons.
Saturn- Known for its extensive ring system, it is the least dense planet in the solar system (its average density is less than that of water). Saturn has 62 satellites.

Rice. 3. Planet Saturn.

Uranus- the seventh planet from the Sun is the lightest of the giant planets. What makes it unique among other planets is that it rotates “lying on its side”: the inclination of its rotation axis to the ecliptic plane is approximately 98 degrees. Uranus has 27 moons.
Neptune - last planet in the Solar System. Although slightly smaller than Uranus, it is more massive and therefore denser. Neptune has 14 known moons.

What have we learned?

One of the interesting topics in astronomy is the structure of the solar system. We learned what names the planets of the solar system are, in what sequence they are located in relation to the Sun, what are their distinctive features And brief characteristics. This information so interesting and educational that it will be useful even for 4th grade children.

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a > > Dimensions of the planets of the solar system

Sizes of the planets of the solar system in order. Description with photos for all the planets around the Sun, comparison with the Earth and rating: from smallest to largest.

If you like planets, then you can learn a lot only within our system. Solar facilities provide various types and each copy is endowed with its own unique features. But the size is also striking. To find out the details, it's worth starting with the history of the formation of the solar system.

The Birth of the Solar System

The solar system appeared 4.5 billion years ago. This figure is given by analysis of terrestrial rocks and cosmic rocks, as well as computer models. Researchers believe it all started with a rotating haze of dust and gas. One day, gravity caused it to collapse and our star appeared. Theories say that its energy repelled lighter elements and attracted larger ones.

Over millions of years, the particles merged and rotated, creating larger objects. This is how the planets appeared. Most of the gas escaped into external system, giving birth to gas giants, and terrestrial-type planets remained in the inner one.

Until the 1990s. scientists had modest knowledge about the planets. But technology developed and it turned out that there are also many planets outside our system. Some of them were even larger than Jupiter, while others resembled our Earth.

There were also objects like Pluto in the solar system. This forced the IAU to introduce new criteria and the 9th planet was shifted to the dwarf category.

Nowadays, a planet is considered a body that makes an orbital passage around the Sun, with sufficient massiveness to achieve hydrostatic balance and clear the orbit of foreign objects.

Dimensions of the 8 planets of the solar system in numbers

Let's look at the sizes of the planets of the Solar System in descending order of radius (from largest to smallest):

Jupiter (69,911 km) – 1.120% of Earth's.
Saturn (58,232 km) - 945% of Earth's.
Uranus (25,362 km) – 400% of Earth’s.
Neptune (24,622 km) – 388% of Earth.
Earth (6,371 km).
Venus (6,052 km) – 95% of Earth’s.
Mars (3390 km) – 53% of Earth’s.
Mercury (2440 km) – 38% of Earth’s.

Jupiter is the most big planet Solar system. Its gravity affected the movement inner planets and mass distribution during formation. It can also attract and repel comets and asteroids from Earth.

Saturn is notable for its ring system. And Uranus and Neptune are representatives of the ice giants.

The inner planets of the terrestrial group include: Venus (earthly sister), Mars (cool desert), Mercury (the smallest) and Earth - home.

We are returning from the stars, so our flight begins from the farthest regions of the Solar System, from its outer part. And Pluto will appear first to our eyes.

Pluto- tiny cold planet, located 40 times farther from the Sun than the Earth. This planet was discovered only in 1930 and named Pluto in honor of the god of the underworld in ancient mythology. The average temperature on the planet is -223°C.

Space hubble telescope photographed the entire surface of the planet, after which a map of Pluto was compiled. The north pole of Pluto is covered with a cap of snow.

From the day of its discovery in 1930 until 2006, Pluto was considered the ninth planet of the solar system. However, at the end of the 20th and beginning of XXI centuries, many objects have been discovered in the outer solar system, for example, Eris, which is 27% more massive than Pluto. Since then, Pluto has been classified as a dwarf planet along with Eris and Ceres.

Pluto has a satellite - Charon. The pair of celestial bodies form a system that scientists call a double dwarf planet. The center of mass of such a formation is in outer space.

And now we are approaching the farthest planet of the solar system, the eighth in a row - to Neptune.

Neptune's mass is 17.2 times, and the diameter of its equator is 3.9 times greater than that of Earth. The planet was named after the Roman god of the seas.

Discovered on September 23, 1846, Neptune became the first planet discovered through mathematical calculations rather than through regular observations.

The Voyager 2 space probe was able to reveal some of the secrets of this distant planet in 1989. The weather on Neptune is characterized by an extremely dynamic storm system, with winds sometimes reaching supersonic speeds (about 600 m/s)

The mass of Neptune's mantle is 10-15 times greater than Earth's, according to various estimates, and is rich in water, ammonia, methane and other compounds. According to the generally accepted terminology in planetary science, this matter is called icy, even though it is a hot, very dense liquid. However, the surface temperature of Neptune averages −200 °C

The next planet on our way is Uranus.

The seventh most distant planet from the Sun, the third in diameter and the fourth most massive planet in the Solar System. It was discovered in 1781 and named after greek god sky of Uranus.

Judge about internal structure Uranus is possible only by indirect signs.

Uranium is 60 times larger than our Earth, but its mass is only 14.5 times that of Earth. This is because the average density of Uranus is slightly higher than that of water. Such low densities are typical for all four giant planets, consisting predominantly of light chemical elements. It is believed that in the very center of Uranus there is a rocky core composed mainly of silicon oxides. The diameter of the core is 1.5 times larger than our entire Earth. Around it is a shell of the mixture water ice and rocks. Even higher follows global ocean liquid hydrogen, and then a very powerful atmosphere. Another model suggests that Uranus does not have a rocky core at all. In this case, Uranus should look like a huge ball of snow “porridge”, consisting of a mixture of liquid and ice, shrouded in a gaseous shell.

We're getting very close beautiful planet, which is sometimes called The Lord of the Rings, to Saturn.

The fabulous rings of Saturn cannot be confused with any other objects in the solar system.

The width of the rings is 400 thousand km, but their thickness is only a few tens of meters. All rings consist of individual pieces of ice different sizes: from dust particles to several meters in diameter. These particles move at almost identical speeds (about 10 km/s, their speeds are so well balanced that neighboring particles appear motionless in relation to each other), sometimes colliding with each other.

For a long time it was believed that a careless satellite approached Saturn and was torn to shreds by its tidal forces, the remains of which turned into rings. But Voyager data refuted this popular belief. It has now been established that the rings of Saturn (and other planets too) are the remains of a huge circumplanetary cloud many millions of kilometers long.

If you put Saturn in water, it will float on the surface. The average density of Saturn's substance is almost 2 times less than the density of water. If you can find a corresponding glass (with a diameter of at least 60 thousand km), then you can check it yourself.

And finally, the last giant planet in the outer part of the system - Jupiter.

Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun, is a huge ball of gas.

Jupiter is 318 times larger than Earth in mass and 11.2 times in diameter.

There are 62 satellites moving around the giant. The most famous of them are: Adrastea, Metis, Amalthea, Thebe, Io, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, Karme, Pasiphae, Sinope, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Leda and Himalia. 47 "moons" of Jupiter were discovered after 1997, when powerful telescopes became available. Jupiter also has a system of rings, which are a collection of small rock particles.

Let's fly closer to it to see one of Jupiter's most recognizable landmarks - the Great Red Spot.

The Great Red Spot is an anticyclone vortex raging in the planet's atmosphere. An ordinary hurricane, similar to ours on earth, but its magnitude is enormous.

Three planets like ours could fit inside the Great Red Spot. And it has been raging for 350 years before the eyes of humanity. And how long it raged before Giovanni Cassini was able to see it for the first time through a telescope in 1665, no one knows.

It is assumed that such a long existence of the vortex is due to the fact that it never has to collide with the “terrestrial firmament”, which extinguishes vortices on Earth - there is simply no firmament on Jupiter.

And now we are approaching the inner solar system. Passed a dwarf planet Ceres and approaching the mysterious Mars.

Mars- the fourth most distant planet from the Sun and the seventh largest planet in the solar system. This planet is named after Mars - ancient roman god war. Mars is sometimes called the "Red Planet" because of the reddish tint of its surface given by iron oxide.

Temperatures on the planet range from −153 at the poles in winter to more than +20 °C at the equator at midday. Numerous studies and data transmitted from Mars rovers help us learn more about this neighbor. There is evidence that in the past the atmosphere may have been denser, the climate warmer and wetter, and there was liquid water and rainfall on the surface of Mars.

On July 25, 1976, the American Viking 1 spacecraft photographed Mars - specialists were choosing landing sites for future expeditions. Among others, a photograph of the Kydonia region, located on the Acidalia Plain, also came to Earth. From the photograph, the “sphinx”, as this one was called, was clearly looking at us from space mysterious pyramid, mountain or hill.

Is there still controversy surrounding this image? What is this, a bizarre play of light and shadow or traces of previous civilizations? Maybe in time you will solve this mystery?

Which planet, the third from the Sun, are we passing now? Of course Earth.

We will wave to her, but we will continue without stopping for now.

Ahead of us lies a hot and sky-high Venus.

The most beautiful and closest of the planets, Venus, has captivated people's gaze for millennia. How many brilliant poems Venus gave birth to! No wonder she bears the name of the goddess of love. But no matter how much scientists study our closest neighbor in the solar system, the number of questions that are just waiting for answers does not decrease. The planet is full of mysteries and wonders.

Venus is not a planet for the weak. Not only is it hot, but thunderstorms are also raging on it and lightning is striking directly from clouds consisting of sulfuric acid.

The reason for the planet's heating is its dense clouds. They do not release heat outside, creating a greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect also occurs in the atmospheres of other planets. But if in the atmosphere of Mars it raises average temperature near the surface by 9°, in the Earth’s atmosphere by 35°, then in the atmosphere of Venus this effect reaches 400 degrees! The recorded maximum surface temperature is +480°C.

And finally, the last planet on the way to the Sun - Mercury.

This relatively small cosmic body has its own characteristics and secrets.

Mercury receives 7 times more solar energy than Earth. Surface temperatures on the sunny side can rise to 400 degrees Celsius! At the same time, severe frost reigns on the shady side (–200 degrees Celsius).

And now we are already at the goal of our journey, approaching the center of our system, to a star named Sun.

99% of the mass of the solar system is concentrated in the Sun. In one minute, the Sun produces more energy than the entire Earth uses in a year. The light of the Sun that you see is 30 thousand years old - this is exactly how long it takes for photons (particles of light) to “break through” from the center of the star to its surface. After that, they reach Earth in just 8 minutes. The temperature of the solar core is more than 13 million degrees.
The sun revolves around the center of our galaxy, Milky Way, making a full revolution every 225 - 250 million years.
We all see that the Sun is yellow or orange, but in fact, it is white. The yellow tones of the Sun are given by a phenomenon called “atmospheric scattering.”
Every second, 700 billion tons of hydrogen burns on the Sun. Despite such a huge rate of loss, the energy of the Sun will be enough for another 5 billion years of such life (about the same age of the Sun from birth).
The corona is the last outer shell of the Sun. Despite her very high temperature, from 600,000 to 5,000,000 degrees, it is visible naked eye only during a total solar eclipse.
The average density of the Sun is equal to the density of water in the Dead Sea.
Every second, the Sun produces 100,000 times more energy than humanity has produced in its entire history.

Sometimes the Sun shows increased activity. We can observe it as flares and prominences.

The sun holds the planets and other bodies belonging to the solar system with its gravity.

Other bodies are planets and their satellites, dwarf planets and them satellites, asteroids, meteoroids, comets and cosmic dust. But in this article we will only talk about the planets of the solar system. They make up most of the mass of objects associated with the Sun by gravity (attraction). There are only eight of them: Mercury, Venus, Earth Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune . The planets are named in order of their distance from the Sun. Until recently, the planets of the solar system also included Pluto, the smallest planet, but in 2006 Pluto was deprived of planet status because Many objects more massive than Pluto have been discovered in the outer solar system. Following the reclassification, Pluto was added to the list of minor planets and received catalog number 134340 from the Minor Planet Center. But some scientists disagree with this and continue to believe that Pluto should be reclassified back to a planet.

Four planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars - are called terrestrial planets. They are also called inner planets, because their orbits lie inside the Earth's orbit. What the terrestrial planets have in common is that they are composed of silicates (minerals) and metals.

Four other planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - they call gas giants, because they are mainly composed of hydrogen and helium and are much more massive than the terrestrial planets. They are also called outer planets.

Look at the picture of the terrestrial planets scaled by their sizes in relation to each other: Earth and Venus are about the same size, and Mercury is the smallest planet among the terrestrial planets (from left to right: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars).

What unites the terrestrial planets, as we have already said, is their composition, as well as the fact that they have a small number of satellites and that they do not have rings. The three inner planets (Venus, Earth and Mars) have an atmosphere (a shell of gas around celestial body, held by gravity); all have impact craters, rift basins and volcanoes.

Let us now consider each of the terrestrial planets.

Mercury

It is located closest to the Sun and is the smallest planet in the Solar System, its mass is 3.3 × 10 23 kg, which is 0.055 the mass of the Earth. The radius of Mercury is only 2439.7 ± 1.0 km. The average density of Mercury is quite high - 5.43 g/cm³, which is slightly less than the density of Earth. Considering that the Earth is larger in size, the density value of Mercury indicates an increased content of metals in its depths.

The planet got its name in honor of the ancient Roman god of trade, Mercury: he was fleet-footed, and the planet moves across the sky faster than other planets. Mercury has no satellites. Its only known geological features, other than impact craters, are numerous jagged escarpments extending for hundreds of kilometers. Mercury has an extremely thin atmosphere, a relatively large iron core and a thin crust, the origin of which is currently a mystery. Although there is a hypothesis: the outer layers of the planet, consisting of light elements, were torn off as a result of a giant collision, which reduced the size of the planet and also prevented the complete absorption of Mercury by the young Sun. The hypothesis is very interesting, but requires confirmation.

Mercury revolves around the Sun in 88 Earth days.

Mercury has not yet been sufficiently studied; only in 2009 was it compiled full map based on images from the Mariner 10 and Messenger spacecraft. The planet’s natural satellites have not yet been discovered, and it is not easy to see in the sky due to its small angular distance from the Sun.

Venus

It is the second inner planet of the solar system. It orbits the Sun in 224.7 Earth days. The planet is close in size to Earth, its mass is 4.8685ˑ10 24 kg, which is 0.815 Earth's mass. Like Earth, it has a thick silicate shell around an iron core and an atmosphere. Venus is the third brightest object in the Earth's sky after the Sun and Moon. It is believed that internal geological activity occurs within the planet. The amount of water on Venus is much less than on Earth, and its atmosphere is ninety times denser. Venus has no satellites. This is the hottest planet, its surface temperature exceeds 400 °C. Astronomers consider the most likely reason for such a high temperature to be the greenhouse effect, which occurs due to a dense atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide, which is approximately 96.5%. The atmosphere on Venus was discovered by M. V. Lomonosov in 1761.

Evidence geological activity not found on Venus, but since it does not have magnetic field, which would prevent the depletion of its essential atmosphere, this allows us to assume that its atmosphere is regularly replenished volcanic eruptions. Venus is sometimes called " sister of the earth“- they really have a lot in common: similar sizes, gravity and composition. But there are still more differences. The surface of Venus is covered with thick clouds of highly reflective sulfuric acid clouds, so its surface cannot be seen in visible light. But radio waves were able to penetrate its atmosphere, and with their help its relief was explored. Scientists have debated for a long time about what lies under the thick clouds of Venus. And only in the 20th century, the science of planetology established that the atmosphere of Venus, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide, is explained by the fact that on Venus there is no carbon cycle and no life that could process it into biomass. Scientists believe that once upon a time, a very long time ago, oceans similar to those on Earth existed on Venus, but they completely evaporated due to the intense heating of the planet.

The atmospheric pressure on the surface of Venus is 92 times greater than on Earth. Some astronomers believe that volcanic activity on Venus continues today, but no clear evidence of this has been found. Not found yet... It is believed that Venus is a relatively young planet, by astronomical standards, of course. She is approximately only... 500 million years old.

The temperature on Venus has been calculated to be approximately +477 °C, but scientists believe that Venus is gradually losing its internal high temperature. Observations from automatic space stations discovered thunderstorms in the planet's atmosphere.

The planet got its name in honor of the ancient Roman goddess of love Venus.

Venus has been actively studied using spacecraft. The first spacecraft was the Soviet Venera 1. Then there were the Soviet Vega, the American Mariner, Pioneer Venus 1, Pioneer Venus 2, Magellan, the European Venus Express, and the Japanese Akatsuki. In 1975, the Venera 9 and Venera 10 spacecraft transmitted the first photographs of the surface of Venus to Earth, but conditions on the surface of Venus are such that none of the spacecraft worked on the planet for more than two hours. But research on Venus continues.

Earth

Our Earth is the largest and densest of the inner planets in the solar system. Among the terrestrial planets, Earth is unique due to its hydrosphere ( water shell). The Earth's atmosphere differs from the atmospheres of other planets in that it contains free oxygen. The Earth has one natural satellite - the Moon, the only large satellite of the terrestrial planets of the Solar System.

But we will have a more detailed conversation about planet Earth in a separate article. Therefore, we will continue the story about the planets of the solar system.

Mars

This planet is smaller than Earth and Venus, its mass is 0.64185·10 24 kg, which is 10.7% of the Earth's mass. Mars is also called " red planet" - due to iron oxide on its surface. Its rarefied atmosphere consists mainly of carbon dioxide (95.32%, the rest is nitrogen, argon, oxygen, carbon monoxide, water vapor, nitrogen oxide), and the pressure on the surface is 160 times less than that on Earth. Impact craters like those on the Moon, as well as volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps like those on Earth - all this makes it possible to classify Mars as a terrestrial planet.

The planet got its name in honor of Mars, the ancient Roman god of war (which corresponds to the ancient Greek Ares). Mars has two natural, relatively small satellites - Phobos and Deimos (translated from ancient Greek - “fear” and “horror” - that was the name of the two sons of Ares, who accompanied him in battle).

Mars was studied by the USSR, the USA and the European Space Agency (ESA). The USSR/Russia, USA, ESA and Japan sent an Automatic Interplanetary Station (AIS) to Mars to study it; there were several programs to study this planet: “Mars”, “Phobos”, “Mariner”, “Viking”, “Mars Global Surveyor” and others.

It has been established that due to low pressure water cannot exist in a liquid state on the surface of Mars, but scientists suggest that in the past conditions on the planet were different, so they do not exclude the presence of primitive life on the planet. In 2008, water in the form of ice was discovered on Mars by NASA's Phoenix spacecraft. The surface of Mars is explored by rovers. The geological data they collected suggests that most of the surface of Mars was once covered with water. Something like geysers were even discovered on Mars - sources hot water and a couple.

Mars can be seen from Earth with the naked eye.

The minimum distance from Mars to the Earth is 55.76 million km (when the Earth is exactly between the Sun and Mars), the maximum is about 401 million km (when the Sun is exactly between the Earth and Mars).

The average temperature on Mars is −50 °C. The climate, like on Earth, is seasonal.

Asteroid belt

Between Mars and Jupiter there is a belt of asteroids - small bodies of the solar system. Scientists suggest that these are remnants of the formation of the Solar System, which were unable to unite into a large body due to gravitational disturbances of Jupiter. The sizes of asteroids vary: from several meters to hundreds of kilometers.

Outer Solar System

In the outer region of the Solar System there are gas giants ( Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune ) and their companions. The orbits of many short-period comets are also located here. Because of their greater distance from the Sun, and therefore much lower temperature, the solid objects in this region contain ices of water, ammonia and methane. In the photo you can compare their sizes (from left to right: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).

Jupiter

This is a huge planet with a mass of 318 Earth masses, which is 2.5 times more massive than all other planets combined, and its equatorial radius is 71,492 ± 4 km. It consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter is the most powerful (after the Sun) radio source in the Solar System. The average distance between Jupiter and the Sun is 778.57 million km. The presence of life on Jupiter seems unlikely due to the low concentration of water in the atmosphere, the absence of a solid surface, etc. Although scientists do not exclude the possibility of the existence of water-hydrocarbon life on Jupiter in the form of some unidentified organisms.

Jupiter has been known to people since ancient times, which is reflected in mythology different countries, and its name comes from the ancient Roman thunder god Jupiter.

There are 67 known moons of Jupiter, the largest of which were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610.

Jupiter is explored using ground-based and orbital telescopes; Since the 1970s, 8 interplanetary NASA probes have been sent to the planet: Pioneers, Voyagers, Galileo and others. Powerful storms, lightning, and aurorae, many times greater than those on Earth, have been observed on the planet.

Saturn

A planet known for its ring system. In reality, these romantic rings are just flat, concentric formations of ice and dust that lie in Saturn's equatorial plane. Saturn has a structure of atmosphere and magnetosphere somewhat similar to Jupiter, but is much smaller: 60% of the mass of Jupiter (5.6846 10 26 kg). Equatorial radius - 60,268 ± 4 km.

The planet received its name in honor of the Roman god of agriculture, Saturn, so its symbol is a sickle.

The main component of Saturn is hydrogen with admixtures of helium and traces of water, methane, ammonia and heavy elements.

Saturn has 62 satellites. Of these, the largest is Titan. It is interesting because it is larger than the planet Mercury and has the only dense atmosphere among the satellites of the Solar System.

Observations of Saturn have been going on for a long time: Galileo Galilei noted in 1610 that Saturn has “two companions” (satellites). And Huygens in 1659, using a more powerful telescope, saw the rings of Saturn and discovered its largest satellite, Titan. Then, gradually, astronomers discovered other satellites of the planet.

The modern study of Saturn began in 1979, when the US automatic interplanetary station Pioneer 11 flew near Saturn and then finally approached it. Then the American spacecraft Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, as well as Cassini-Huygens, followed to Saturn, which, after 7 years of flight, reached the Saturn system on July 1, 2004 and entered orbit around the planet. The main objectives were to study the structure and dynamics of the rings and satellites, as well as to study the dynamics of the atmosphere and magnetosphere of Saturn and a detailed study largest satellite planets - Titan. In 2009, a joint American-European project between NASA and ESA appeared to launch the Titan Saturn System Mission to study Saturn and its satellites Titan and Enceladus. During it, the station will fly to the Saturn system for 7-8 years, and then become a satellite of Titan for two years. It will also launch a probe balloon into Titan's atmosphere and a landing module.

The lightest of the outer planets is 14 Earth masses (8.6832·10 25 kg). Uranus was discovered in 1781 by the English astronomer William Herschel using a telescope and named after the Greek god of the sky, Uranus. It turns out that Uranus is visible in the sky with the naked eye, but those who saw it before did not realize that it was a planet, because the light from it was very dim, and the movement was very slow.

Uranus, as well as Neptune, which is similar to it, are classified as “ ice giants", since there are many modifications of ice in their depths.

The atmosphere of Uranus is mainly hydrogen and helium, but traces of methane and solid ammonia are also present. Its atmosphere is the coldest (−224 °C).

Uranus also has a ring system, a magnetosphere, and 27 moons. The axis of rotation of Uranus lies, as it were, “on its side” relative to the plane of rotation of this planet around the Sun. As a result, the planet turns towards the Sun alternately north pole, then the southern, then the equator, then the middle latitudes.

In 1986, the American spacecraft Voyager 2 transmitted close-range images of Uranus to Earth. The images do not show images of such storms as on Jupiter, but, according to observations from Earth, seasonal changes are occurring there, and weather activity has been noticed.

Neptune

Neptune is smaller than Uranus (equatorial radius 24,764 ± 15 km), but its mass is 1.0243·10 26 kg greater than the mass of Uranus and is 17 Earth masses.

This is the most distant planet Solar system. Its name is associated with the name of Neptune - the Roman god of the seas, therefore the astronomical symbol is Neptune's trident.

Neptune is the first planet discovered through mathematical calculations rather than observations (Neptune is not visible to the naked eye), and this happened in 1846. This was done by a French mathematician who studied celestial mechanics and worked most of his life at the Paris Observatory - Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier.

Although Galileo Galilei observed Neptune in 1612 and 1613, he mistook the planet for a fixed star in conjunction with Jupiter in the night sky. Therefore, the discovery of Neptune is not attributed to Galileo.

Soon its satellite Triton was discovered, but the remaining 12 satellites of the planet were discovered in the 20th century.

Neptune, like Saturn and Pluto, has a ring system.

Neptune's atmosphere, like that of Jupiter and Saturn, is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, with traces of hydrocarbons and possibly nitrogen, but contains a lot of ice. The core of Neptune, like Uranus, consists mainly of ice and rocks. The planet seems blue– this is due to traces of methane in the outer layers of the atmosphere.

Neptune's atmosphere has the strongest winds among the planets in the solar system.

Neptune has only been visited by one spacecraft, Voyager 2, which flew close to the planet on August 25, 1989.

This planet, like all the others, holds many mysteries. For example, for unknown reasons, the planet’s thermosphere has an abnormally high temperature. But it is too far from the Sun for it to heat up the thermosphere with ultraviolet radiation. Here's a problem for you, future astronomers. And the Universe sets a lot of such tasks, enough for everyone...

The weather on Neptune is characterized by strong storms, winds reaching almost supersonic speeds (about 600 m/s).

Other bodies of the Solar System

This comets- small bodies of the Solar System, usually only a few kilometers in size, consisting mainly of volatile substances(ice), centaurs- icy comet-like objects, trans-Neptunian objects, located in space beyond Neptune, Kuiper belt- fragments similar to the asteroid belt, but consisting mainly of ice, scattered disk…

There is no exact answer yet to the question of where exactly the solar system ends and interstellar space begins...