Temperature on the planets of the solar system. Planet Neptune

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun. It completes the group of planets known as gas giants.

The history of the discovery of the planet.

Neptune became the first planet whose existence astronomers knew about even before they saw it through a telescope.

The uneven movement of Uranus in its orbit has led astronomers to believe that the reason for this behavior of the planet is the gravitational influence of another celestial body. Having carried out the necessary mathematical calculations, Johann Halle and Heinrich d'Arre at the Berlin Observatory discovered a distant blue planet on September 23, 1846.

It is very difficult to accurately answer the question thanks to whom Neptune was found. Many astronomers have worked in this direction and debates on this matter are still ongoing.

10 things you need to know about Neptune!

Neptune is the most distant planet in the Solar System and occupies the eighth orbit from the Sun;
Mathematicians were the first to know about the existence of Neptune;
There are 14 satellites circling around Neptune;
Neputna's orbit is removed from the Sun by an average of 30 AU;
One day on Neptune lasts 16 Earth hours;
Neptune has only been visited by one spacecraft, Voyager 2;
There is a system of rings around Neptune;
Neptune has the second highest gravity after Jupiter;
One year on Neptune lasts 164 Earth years;
The atmosphere on Neptune is extremely active;

Astronomical characteristics

The meaning of the name of the planet Neptune

Like other planets, Neptune gets its name from Greek and Roman mythology. The name Neptune, after the Roman god of the sea, suited the planet surprisingly well due to its gorgeous blue hue.

Physical characteristics of Neptune

Rings and satellites

Neptune is orbited by 14 known moons, named after lesser sea deities and nymphs from Greek mythology. The planet's largest moon is Triton. It was discovered by William Lassell on October 10, 1846, just 17 days after the discovery of the planet.

Triton is the only satellite of Neptune that has a spherical shape. The remaining 13 known satellites of the planet have irregular shape. In addition to its regular shape, Triton is known for having a retrograde orbit around Neptune (the direction of the satellite's rotation is opposite to Neptune's rotation around the Sun). This gives astronomers reason to believe that Triton was gravitationally captured by Neptune and was not formed along with the planet. Also, recent studies of the Neputna system have shown a constant decrease in the altitude of Triton’s orbit around the parent planet. This means that in millions of years, Triton will fall onto Neptune or be completely destroyed by the planet's powerful tidal forces.

There is also a ring system near Neptune. However, research shows that they are relatively young and very unstable.

Features of the planet

Neptune is extremely distant from the Sun and is therefore invisible to the naked eye from Earth. The average distance from our star is about 4.5 billion kilometers. And due to its slow movement in orbit, one year on the planet lasts 165 Earth years.

Main axis magnetic field Neptune, like Uranus, is highly inclined relative to the planet's rotation axis and is about 47 degrees. However, this did not affect its power, which is 27 times greater than that of the Earth.

Despite the large distance from the Sun and, as a result, less energy received from the star, the winds on Neptune are three times stronger than on Jupiter and nine times stronger than on Earth.

In 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft, flying near the Neptune system, saw a large storm in its atmosphere. This hurricane, like the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, was so large that it could contain the Earth. The speed of his movement was also enormous and amounted to about 1200 kilometers per hour. However, such atmospheric phenomena not as long as on Jupiter. Subsequent observations by the Hubble Space Telescope found no evidence of this storm.

Atmosphere of the planet

Neptune's atmosphere is not much different from other gas giants. It mainly consists of two components hydrogen and helium with small admixtures of methane and various ices.

Useful articles that will answer most interesting questions about Saturn.

Deep space objects

The planet Neptune was first noticed by Galileo Galilei in 1612. However, the movement of the celestial body was too slow, and the scientist considered it an ordinary star. The discovery of Neptune as a planet took place only two centuries later - in 1846. It happened by accident. Experts have noticed some oddities in the movement of Uranus. After a series of calculations, it became obvious that such deviations in the trajectory are possible only under the influence of the attraction of neighboring large celestial bodies. This is how the planet Neptune began its cosmic history, about which it was revealed to humanity.

"Sea God" in outer space

Thanks amazing blue color this planet was named after the ancient Roman ruler of the seas and oceans - Neptune. The cosmic body is the eighth in our Galaxy, it is located further than other planets from the Sun.

Neptune is accompanied by many satellites. But there are only two main ones - Triton and Nereid. The first one is like main satellite has its own distinctive features:

Triton– a giant satellite, in the past – an independent planet;
diameter is 2,700 km;
is the only internal satellite with in reverse, i.e. moves not counterclockwise, but along it;
is relatively close to its planet - only 335,000 km;
has its own atmosphere and clouds consisting of methane and nitrogen;
the surface is shrouded in frozen gases, mainly nitrogen;
Nitrogen fountains erupt on the surface, the height of which reaches 10 km.

Astronomers suggest that in 3.6 billion years Triton will disappear forever. It will be destroyed by Neptune's gravitational field, turning it into another circumplanetary ring.

Nereid also has extraordinary qualities:

has an irregular shape;
is the owner of a highly elongated orbit;
diameter is 340 km;
the distance from Neptune is 6.2 million km;
One revolution in its orbit takes 360 days.

There is an opinion that Nereid was an asteroid in the past, but fell into the trap of Neptune's gravity and remained in its orbit.

Exceptional Features and Interesting Facts about the Planet Neptune

Consider Neptune naked eye impossible, but if you know exact location planets on starry sky, then you can admire it through powerful binoculars. But for a complete study, serious equipment is needed. Obtaining and processing information about Neptune is a rather complex process. Collected Interesting Facts You can learn more about this planet:

Exploring Neptune is a labor-intensive process. Due to the great distance from Earth, telescopic data have low accuracy. Studying the planet became possible only after the advent of the Hubble telescope and other ground-based telescopes.

In addition, Neptune, which was studied using spaceship Voyager 2. This is the only device that managed to get closest to this point in the solar system.

For a long time, Neptune was in the shadow of other planets in the solar system, occupying a modest eighth place. Astronomers and researchers preferred to study large celestial bodies by pointing their telescopes at the gas giant planets Jupiter and Saturn. The modest Pluto, which was considered the last ninth planet of the solar system, received even more attention from the scientific community. Since its discovery, the planet Neptune and interesting facts about it have been of little interest to the scientific world; all information about it was random.

It seemed that after the decision of Prague XXVI General Assembly International Astronomical Union on the recognition of Pluto dwarf planet, Neptune's fate will change dramatically. However, despite significant changes in the composition of the solar system, Neptune now truly finds itself on the outskirts of near space. Since the triumphant discovery of the planet Neptune, research on the gas giant has been limited. A similar picture is observed today, when not a single space agency considers the exploration of the eighth planet of the solar system a priority.

History of the discovery of Neptune

Moving on to the eighth planet of the solar system, we must admit that Neptune is not nearly as huge as its brothers Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. The planet is the fourth gas giant, as its size is inferior to all three. The diameter of the planet is only 49.24 thousand km, while Jupiter and Saturn have diameters of 142.9 thousand km and 120.5 thousand km, respectively. Uranus, although inferior to the first two, has a planetary disk size of 50 thousand km. and surpasses the fourth gas planet. But in terms of weight, this planet is certainly one of the top three. Neptune's mass is 102 by 1024 kg, and it looks quite impressive. In addition to everything, it is the most massive object among other gas giants. Its density is 1.638 k/m3 and is higher than that of the huge Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.

Possessing such impressive astrophysical parameters, the eighth planet was also awarded an honorary name. Due to the blue color of its surface, the planet was named after the ancient god of the seas, Neptune. However, this was preceded by a curious history of the discovery of the planet. For the first time in the history of astronomy, a planet was discovered through mathematics and calculations before it was seen through a telescope. Despite the fact that Galileo received the first information about the blue planet, its official discovery took place almost 200 years later. In the absence of accurate astronomical data from his observations, Galileo considered the new planet to be a distant star.

The planet appeared on the map of the solar system as a result of the resolution of numerous disputes and disagreements, for a long time reigned among astronomers. As early as 1781, when the scientific world witnessed the discovery of Uranus, slight orbital fluctuations of the new planet were noted. For a massive celestial body that rotates in an elliptical orbit around the Sun, such fluctuations were uncharacteristic. Even then, it was suggested that behind the orbit of the new planet another large celestial object was moving in space, which with its gravitational field influenced the position of Uranus.

The mystery remained unsolved for the next 65 years, until the British astronomer John Cooch Adams presented for public review the data of his calculations, in which he proved the existence of another unknown planet in circumsolar orbit. According to the calculations of the Frenchman Laverrier, a planet of large mass is located immediately beyond the orbit of Uranus. After two sources immediately confirmed the presence of an eighth planet in the solar system, astronomers around the world began to look for it heavenly body on the night sky. The result of the search was not long in coming. Already in September 1846, a new planet was discovered by the German Johann Gall. If we talk about who discovered the planet, then nature itself intervened in the process. Science provided data about the new planet to man.

At first, some difficulties arose with the name of the newly discovered planet. Each of the astronomers who had a hand in the discovery of the planet tried to give it a name consonant with own name. Only thanks to the efforts of the director of the Pulkovo Imperial Observatory, Vasily Struve, the name Neptune was finally assigned to the blue planet.

What did the discovery of the eighth planet bring to science?

Until 1989, humanity was content with visual observation of the blue giant, having only been able to calculate its basic astrophysical parameters and calculate its true size. As it turns out, Neptune is the most distant planet in the solar system, the distance from our star is 4.5 billion km. The sun shines in the Neptunian sky as a small star, the light of which reaches the surface of the planet in 9 hours. The Earth is separated from the surface of Neptune by 4.4 billion kilometers. It took 12 years for the Voyager 2 spacecraft to reach the orbit of the blue giant, and this became possible thanks to a successful gravitational maneuver that the station performed in the vicinity of Jupiter and Saturn.

Neptune moves in a fairly regular orbit with a low eccentricity. The deviation between perihelion and aphelion is no more than 100 million km. The planet completes one revolution around our star in almost 165 Earth years. For reference, it was only in 2011 that the planet made a full orbit around the Sun since its discovery.

Discovered in 1930, Pluto, considered until 2005 the most distant planet in the solar system, at certain times is closer to the Sun than distant Neptune. This is due to the fact that Pluto's orbit is very elongated.

Neptune's position in orbit is quite stable. The tilt angle of its axis is 28° and is almost identical to the tilt angle of our planet. In this regard, on the blue planet there is a change of seasons, which, due to the long orbital path, lasts for a long 40 years. Neptune's rotation period around its own axis is 16 hours. However, due to the fact that there is no solid surface on Neptune, the speed of rotation of its gaseous shell at the poles and at the equator of the planet is different.

Only at the end of the 20th century was man able to obtain more accurate information about the planet Neptune. The Voyager 2 space probe flew by the blue giant in 1989 and provided earthlings with close-up images of Neptune. After this, the most distant planet in the solar system was revealed in a new light. Details of the astrophysical surroundings of Neptune, as well as what its atmosphere consists of, have become known. Like all previous gas planets, it has several satellites. Neptune's largest moon, Triton, was discovered by Voyager 2. The planet also has its own system of rings, which, however, is inferior in scale to Saturn’s halo. The information received from the automatic probe is by far the most recent and unique of its kind, on the basis of which we have gained an idea of the composition of the atmosphere and the conditions that prevail in this distant and cold world.

Today the study of our eighth planet star system carried out using the Hubble Space Telescope. Based on his photographs, an accurate portrait of Neptune was compiled, the composition of the atmosphere was determined, what it consists of, and a number of features and characteristics of the blue giant were identified.

Characteristics and brief description of the eighth planet

The specific color of the planet Neptune arose due to the dense atmosphere of the planet. It is not possible to determine the exact composition of the blanket of clouds covering the icy planet. However, thanks to images obtained using Hubble, it was possible to conduct spectral studies of Neptune’s atmosphere:

the upper layers of the planet's atmosphere are 80% hydrogen;
the remaining 20% comes from a mixture of helium and methane, which is gas mixture only 1% is present.

It is the presence of methane and some other, as yet unknown component in the planet’s atmosphere that determines its color of bright blue azure. Like other gas giants, Neptune's atmosphere is divided into two regions - the troposphere and stratosphere - each of which is characterized by its own composition. In the zone of transition of the troposphere to the exosphere, cloud formation occurs, consisting of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide vapor. Throughout Neptune's atmosphere, temperature parameters vary between 200-240 degrees Celsius below zero. However, against this background, one feature of Neptune’s atmosphere is curious. It's about about abnormal high temperature in one of the sections of the stratosphere, which reaches values of 750 K. This is probably caused by the interaction of the lower layers of the atmosphere with gravitational forces planets and the action of Neptune's magnetic field.

Despite the high density of the atmosphere of the eighth planet, its climatic activity is considered to be quite weak. Besides the strong hurricane winds, blowing at a speed of 400 m/s, on the blue giant of other bright meteorological phenomena was not noticed. Storms on a distant planet are a common phenomenon that is typical for all planets in this group. The only controversial aspect that raises serious doubts among climatologists and astronomers about the passivity of Neptune's climate is the presence in its atmosphere of the Large and Small Dark Spots, the nature of which is similar to the nature of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter.

The lower layers of the atmosphere smoothly transform into a layer of ammonia and methane ice. However, the presence of Neptune's rather impressive gravitational force suggests that the planet's core may be solid. In support of this hypothesis high value free fall acceleration - 11.75 m/s2. For comparison, on Earth this value is 9.78 m/s2.

In theory internal structure Neptune looks like this:

an iron-stone core, which has a mass 1.2 times greater than the mass of our planet;
the planet's mantle, consisting of ammonia, water and methane hot ice, the temperature of which is 7000K;
the lower and upper atmosphere of the planet, filled with vapors of hydrogen, helium and methane. The mass of Neptune's atmosphere is 20% of the mass of the entire planet.

It is difficult to say what the actual dimensions of Neptune's inner layers are. It is probably a huge compressed ball of gas, cold on the outside and heated to very high temperatures on the inside.

Triton is Neptune's largest moon

The Voyager 2 space probe discovered a whole system of Neptune's satellites, of which 14 have been identified today. The largest object is a satellite called Triton, whose mass is 99.5% of the mass of all other satellites of the eighth planet. Another thing is curious. Triton is the only one natural companion solar system that rotates in opposite direction rotation of the mother planet side. It is possible that Triton was once similar to Pluto and was an object in the Kuiper belt, but was then captured by the blue giant. After examination by Voyager 2, it turned out that Triton, like the satellites of Jupiter and Saturn - Io and Titan - has its own atmosphere.

Time will tell how useful this information will be for scientists. In the meantime, the study of Neptune and its environs is proceeding extremely slowly. According to preliminary calculations, the study of the border regions of our solar system will begin no earlier than 2030, when more advanced spacecraft appear.

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In the bustle of days there is peace for ordinary person sometimes it is reduced to the size of work and home. Meanwhile, if you look at the sky, you can see how insignificant it is. Perhaps that is why young romantics dream of devoting themselves to the conquest of space and the study of the stars. Scientists-astronomers do not forget for a second that, in addition to the Earth with its problems and joys, there are many other distant and mysterious objects. One of them is the planet Neptune, the eighth most distant from the Sun, inaccessible to direct observation and therefore doubly attractive to researchers.

How it all began

Back in the mid-19th century, the solar system, according to scientists, contained only seven planets. The Earth's neighbors, immediate and distant, have been studied using all available advances in technology and computing. Many characteristics were first described theoretically, and only then found practical confirmation. With the calculation of the orbit of Uranus, the situation was somewhat different. Thomas John Hussey, an astronomer and priest, discovered a discrepancy between the real trajectory of the planet and the expected one. There could be only one conclusion: there is an object influencing the orbit of Uranus. In fact, this was the first message about the planet Neptune.

Almost ten years later (in 1843), two researchers simultaneously calculated the orbit in which a planet could move, forcing the gas giant to make room. These were the Englishman John Adams and the Frenchman Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier. Independently of each other, but with varying accuracy, they determined the path of movement of the body.

Detection and designation

Neptune was found in the night sky by astronomer Johann Gottfried Halle, to whom Le Verrier came with his calculations. The French scientist, who later shared the glory of the discoverer with Galle and Adams, was wrong in his calculations by only a degree. Neptune officially appeared in scientific works September 23, 1846.

Initially, it was proposed to name the planet, but this designation did not take root. Astronomers were more inspired by comparing the new object with the king of the seas and oceans, just as alien to the earth’s surface as, apparently, the discovered planet. The name of Neptune was proposed by Le Verrier and supported by V. Ya. Struve, who headed the name was given, all that remained was to understand what the composition of Neptune’s atmosphere was, whether it existed at all, what was hidden in its depths, and so on.

Compared to Earth

A lot of time has passed since the opening. Today we know much more about the eighth planet of the solar system. Neptune is significantly larger than Earth: its diameter is almost 4 times greater and its mass is 17 times greater. The significant distance from the Sun leaves no doubt that the weather on the planet Neptune is also noticeably different from that on Earth. There is no and cannot be life here. It's not even about the wind or anything unusual phenomena. The atmosphere and surface of Neptune are practically the same structure. This characteristic feature all gas giants, which include this planet.

Imaginary surface

The planet's density is significantly lower than that of Earth (1.64 g/cm³), making it difficult to step on its surface. Yes, and as such it does not exist. They agreed to identify the surface level by the magnitude of the pressure: the pliable and rather liquid-like “solid” is located in the lower levels where the pressure is equal to one bar, and, in fact, is part of it. Any message about the planet Neptune as a cosmic object of a specific size is based on this definition of the imaginary surface of the giant.

The parameters obtained taking into account this feature are as follows:

the diameter at the equator is 49.5 thousand km;

its size in the plane of the poles is almost 48.7 thousand km.

The ratio of these characteristics makes Neptune far from a circle in shape. It, like the Blue Planet, is somewhat flattened at the poles.

Composition of Neptune's atmosphere

The mixture of gases that envelops the planet is very different in content from that on Earth. The overwhelming majority is hydrogen (80%), the second position is occupied by helium. This inert gas makes a significant contribution to the composition of Neptune's atmosphere - 19%. Methane makes up less than a percent; ammonia is also found here, but in small quantities.

Oddly enough, one percent of methane in the composition greatly affects what kind of atmosphere Neptune has and what the entire gas giant is like from the point of view of an external observer. This chemical compound makes up the clouds of the planet and does not reflect light waves corresponding to the color red. As a result, Neptune appears a deep blue to those passing by. This color is one of the mysteries of the planet. Scientists do not yet fully know what exactly leads to the absorption of the red part of the spectrum.

All gas giants have an atmosphere. It is the color that makes Neptune stand out among them. Due to such characteristics it is called ice planet. Frozen methane, which by its existence adds weight to the comparison of Neptune with an iceberg, is also part of the mantle surrounding the planet’s core.

Internal structure

The core of the space object contains iron, nickel, magnesium and silicon compounds. The core is approximately equal in mass to the entire Earth. Moreover, unlike other elements internal structure, it has a density that is twice that of the Blue Planet.

The core is covered, as already mentioned, by a mantle. Its composition is in many ways similar to the atmospheric one: ammonia, methane, and water are present here. The mass of the layer is equal to fifteen Earth times, while it is very heated (up to 5000 K). The mantle does not have a clear boundary, and the atmosphere of the planet Neptune smoothly flows into it. A mixture of helium and hydrogen is top part in the structure. The smooth transformation of one element into another and blurred boundaries between them are properties characteristic of all gas giants.

Research challenges

Conclusions about what kind of atmosphere Neptune has, which is characteristic of its structure, are made largely on the basis of data already obtained about Uranus, Jupiter and Saturn. The planet's distance from Earth makes it much more difficult to study.

In 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew near Neptune. This was the only meeting with an earthly messenger. Its fruitfulness, however, is obvious: most of the information about Neptune was provided to science by this ship. In particular, Voyager 2 discovered the Large and Small Dark Spots. Both blackened areas were clearly visible against the background of the blue atmosphere. Today it is not clear what the nature of these formations is, but it is assumed that these are vortex flows or cyclones. They appear in upper layers atmosphere and rush around the planet at great speed.

Perpetual motion

Many parameters are determined by the presence of atmosphere. Neptune is characterized not only by its unusual color, but also constant movement, created by the wind. The speed at which clouds fly around the planet near the equator exceeds a thousand kilometers per hour. At the same time, they move in the opposite direction relative to the rotation of Neptune itself around its axis. At the same time, the planet turns even faster: a complete rotation takes only 16 hours and 7 minutes. For comparison: one revolution around the Sun takes almost 165 years.

Another mystery: the wind speed in the atmosphere of gas giants increases with distance from the Sun and reaches its peak on Neptune. This phenomenon has not yet been substantiated, as well as some temperature features of the planet.

Heat distribution

The weather on the planet Neptune is characterized by a gradual change in temperature depending on altitude. The layer of the atmosphere where the conditional surface is located fully corresponds to the second name ( ice planet). The temperature here drops to almost -200 ºC. If you move higher from the surface, you will notice an increase in heat up to 475º. Scientists have not yet found a worthy explanation for such differences. Neptune is supposed to have internal source heat. Such a “heater” should generate twice as much energy as what comes to the planet from the Sun. The heat from this source, combined with the energy flowing here from our star, is likely the cause of the strong winds.

However, neither sunlight, nor the internal “heater” can raise the temperature on the surface so that the change of seasons is noticeable here. And although other conditions for this are met, it is impossible to distinguish winter from summer on Neptune.

Magnetosphere

Voyager 2's research helped scientists learn a lot about Neptune's magnetic field. It is very different from Earth’s: the source is located not in the core, but in the mantle, due to which the planet’s magnetic axis is greatly shifted relative to its center.

One of the functions of the field is protection from solar wind. The shape of Neptune's magnetosphere is highly elongated: the protective lines in the part of the planet that is illuminated are located at a distance of 600 thousand km from the surface, and on the opposite side - more than 2 million km.

Voyager recorded variability in field strength and location magnetic lines. Such properties of the planet have also not yet been fully explained by science.

Rings

IN late XIX century, when scientists were no longer looking for an answer to the question of whether there is an atmosphere on Neptune, another task arose before them. It was necessary to explain why, along the route of the eighth planet, the stars began to fade out for the observer somewhat earlier than Neptune approached them.

The problem was solved only after almost a century. In 1984, with the help of a powerful telescope, it was possible to examine the brightest ring of the planet, which was later named after one of the discoverers of Neptune, John Adams.

Further research found several more similar formations. They were the ones who blocked the stars on the planet's path. Today, astronomers consider Neptune to have six rings. There is another mystery hidden in them. The Adams ring consists of several arches located at some distance from each other. The reason for this placement is unclear. Some researchers are inclined to think that force keeps them in this position gravitational field one of Neptune's satellites - Galatea. Others provide a compelling counter-argument: its size is so small that it is unlikely that it would cope with the task. There may be several more unknown satellites nearby that are helping Galatea.

In general, the planet’s rings are a spectacle, inferior in impressiveness and beauty to similar formations of Saturn. Not the least role in the somewhat lackluster appearance composition plays. The rings mostly contain blocks of methane ice coated with silicon compounds that absorb light well.

Satellites

Neptune has (according to the latest data) 13 satellites. Most of them are small in size. Only Triton has outstanding parameters, only slightly inferior in diameter to the Moon. The composition of the atmosphere of Neptune and Triton is different: the satellite has a gaseous envelope of a mixture of nitrogen and methane. These substances give very interesting view planet: frozen nitrogen with inclusions of methane ice creates a real riot of colors on the surface in the area of the South Pole: tints of yellow combined with white and pink.

The fate of the handsome Triton, meanwhile, is not so rosy. Scientists predict that it will collide with Neptune and be absorbed by it. As a result, the eighth planet will become the owner of a new ring, comparable in brightness to the formations of Saturn and even ahead of them. The remaining satellites of Neptune are significantly inferior to Triton, some of them do not even have names yet.

The eighth planet of the solar system largely corresponds to its name, the choice of which was influenced by the presence of an atmosphere - Neptune. Its composition contributes to the appearance of the characteristic blue color. Neptune rushes through space incomprehensible to us, like the god of the seas. And similarly ocean depths that part of the cosmos that begins beyond Neptune keeps a lot of secrets from humans. Scientists of the future have yet to discover them.

Neptune as seen from Voyager 2

According to scientists, Neptune is one of the coldest places in the solar system. The temperature of the planet's upper cloud layer (where the pressure is 0.1 bar) can drop to 55 degrees Kelvin. This is -218 degrees Celsius.

Neptune temperature

The average temperature of the atmosphere, at a level where the pressure is 1 bar (which is approximately equal to the pressure of 1 atmosphere, as at the surface of the Earth), is 73 K (-200 Celsius).

But there is one strange anomaly at the south pole of the planet. It is 10 degrees warmer than in other places of the giant. This so-called “hot spot” appeared because South Pole, currently facing the Sun. As you move through orbit, the illumination of different regions changes. Over time, North Pole It will become warmer and the southern one will cool down.

If we take a virtual trip to the center of the planet, we will find that its heating increases sharply with depth. Like all planets, the temperature of the inner layers is much higher than that of the surface.

The core temperature is 7000 degrees Celsius, which is slightly higher than on the surface of the Sun.

The huge temperature difference between the center and its surface creates huge storms. The wind speed is about 2100 km/h, making them the fastest in the solar system.

What is the planet's temperature compared to other objects in the solar system? At Pluto it is only 33 Kelvin, which is colder than on Neptune. But Pluto is no longer a planet, so it can't be the most cold planet in the Solar System. On Uranus, the temperature of the cloud layer (at a pressure level of 1 bar) averages 76 Kelvin. Other planets are much warmer, up to +425 degrees Celsius on the surface of Mercury.