Pluto By decision of the MAC (International Astronomical Union), it no longer belongs to the planets of the solar system, but is a dwarf planet and even inferior in diameter to the other dwarf planet Eris. Pluto's designation is 134340.

solar system

Scientists put forward many versions of the origin of our solar system. In the 40s of the last century, Otto Schmidt hypothesized that the solar system arose because cold dust clouds were attracted to the Sun. Over time, clouds formed the foundations of future planets. In modern science, it is Schmidt's theory that is the main one. The solar system is only a small part of a large galaxy called the Milky Way. The Milky Way contains over a hundred billion different stars. It took humanity thousands of years to realize such a simple truth. The discovery of the solar system did not happen immediately, step by step, on the basis of victories and mistakes, a system of knowledge was formed. The main basis for studying the solar system was knowledge about the Earth.

Fundamentals and Theories

The main milestones in the study of the solar system are the modern atomic system, the heliocentric system of Copernicus and Ptolemy. The most likely version of the origin of the system is the Big Bang theory. In accordance with it, the formation of the galaxy began with the "scattering" of the elements of the megasystem. At the turn of the impenetrable house, our solar system was born. The basis of everything is the Sun - 99.8% of the total volume, the planets account for 0.13%, the remaining 0.0003% are various bodies of our system. Scientists divide the planets into two conditional groups . The first includes planets of the Earth type: the Earth itself, Venus, Mercury. The main distinguishing characteristics of the planets of the first group are a relatively small area, hardness, and a small number of satellites. The second group includes Uranus, Neptune and Saturn - they are distinguished by their large size (giant planets), they are formed by helium and hydrogen gases.

In addition to the Sun and planets, our system also includes planetary satellites, comets, meteorites and asteroids.

Particular attention should be paid to the asteroid belts that are located between Jupiter and Mars, and between the orbits of Pluto and Neptune. At the moment, there is no unequivocal version of the emergence of such formations in science.
Which planet is not considered a planet now:

Pluto was considered a planet from the time of its discovery until 2006, but later in the outer part of the solar system many celestial bodies comparable in size to Pluto and even exceeding it were discovered. To avoid confusion, a new definition of the planet was given. Pluto did not fall under this definition, so it was assigned a new "status" - a dwarf planet. So, Pluto can serve as an answer to the question: before it was considered a planet, but now it is not. However, some scientists continue to believe that Pluto should be reclassified back into a planet.

Scientists' forecasts

Based on research, scientists say that the sun is approaching the middle of its life path. It is unimaginable to imagine what will happen if the Sun goes out. But scientists say it's not only possible, it's inevitable. The age of the Sun was determined using the latest computer developments and found out that it has about five billion years. According to astronomical law, the life of a star like the Sun lasts about ten billion years. Thus, our solar system is in the middle of the life cycle. What do scientists mean by the word "goes out"? The huge solar energy is the energy of hydrogen, which in the core becomes helium. Every second, about six hundred tons of hydrogen in the core of the Sun is converted into helium. According to scientists, the Sun has already used up most of its hydrogen reserves.

If instead of the Moon there were planets of the solar system:

The number of galaxies in the universe is largely unknown to humans, with astronomers speculating that there could be an infinite number of them. In our galaxy, the Milky Way, scientists estimate that there are about 100 billion planets, most of which are in the orbit of stars. In the recent past, astronomers have discovered hundreds of planets in our galaxy, some of which exhibit characteristics of our Earth, suggesting that they are capable of supporting life. Our solar system consists of the Sun, eight planets and their moons (satellites), as well as various small cosmic bodies. The solar system included nine planets for a long time, until Pluto was stripped of this rank in 2006, as it did not meet the necessary criteria. Pluto has been found to be part of a group of six space objects that orbit the Kuiper belt and is not the largest of them.

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Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun; it is also the smallest of all eight planets. Within 88 days, Mercury completes a full revolution around the Sun. It is a rocky planet with an equatorial radius of 2439.7±1.0 km and a density of 5427 g/cm³, making it the second densest planet in the solar system. Mercury has no atmosphere and temperatures range from 448º C during the day to -170º C during the night. Its orbit is oval and is one of the planets that can be seen from Earth.

Venus

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It makes a full revolution within 224.7 days, and the period of rotation around its axis is about 243 days (this is the slowest rotation of all the planets in the solar system). Venus is the hottest planet with a surface temperature of around 467º C as its atmosphere is dense and holds heat well. It is very bright in the morning and evening, making it highly visible in certain regions of the Earth. It is the closest planet to us, and also the first one visited by an earth probe (Mariner 2) in 1962. The dense hot atmosphere makes Venus inaccessible to humans.

Land

Planet Earth is home to humans and is believed to be the only planet known to have life. It completes a revolution around the Sun in 365.256 days, covering a distance of about 940 million km. The Earth is located about 150 million km from the Sun and is the third planet in our system; according to scientists, its formation began 4.54 billion years ago. The total area of ​​the Earth is more than 510 million km², 71% of which is covered by water, and the remaining 29% belongs to land. Earth's atmosphere protects life from outer space, harmful radiation and controls the weather. It is the densest planet in the solar system.

Mars

Mars, also known as the "red planet", is the fourth planet in our solar system and the second smallest. It has a solid surface like Earth, but its atmosphere is relatively thin. Mars is half the size of the Earth and is on average 228 million km from the Sun; it completes an orbit around the Sun in 779.96 days. It is clearly visible from Earth at night due to its bright surface. Liquid water is not found on the surface of the planet due to low atmospheric pressure. Researchers are studying the possibility of life on Mars. Scientists believe that the ice caps at the planet's poles are water, and the ice at the south pole could fill the planet's surface to a depth of 11 meters if melted.

Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet in the solar system. Its mass is 2.5 times the total mass of other planets. Jupiter is a gaseous planet with no solid surface, although researchers believe its core is solid. It has a diameter of 142,984 km at the equator and is so large that it can contain all the planets in the solar system or 1,300 earths. It is predominantly composed of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter's atmosphere is dense, with winds averaging 550 kilometers per hour, twice the speed of a Category 5 hurricane on Earth. The planet has three rings of dust particles, but they are hard to see. It takes Jupiter 12 Earth years to make a complete revolution around the Sun.

Saturn

Saturn is the second largest planet after Jupiter and the sixth largest in the solar system. It is a gas giant, just like Jupiter, but with nine continuous rings. Saturn is considered the most beautiful planet in our system and is made up of hydrogen and helium. Its diameter is nine times that of the Earth, its volume is comparable to that of 763.5 Earths, and its surface is 83 Earths. However, Saturn's mass is only one-eighth that of our planet. Saturn has almost 150 moons, 53 of which have been named, 62 have been identified as having orbits, and the rest of the moons are in the planet's rings.

Uranus

Uranus is the seventh planet and the third largest in the solar system. Its surface is composed of frozen matter and therefore it is considered an ice giant. However, Uranus' atmosphere also contains hydrogen and helium, along with other "ices" such as methane, ammonia, and water. Although it is not the most distant planet from the Sun, it is one of the coldest with atmospheric temperatures reaching -224 C, being the only planet in the solar system that does not generate heat from its core. The average distance of Uranus from the Sun is about 2.8 billion km.

Neptune

Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun. At first it was thought to be a fixed star by Galileo, who used mathematical predictions to find it rather than the usual telescope method. The average distance from Neptune to the Sun is 4.5 billion km, and a complete revolution around our star takes 164.8 years. Neptune completed its first orbit in 2011, since it was discovered in 1846. It has 14 known moons, the largest of which is Triton. The atmosphere is dominated by hydrogen and helium. It is the windiest planet in the solar system, with an average wind speed nine times that of Earth. NASA recently discovered that Neptune has rivers and lakes of liquid methane.

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: the terrestrial group and the 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 by large sizes and the presence of rings, which are ice dust and rocky pieces. These planets are made up mostly of gas.

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. The average temperature on Mercury during the day is +350 degrees Celsius, and at night it is -170 degrees.

1. Mercury is the first planet from the Sun.
2. There are no seasons on Mercury. The tilt of the planet's axis is almost perpendicular to the plane of the planet's orbit around the Sun.
3. The temperature on the surface of Mercury is not the highest, although the planet is located closest to the Sun. He lost first place to Venus.
4. The first research vehicle to visit Mercury was Mariner 10. It conducted a series of demonstration flybys in 1974.
5. A day on Mercury lasts 59 Earth days, and a year is only 88 days.
6. On Mercury, the most dramatic temperature changes are observed, which reach 610 ° C. During the day, the temperature can reach 430 ° C, and at night -180 ° C.
7. The force of gravity on the surface of the planet is only 38% of the Earth's. This means that on Mercury you could jump three times as high, and it would be easier to lift heavy objects.
8. The first telescope observations of Mercury were made by Galileo Galilei in the early 17th century.
9. Mercury has no natural satellites.
10. The first official map of the surface of Mercury was published only in 2009, thanks to data obtained from the Mariner 10 and Messenger spacecraft.

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.

1. Venus is the second planet from the Sun in the solar system.
2. Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system, although it is the second planet from the Sun. Surface temperature can reach 475°C.
   
3. The first spacecraft sent to explore Venus was launched from Earth on February 12, 1961 and was called Venera 1.
4. Venus is one of two planets that has a different direction of rotation than most planets in the solar system.
5. The orbit of the planet around the Sun is very close to circular.
6. The day and night temperatures of the surface of Venus are practically the same due to the large thermal inertia of the atmosphere.
7. Venus makes one revolution around the Sun in 225 Earth days, and one revolution around its axis in 243 Earth days, that is, one day on Venus lasts more than one year.
8. The first telescope observations of Venus were made by Galileo Galilei in the early 17th century.
9. Venus has no natural satellites.
10. Venus is the third brightest object in the sky, after the Sun and Moon.

Land

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.

1. Earth is the third planet from the sun in the solar system.a;
2. One natural satellite revolves around our planet - the Moon;
   
3. Earth is the only planet not named after a divine being;
4. The Earth's density is the largest of all the planets in the solar system;
5. The speed of the Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down;
6. The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is 1 astronomical unit (a conventional measure of length in astronomy), which is approximately 150 million km;
7. The earth has a magnetic field strong enough to protect living organisms on its surface from harmful solar radiation;
8. The first artificial Earth satellite called PS-1 (The Simplest Satellite - 1) was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the Sputnik launch vehicle on October 4, 1957;
9. In orbit around the Earth, compared with other planets, there is the largest number of spacecraft;
10. Earth is the largest terrestrial planet in the solar system;

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 solar radiation to freely 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.

1. Mars is located on the fourth orbit from the Sun;
2. The Red Planet hosts the tallest volcano in the solar system;
   
3. Of the 40 exploration missions sent to Mars, only 18 were successful;
4. Mars has the largest dust storms in the solar system;
5. In 30-50 million years, a system of rings will be located around Mars, like that of Saturn;
6. Fragments of Mars have been found on Earth;
7. The sun from the surface of Mars looks half as large as from the surface of the Earth;
   
8. Mars is the only planet in the solar system that has polar ice caps;
9. Two natural satellites revolve around Mars - Deimos and Phobos;
10. Mars has no magnetic field;

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.

1. Jupiter is located in the fifth orbit from the Sun;
2. In the earth's sky, Jupiter is the fourth brightest object, after the Sun, Moon and Venus;
   
3. Jupiter has the shortest day of all the planets in the solar system;
4. In Jupiter's atmosphere, one of the longest and most powerful storms in the solar system, better known as the Great Red Spot, rages;
5. Jupiter's moon, Ganymede, is the largest moon in the solar system;
6. Around Jupiter is a thin system of rings;
7. Jupiter was visited by 8 research vehicles;
   
8. Jupiter has a strong magnetic field;
   
9. If Jupiter were 80 times more massive, it would become a star;
10. There are 67 natural satellites revolving around Jupiter. This is the largest figure in the solar system;

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.

1. Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun;
2. Saturn's atmosphere has some of the strongest winds in the solar system;
   
3. Saturn is one of the least dense planets in the solar system;
   
4. Around the planet is the largest ring system in the solar system;
5. One day on the planet lasts almost one Earth year and is equal to 378 Earth days;
6. Saturn was visited by 4 research spacecraft;
7. Saturn together with Jupiter make up approximately 92% of the entire planetary mass of the solar system;
8. One year on the planet lasts 29.5 Earth years;
9. There are 62 known natural satellites revolving around the planet;
10. Currently, the automatic interplanetary station Cassini is engaged in the study of Saturn and its rings;

Uranus

Uranus, computer artwork.

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 is 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."

1. Uranus is located in the seventh orbit from the Sun;
2. The first to know about the existence of Uranus was William Herschel in 1781;
   
3. Only one spacecraft has visited Uranus, Voyager 2 in 1982;
4. Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system;
5. The plane of the equator of Uranus is inclined to the plane of its orbit almost at a right angle - that is, the planet rotates retrograde, "lying on its side slightly upside down";
6. The moons of Uranus bear names taken from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope, not from Greek or Roman mythology;
7. A day on Uranus lasts about 17 Earth hours;
8. There are 13 known rings around Uranus;
9. One year on Uranus lasts 84 Earth years;
10. There are 27 known natural satellites revolving around Uranus;

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.

1. Neptune is the most distant planet in the solar system and occupies the eighth orbit from the Sun;
2. Mathematicians were the first to know about the existence of Neptune;
   
3. There are 14 moons circling Neptune;
4. The orbit of Nepputna is removed from the Sun by an average of 30 AU;
5. One day on Neptune lasts 16 Earth hours;
6. Neptune has only been visited by one spacecraft, Voyager 2;
7. Around Neptune there is a system of rings;
8. Neptune has the second highest gravity after Jupiter;
9. One year on Neptune lasts 164 Earth years;
10. The atmosphere on Neptune is extremely active;

1. Jupiter is considered the largest planet in the solar system.
2. There are 5 dwarf planets in the solar system, one of which was reclassified as Pluto.
3. There are very few asteroids in the solar system.
4. Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system.
5. About 99% of the space (by volume) is occupied by the Sun in the solar system.
6. One of the most beautiful and original places in the solar system is the satellite of Saturn. There you can see a huge concentration of ethane and liquid methane.
7. Our solar system has a tail that resembles a four-leaf clover.
8. The sun follows a continuous 11-year cycle.
9. There are 8 planets in the solar system.
10. The solar system is fully formed thanks to a large gas and dust cloud.
11. Spacecraft flew to all the planets of the solar system.
12. Venus is the only planet in the solar system that rotates counterclockwise on its axis.
13. Uranus has 27 moons.
14. The largest mountain is on Mars.
15. A huge mass of objects in the solar system fell on the Sun.
16. The solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy.
17. The sun is the central object of the solar system.
18. The solar system is often divided into regions.
19. The sun is a key component of the solar system.
20. The solar system was formed about 4.5 billion years ago.
21. Pluto is the most distant planet in the solar system.
22. Two regions in the solar system are filled with small bodies.
23. The solar system is built contrary to all the laws of the universe.
24. If we compare the solar system and space, then it is just a grain of sand in it.
25. Over the past few centuries, the solar system has lost 2 planets: Vulcan and Pluto.
26. Researchers claim that the solar system was created artificially.
27. The only satellite in the solar system that has a dense atmosphere and whose surface cannot be seen due to cloud cover is Titan.
28. The region of the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune is called the Kuiper belt.
29. The Oort cloud is a region of the solar system that serves as the source of a comet and a long period of revolution.
30. Every object in the solar system is held there by gravity.
31. The leading theory of the solar system proposes the emergence of planets and satellites from a huge cloud.
32. The solar system is considered the most secret particle of the Universe.
33. There is a huge asteroid belt in the solar system.
34. On Mars, you can see the eruption of the largest volcano in the solar system, which is called Olympus.
35. Pluto is considered to be the outskirts of the solar system.
36. Jupiter has a large ocean of liquid water.
37. The Moon is the largest satellite in the solar system.
38. The largest asteroid in the solar system is Pallas.
39. The brightest planet in the solar system is Venus.
40. The majority of the solar system is made up of hydrogen.
41. Earth is an equal member of the solar system.
42. The sun heats up slowly.
43. Oddly enough, the largest reserves of water in the solar system are in the sun.
44. The plane of the equator of each planet in the solar system diverges from the plane of the orbit.
45. The satellite of Mars with the name Phobos is an anomaly of the solar system.
46. The solar system can amaze with its diversity and scale.
47. The planets of the solar system are influenced by the sun.
48. The outer shell of the solar system is considered the haven of satellites and gas giants.
49. A huge number of planetary satellites of the solar system are dead.
50. The largest asteroid, with a diameter of 950 km, is called Ceres.

Planets of the solar system

According to the official position of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), an organization that assigns names to astronomical objects, there are only 8 planets.

Pluto was removed from the category of planets in 2006. because in the Kuiper belt are objects that are larger / or equal in size to Pluto. Therefore, even if it is taken as a full-fledged celestial body, then it is necessary to add Eris to this category, which has almost the same size with Pluto.

As defined by MAC, there are 8 known planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

All planets are divided into two categories depending on their physical characteristics: terrestrial and gas giants.

Schematic representation of the location of the planets

terrestrial planets

Mercury

The smallest planet in the solar system has a radius of only 2440 km. The period of revolution around the Sun, for ease of understanding, equated to the earth's year, is 88 days, while Mercury has time to complete a revolution around its own axis only one and a half times. Thus, its day lasts approximately 59 Earth days. For a long time it was believed that this planet is always turned to the Sun by the same side, since the periods of its visibility from the Earth were repeated with a frequency approximately equal to four Mercury days. This misconception was dispelled with the advent of the possibility of using radar research and conducting continuous observations using space stations. The orbit of Mercury is one of the most unstable; not only the speed of movement and its distance from the Sun change, but also the position itself. Anyone interested can observe this effect.

Mercury in color, as seen by the MESSENGER spacecraft

Mercury's proximity to the Sun has caused it to experience the largest temperature fluctuations of any of the planets in our system. The average daytime temperature is about 350 degrees Celsius, and the nighttime temperature is -170 °C. Sodium, oxygen, helium, potassium, hydrogen and argon have been identified in the atmosphere. There is a theory that it was previously a satellite of Venus, but so far this remains unproven. It has no satellites of its own.

Venus

The second planet from the Sun, the atmosphere of which is almost entirely composed of carbon dioxide. It is often called the Morning Star and the Evening Star, because it is the first of the stars to become visible after sunset, just as before dawn it continues to be visible even when all other stars have disappeared from view. The percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 96%, there is relatively little nitrogen in it - almost 4%, and water vapor and oxygen are present in very small amounts.

Venus in the UV spectrum

Such an atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect, the temperature on the surface because of this is even higher than that of Mercury and reaches 475 ° C. Considered the slowest, the Venusian day lasts 243 Earth days, which is almost equal to a year on Venus - 225 Earth days. Many call it the sister of the Earth because of the mass and radius, the values ​​​​of which are very close to the earth's indicators. The radius of Venus is 6052 km (0.85% of the earth). There are no satellites, like Mercury.

The third planet from the Sun and the only one in our system where there is liquid water on the surface, without which life on the planet could not develop. At least life as we know it. The radius of the Earth is 6371 km and, unlike the rest of the celestial bodies in our system, more than 70% of its surface is covered with water. The rest of the space is occupied by the continents. Another feature of the Earth is the tectonic plates hidden under the planet's mantle. At the same time, they are able to move, albeit at a very low speed, which over time causes a change in the landscape. The speed of the planet moving along it is 29-30 km / s.

Our planet from space

One rotation around its axis takes almost 24 hours, and a complete orbit lasts 365 days, which is much longer in comparison with the nearest neighboring planets. The Earth day and year are also taken as a standard, but this is done only for the convenience of perceiving time intervals on other planets. The Earth has one natural satellite, the Moon.

Mars

The fourth planet from the Sun, known for its rarefied atmosphere. Since 1960, Mars has been actively explored by scientists from several countries, including the USSR and the USA. Not all research programs have been successful, but water found in some areas suggests that primitive life exists on Mars, or existed in the past.

The brightness of this planet allows you to see it from Earth without any instruments. Moreover, once every 15-17 years, during the Opposition, it becomes the brightest object in the sky, eclipsing even Jupiter and Venus.

The radius is almost half that of the earth and is 3390 km, but the year is much longer - 687 days. He has 2 satellites - Phobos and Deimos .

Visual model of the solar system

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• The sun

  The sun is a star, which is a hot ball of hot gases at the center of our solar system. Its influence extends far beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto. Without the Sun and its intense energy and heat, there would be no life on Earth. There are billions of stars, like our Sun, scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

• Mercury

  Sun-scorched Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's moon. Like the Moon, Mercury is practically devoid of an atmosphere and cannot smooth out the traces of impact from the fall of meteorites, therefore, like the Moon, it is covered with craters. The day side of Mercury is very hot on the Sun, and on the night side the temperature drops hundreds of degrees below zero. In the craters of Mercury, which are located at the poles, there is ice. Mercury makes one revolution around the Sun in 88 days.

• Venus

  Venus is a world of monstrous heat (even more than on Mercury) and volcanic activity. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus is covered in a thick and toxic atmosphere that creates a strong greenhouse effect. This scorched world is hot enough to melt lead. Radar images through the mighty atmosphere revealed volcanoes and deformed mountains. Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the rotation of most planets.

• Earth is an ocean planet. Our home, with its abundance of water and life, makes it unique in our solar system. Other planets, including several moons, also have ice deposits, atmospheres, seasons, and even weather, but only on Earth did all these components come together in such a way that life became possible.

• Mars

  Although details of the surface of Mars are difficult to see from Earth, telescope observations show that Mars has seasons and white spots at the poles. For decades, people have assumed that the bright and dark areas on Mars are patches of vegetation and that Mars might be a suitable place for life, and that water exists in the polar caps. When the Mariner 4 spacecraft flew by Mars in 1965, many of the scientists were shocked to see pictures of the bleak, cratered planet. Mars turned out to be a dead planet. More recent missions, however, have revealed that Mars holds many mysteries that have yet to be solved.

• Jupiter

  Jupiter is the most massive planet in our solar system, has four large moons and many small moons. Jupiter forms a kind of miniature solar system. To turn into a full-fledged star, Jupiter had to become 80 times more massive.

• Saturn

  Saturn is the most distant of the five planets that were known before the invention of the telescope. Like Jupiter, Saturn is made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. Its volume is 755 times that of the Earth. Winds in its atmosphere reach speeds of 500 meters per second. These fast winds, combined with heat rising from the planet's interior, cause the yellow and golden streaks we see in the atmosphere.

• Uranus

  The first planet found with a telescope, Uranus was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel. The seventh planet is so far from the Sun that one revolution around the Sun takes 84 years.

• Neptune

  Nearly 4.5 billion kilometers from the Sun, distant Neptune rotates. It takes 165 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. It is invisible to the naked eye due to its vast distance from Earth. Interestingly, its unusual elliptical orbit intersects with the orbit of the dwarf planet Pluto, which is why Pluto is inside Neptune's orbit for about 20 out of 248 years during which it makes one revolution around the Sun.

• Pluto

  Tiny, cold and incredibly distant, Pluto was discovered in 1930 and has long been considered the ninth planet. But after the discovery of Pluto-like worlds even further away, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

The planets are giants

There are four gas giants located beyond the orbit of Mars: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. They are in the outer solar system. They differ in their massiveness and gas composition.

Planets of the solar system, not to scale

Jupiter

The fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in our system. Its radius is 69912 km, it is 19 times larger than the Earth and only 10 times smaller than the Sun. A year on Jupiter is not the longest in the solar system, lasting 4333 Earth days (incomplete 12 years). His own day has a duration of about 10 Earth hours. The exact composition of the planet's surface has not yet been determined, but it is known that krypton, argon and xenon are present on Jupiter in much larger quantities than on the Sun.

There is an opinion that one of the four gas giants is actually a failed star. This theory is also supported by the largest number of satellites, of which Jupiter has many - as many as 67. To imagine their behavior in the orbit of the planet, a fairly accurate and clear model of the solar system is needed. The largest of them are Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa. At the same time, Ganymede is the largest satellite of the planets in the entire solar system, its radius is 2634 km, which is 8% larger than the size of Mercury, the smallest planet in our system. Io has the distinction of being one of only three moons with an atmosphere.

Saturn

The second largest planet and the sixth largest in the solar system. In comparison with other planets, the composition of chemical elements is most similar to the Sun. The surface radius is 57,350 km, the year is 10,759 days (almost 30 Earth years). A day here lasts a little longer than on Jupiter - 10.5 Earth hours. By the number of satellites, it is not far behind its neighbor - 62 versus 67. The largest satellite of Saturn is Titan, just like Io, which is distinguished by the presence of an atmosphere. Slightly smaller than it, but no less famous for this - Enceladus, Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Iapetus and Mimas. It is these satellites that are the objects for the most frequent observation, and therefore we can say that they are the most studied in comparison with the rest.

For a long time, the rings on Saturn were considered a unique phenomenon, inherent only to him. Only recently it was found that all gas giants have rings, but the rest are not so clearly visible. Their origin has not yet been established, although there are several hypotheses about how they appeared. In addition, it was recently discovered that Rhea, one of the satellites of the sixth planet, also has some kind of rings.