The fourth planet of the solar system. Planets of our solar system. The largest planet in the solar system

It is worth noting that no one has ever seen the ninth planet itself. In early 2016, astrophysicists Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin from the California Institute of Technology announced that they had found it thanks to an analysis of those found in the outer part solar system disturbances. The location of cosmic bodies in the so-called Kuiper belt - the region beyond Neptune - suggested the impact on them of a large planet passing by a cluster of relatively small objects. The mass of the hypothetical planet is ten times the mass of Earth.

According to the version put forward by Brown and Batygin, the planet could have formed in the solar system, and then it was pushed into a more distant orbit under the influence of the gravitational force of Jupiter or Saturn.

They also calculated that, moving around the Sun, the ninth planet moves away from it at most more than 1000 times further than the Earth. And even at the closest point in the orbit, the distance between the mysterious planet and the Sun is at least 200 times greater than the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. And it makes one revolution around a star within 10-20 thousand years.

Versions about the “orphan planet”

Based on this data, James Vesper and Paul Mason from New Mexico State University built 156 computer models of the behavior of a large celestial body. In 40% of cases, the planet, as its discoverers assumed, settled far beyond the orbit of Pluto and began to revolve around the Sun. In 60%, it passed through the solar system and continued its movement through space.

It is believed that “orphan planets,” or, as they are also called, “wanderer planets,” are formed outside of planetary systems. Among them are those formed in other star systems, which they then left, for example, under the influence of the gravitational force of other planets. From time to time, breaking out into open space, “orphans” can even take with them a “companion” - small planets, which they pull with their gravity.

The discovery of "space orphans" was predicted in the early 1990s. They began to be found already in the 21st century. The number of planets wandering in the Universe is amazing: it is assumed that their number can reach 400 billion. The difficulty of detecting them is explained by the lack of research methods. So, if exoplanets are mainly found by periodic fluctuations and dimming of the stars around which they revolve, then with wanderer planets everything is somewhat more complicated. So far, scientists can only detect those “wanderers” that are not inferior in size to the largest in the solar system, Jupiter or Saturn.

The report by Vesper and Mason, presented at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society, has not yet passed expert assessment. However, according to Konstantin Batygin, the version of his colleagues from the University of New Mexico is quite plausible. “Without knowing the exact orbit, it is difficult to unambiguously confirm or reject this version, but there is definitely a possibility that the ninth planet is really an object captured by the solar system,” Batygin said in an interview with Gizmodo. Other scientists made a similar statement in the summer of 2016.

Physicists from Lund University in Sweden have calculated that 4.5 billion years ago the Sun and its planets could have approached another planetary system. As a result, our star probably “stole” one of the planets.

They were prompted to carry out calculations by the unusual location of the hypothetical ninth planet. It seemed incredible that it formed at such a distance from our star and continued to orbit around it.

It is worth noting that a number of scientists are skeptical about the very hypothesis of the presence of another planet in the solar system, but Batygin is confident in its existence. “The number of seemingly unrelated mysteries in the life of the solar system that are solved by the hypothesis of a ninth planet is too large for it to be a mere coincidence,” he insists. Immediately after the joint discovery with Brown, Batygin predicted that work on discovering the ninth planet using telescopes could take up to eight years.

• Space communication has been established between the nine planets of the solar system. Scheduled rockets fly on the following routes:

• Earth-Mercury

• Pluto-Venus

• Earth – Pluto

• Pluto – Mercury

• Mercury – Venus

• Uranus – Neptune

• Neptune – Saturn

• Saturn – Jupiter

• Jupiter – Mars

• Mars – Uranus

• Is it possible to fly on regular rockets from Earth to Mars?

Solution:

The concept of “Graph” A graph is a diagram consisting of points and segments connecting these points. Points are the vertices of the graph. Segments are the edges of the graph.

Problem 2

• Arkady, Boris, Vladimir, Grigory and Dmitry shook hands when they met (each shook hands with each other once).

• How many handshakes were done?

Solution:

• Let each of the young people correspond to a point on the plane, named after the first letter of the name, and the handshakes made are a segment or a curved line that will connect the points corresponding to the names.

• (zero graph)

(incomplete graph)

(full graph)

Sciences based on knowledge GRAPH THEORIES:

• Medicine

• Cybernetics

• Computer science

• Chemistry

• Physics

• Transport

• Construction

• Applied Mathematics

• Economy

Leonard Euler

Draw shapes with one stroke

Label the intersection points, and in parentheses write how many lines come out of one or another intersection point.

• In what case is it possible to outline figures without lifting the pencil from the paper and without drawing a single line twice, and in what case is it not?

Conclusion:

• Conclusion:

• - If all the vertices of the graph are even, then it is possible to draw a figure, and you can start from any vertex.

• -If two of these vertices are odd, then you can draw a figure, but you just need to start at one of these two odd vertices and end at the second odd vertex.

Is it possible to take a walk by crossing each bridge only once?

Task

• A fly climbed into a sugar jar. The jar has the shape of a cube. Can a fly sequentially go around all 12 edges of a cube without going over the same edge twice? Jumping and flying from place to place is not allowed.

Planets of the Solar System

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

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

By MAC definition, 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 group 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, equated to an earthly year for ease of understanding, is 88 days, while Mercury manages to rotate around its own axis only one and a half times. Thus, his day lasts approximately 59 Earth days. For a long time it was believed that this planet was always turned to the Sun with 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 ability to use radar research and conduct 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, image from the MESSENGER spacecraft

Its proximity to the Sun is the reason why Mercury is subject to the largest temperature changes among 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 were detected in the atmosphere. There is a theory that it was previously a satellite of Venus, but so far this remains unproven. It does not have its own satellites.

Venus

The second planet from the Sun, the atmosphere 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 the 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 quantities.

Venus in the UV spectrum

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

The third planet from the Sun and the only one in our system where there is liquid water, without which life on the planet could not have developed. At least life as we know it. The radius of the Earth is 6371 km and, unlike other celestial bodies in our system, more than 70% of its surface is covered with water. The rest of the space is occupied by 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 changes in the landscape. The speed of the planet moving along it is 29-30 km/sec.

Our planet from space

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

Mars

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

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

The radius is almost half that of 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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• Sun

  The Sun is a star that 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 satellite the Moon. Like the Moon, Mercury is practically devoid of an atmosphere and cannot smooth out the traces of impact from falling meteorites, so it, like the Moon, is covered with craters. The day side of Mercury gets very hot from the Sun, while on the night side the temperature drops hundreds of degrees below zero. There is ice in the craters of Mercury, which are located at the poles. Mercury completes one revolution around the Sun every 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 by a thick and toxic atmosphere that creates a strong greenhouse effect. This scorched world is hot enough to melt lead. Radar images through the powerful 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 a way that made life possible.

• Mars

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

• Jupiter

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

• Saturn

  Saturn is the farthest of the five planets known before the invention of the telescope. Like Jupiter, Saturn is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Its volume is 755 times greater than 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 using 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

  Distant Neptune rotates almost 4.5 billion kilometers from the Sun. It takes him 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 the orbit of Neptune for about 20 years out of 248 during which it makes one revolution around the Sun.

• Pluto

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

Planets are giants

There are four gas giants located beyond the orbit of Mars: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. They are located in the outer solar system. They are distinguished by 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. The year on Jupiter is not the longest in the solar system, lasting 4333 Earth days (less than 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 supported by the most a large number of Jupiter has many satellites – as many as 67. To imagine their behavior in the planet’s orbit, you need a fairly accurate and clear model of the solar system. The largest of them are Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa. Moreover, Ganymede is the largest satellite of the planets in the entire solar system, its radius is 2634 km, which is 8% greater 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 in the solar system. Compared to other planets, its composition is most similar to the Sun chemical elements. The radius of the surface 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. In terms of the number of satellites, it is not much 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 in size, but no less famous are 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 others.

For a long time, the rings on Saturn were considered a unique phenomenon unique to it. Only recently it was established that all gas giants have rings, but in others they 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.

The planets of the Solar System are arranged in order as follows:
1 - Mercury. The smallest real planet in the solar system
2 - Venus. The description of hell was taken from her: terrible heat, sulfur vapors and the eruptions of many volcanoes.
3 - Earth. The third planet in order from the Sun, our home.
4 - Mars. The most distant of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System.
Then there is the Main Asteroid Belt, where the dwarf planet Ceres and the minor planets Vesta, Pallas, and others are located.
Next in order are the four giant planets:
5 - Jupiter. The largest planet in the solar system.
6 - Saturn with its famous rings.
7 - Uranium. The coldest planet.
8 - Neptune. It is the farthest "real" planet in order from the Sun.
Here's what's more interesting:
9 - Pluto. A dwarf planet that is usually mentioned after Neptune. But Pluto's orbit is such that it is sometimes closer to the Sun than Neptune. For example, this was the case from 1979 to 1999.
No, Neptune and Pluto cannot collide :) - their orbits are such that they do not intersect.
The order of the planets of the solar system in the photo:

How many planets are there in the solar system

How many planets are there in the solar system? This is not so easy to answer. For a long time it was believed that there are nine planets in the solar system:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

But, on August 24, 2006, Pluto ceased to be considered a planet. This was caused by the discovery of the planet Eris and other small planets of the solar system, in connection with which it was necessary to clarify which celestial bodies can be considered planets.
Several characteristics of “real” planets were identified and it turned out that Pluto does not fully satisfy them.
Therefore, Pluto was relegated to the category of dwarf planets, which includes, for example, Ceres, the former number 1 asteroid in the Main Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.

As a result, when trying to answer the question of how many planets are in the solar system, the situation became even more confused. Because in addition to the “real” ones, dwarf planets have now also appeared.
But there are also small planets, which were called large asteroids. For example Vesta, asteroid number 2 in the mentioned Main Asteroid Belt.
IN Lately the same Eris, Make-Make, Haumea and several other small ones were discovered planets of the solar system, data about which is insufficient and it is unclear whether they should be considered dwarf or small planets. Not to mention that some small asteroids are mentioned in the literature as minor planets! For example, the asteroid Icarus, whose size is only about 1 kilometer, is often referred to as a minor planet...
Which of these bodies should be taken into account when answering the question “how many planets are there in the solar system”???
In general, “we wanted the best, but it turned out as always.”

It is curious that many astronomers and even simple people They come out “in defense” of Pluto, continuing to consider it a planet, sometimes organize small demonstrations and diligently promote this idea on the Internet (mainly abroad).

Therefore, when answering the question “how many planets are there in the solar system,” the easiest way is to briefly say “eight” and not even try to discuss anything... otherwise you will immediately discover that there is simply no exact answer :)

Giant planets - the largest planets in the solar system

There are four giant planets in the solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Because these planets are located outside the Main Asteroid Belt, they are called the "outer" planets of the solar system.
In terms of size, two pairs clearly stand out among these giants.
The largest giant planet is Jupiter. Saturn is quite a bit inferior to him.
And Uranus and Neptune are sharply smaller than the first two planets and they are located further from the Sun.
Look at the comparative sizes of the giant planets relative to the Sun:

The giant planets protect inner planets Solar system from asteroids.
Without these bodies in the solar system, our Earth would be hit by asteroids and comets hundreds of times more often!
How do giant planets protect us from the falls of uninvited guests?

You can learn more about the largest planets in the solar system here:

Terrestrial planets

The terrestrial planets are the four planets of the solar system that are similar in size and composition: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Since one of them is the Earth, all these planets are classified as the terrestrial group. Their sizes are very similar, and Venus and Earth are generally almost the same. Their temperatures are relatively high, which is explained by their proximity to the Sun. All four planets are formed by rocks, while the giant planets are gas and ice worlds.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest planet in the Solar System.
It is generally accepted that Mercury is very hot. Yes, that's right, the temperature on the sunny side can reach +427°C. But, there is almost no atmosphere on Mercury, so on the night side it can reach -170°C. And at the poles, due to the low Sun, a layer of underground permafrost is generally assumed...

Venus. For a long time it was considered the “sister” of the Earth, until Soviet research stations descended on its surface. It turned out to be real hell! Temperature +475°C, pressure of almost a hundred atmospheres and an atmosphere of toxic compounds of sulfur and chlorine. To colonize it, you will have to try very hard...

Mars. The famous red planet. It is the most distant terrestrial planet in the solar system.
Like Earth, Mars has satellites: Phobos and Deimos
It is generally a cold, rocky and dry world. Only at the equator at noon can it warm up to +20°C, the rest of the time there is severe frost, down to -153°C at the poles.
The planet does not have a magnetosphere and cosmic radiation mercilessly irradiates the surface.
The atmosphere is very rarefied and not suitable for breathing, however, its density is enough for powerful dust storms to sometimes occur on Mars.
Despite all the shortcomings. Mars is the most promising planet for colonization in the solar system.

More information about the terrestrial planets is described in the article The largest planets of the solar system

The largest planet in the solar system

The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. It is the fifth planet from the Sun, its orbit lies beyond the Main Asteroid Belt. Look at the size comparison between Jupiter and Earth:
Jupiter's diameter is 11 times larger than Earth's, and its mass is 318 times greater. Because of large sizes planets and parts of its atmosphere rotate at different speeds, so the belts of Jupiter are clearly visible in the image. Below on the left you can see the famous Great Red Spot of Jupiter - a huge atmospheric vortex that has been observed for several centuries.

The smallest planet in the solar system

Which planet is the smallest planet in the solar system? This is not such a simple question...
Today it is generally accepted that the smallest planet in the solar system is Mercury, which we mentioned a little above. But, you already know that until August 24, 2006, Pluto was considered the smallest planet in the solar system.

More attentive readers may recall that Pluto is a dwarf planet. And there are five of them known. The smallest dwarf planet is Ceres, with a diameter of about 900 km.
But that's not all...

There are also so-called minor planets, the size of which starts at only 50 meters. Both the 1-kilometer Icarus and the 490-kilometer Pallas fall under this definition. It is clear that there are many of them, and it is difficult to choose the smallest one due to the complexity of observations and calculation of sizes. So, when answering the question “what is the name of the smallest planet in the solar system,” it all depends on what exactly is meant by the word “planet.”

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

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

There are two groups of planets:

Terrestrial planets: And . These planets are small in size with a rocky surface and are closest to the Sun.

Giant planets: And . These are large planets, consisting mainly of gas and characterized by the presence of rings consisting of icy dust and many rocky chunks.

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

Planets of the Solar System

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

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

Rings and moons of Saturn: Titan, Enceladus and others...
Not only the planet Saturn has characteristic rings, but also other giant planets. The rings around Saturn are particularly visible because they are made up of billions of fine particles, which revolve around the planet, in addition to several rings, Saturn has 18 satellites, one of which is Titan, its diameter is 5000 km, which makes it the largest satellite in the solar system...

Rings and moons of Uranus: Titania, Oberon and others...
The planet Uranus has 17 satellites and, like other giant planets, there are thin rings surrounding the planet that have practically no ability to reflect light, so they were discovered not so long ago in 1977, completely by accident...

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