What thoughts visit you when you look at the night sky strewn with billions of stars? That the universe is huge, and does it have a beginning or which planet is the largest? And where is the end of this infinity? This mysterious and mysterious world has attracted scientists and astronauts for many years.
The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter
Scientists claim that our Earth is what it is, only thanks to Jupiter. It was this planet that was formed one of the first after the big bang and helped in the formation of other planets.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and is the fifth largest planet from the sun. Its radius is 69,911 km. It will take about two years to get from Earth.
Jupiter has 67 moons, which are arranged in such a way that they resemble a system of planets around the Sun. Of particular interest is its satellite Europa. Scientists admit that life is possible on it. And the satellite Ganymede, whose surface is covered with craters, is also the largest in the solar system.
The surface of Jupiter, which has no solid places, is a boiling ocean of hydrogen and is a heat producer. The amount he gives away is much greater than what he receives from the Sun. If he was 30% more, he could well be a star.
This planet has the shortest rotation period in the entire solar system. Because of this, winds constantly blow there, the speed of which reaches 600 km / h, which leads to the formation of atmospheric vortices.
The largest one has been known for about three hundred years and was called the Great Red Spot. Its impressive size (41 thousand km) exceeds the Earth several times. But recently it has been noticeably decreasing, today its value is 18 thousand km.
The smallest planet in the solar system is Mercury
Mercury has been observed by humans since ancient times. Its appearance at different times and on different sides of the Sun made it possible to think that these are completely different planets. It got its name in honor of the god of trade, Mercury.
Interested in
The diameter of the circumference of this smallest planet in the solar system is 4879 km. The density of Mercury is greater than that of our planet, which indicates that there is a high content of metals.
Very large differences in daytime (350 ° C) and night (170 ° C) temperatures are due to the fact that there is no atmosphere on Mercury. Close proximity to the Sun and very slow rotation also affect this temperature spread. And yet scientists admit that there is ice falling from flying comets.
The composition of its crust resembles the Earth, Mars and Venus, although there is more sulfur than in the earth's crust. Logically, due to high temperatures, it should evaporate.
Scientists also cannot explain what causes the high density of Mercury. After all, it directly depends on the weight. The force of gravity is 3 times less than on Earth. Many still undisclosed mysteries are kept by this planet.
The hottest planet we know
The temperature on the surface of Venus is 475°C. It is quite enough to melt tin or lead. It is higher than on Mercury, which is located much closer to the Sun.
Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system, it hasn't always been that way, it even had oceans of liquid that evaporated.
This led to the formation of the greenhouse effect. Today it is too overheated because of this, and this process is growing.
Very cold planet below -200°C
Researchers unfairly deprive Uranus of attention. On this large planet there is no line between different states. If you move to the core, you will notice how the gaseous state turns into a liquid, and then becomes more dense.
Due to the fact that Uranus is, as it were, turned on its side, one of its sides is not illuminated by the sun for 500 Earth months.
Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system.
In spring and autumn, the Sun rises after 9 hours. But even during the hours when it shines, the temperature does not rise above -200°C
This planet belongs to the gas giants. The name of the celestial body, the fifth from the Sun, is due to the ancient Roman supreme god of thunder. The planet is accompanied by at least sixty-seven satellites, the name of one of which - Io - is so fond of guessing in crossword puzzles.
The largest (in the solar system) planet is JUPITER.
Jupiter is undoubtedly the largest planet in the solar system. This planet, by the way, the fifth in a row, is located at such a great distance that the approximate flight time to it on modern aircraft will be approximately equal to twenty-four months. In size, Jupiter is thirteen times larger than our planet Earth and one thousand three hundred times its volume. An interesting fact is that Jupiter constantly rotates around its axis at a very high speed, and makes a revolution in just ten earth hours. It also never changes seasons. The atmosphere of the planet Jupiter is almost entirely composed of hydrogen, with a few other gases mixed in.
The largest planet in the solar system- Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun.
Jupiter is just a giant, it is 11 times larger than the Earth and only ten times smaller than the Sun itself.
The largest planet in the solar system is made up of gas and liquid. and spins very fast.
Jupiter's atmosphere is made up of hydrogen and helium. Giant whirlwinds arise in the atmosphere, which can sustainably exist for hundreds of thousands of years. One of these Jupiter vortices is the Red Spot, which has been observed by several generations of astronomers.
The red spot is an amazing formation that is fraught with many mysteries.
By the way, the largest planet in the solar system there are satellites that are comparable in size to the planets.
On some of them, for example, on Europa, life may exist.
The largest planet in the solar system is the fifth planet - Jupiter.
Although it seems from the pictures that Jupiter is not much larger than our planet (Earth), but in fact Jupiter is several times larger than the Earth.
On this planet, as scientists say, hurricanes always blow.
Even some of Jupiter's moons are larger than Pluto.
The largest and heaviest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. The equatorial radius of Jupiter is about 71.4 thousand kilometers.
Jupiter has about 67 natural satellites, the largest of which are Callisto, Io, Europa and Ganymede were discovered by the great Italian scientist Galileo Galilei in 1610. Ganymede is the largest moon of Jupiter.
The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. This planet is the largest in all possible parameters: the largest in mass, in volume, in area, and in many other statistical parameters. This planet has a very intense beautiful aurora. According to scientists, Jupiter is completely composed of gas and does not have a solid core.
The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter, with about 17 satellites per nm. Its area is many times larger than the area of the planet Earth. This planet is the fifth farthest from the Sun after Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
As far as I know, at present the largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter, moreover, not only in size, but also in mass. In general, Jupiter belongs to the gas giants, and as of the moment it has 67 satellites.
The largest planet in the solar system is rightfully Jupiter, which is many times larger than our Earth. Jupiter has seventeen moons around it. And from the Sun, Jupiter is in fifth place in terms of distance. and here is a graphic representation of the location of Jupiter and the rest of the planets:
The answer to the question: which planet in the solar system is the largest, is very simple. This Jupiter. It is the largest in the solar system, and is the fifth from the Sun. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with such planets as Uranus, Neptune, Saturn.
Those who travel know that if you devote your whole life to this activity, there will still be a piece, a plot, or even a huge piece of the Earth that has remained unexplored. It seems as if our planet is full of endless expanses. The task of closing your eyes and imagining it in its entirety feels like an impossible task. Meanwhile, the Earth belongs to the type of space objects, which can be called "small planets of the solar system." Scientifically, they are designated as planets of the terrestrial group, rather modest in terms of universal scales. Our Earth would seem even more infinite if its dimensions approached the parameters of the gas giants, which will be discussed below.
Classification
To begin with, consider the principle underlying the types of planets astronomy divides into. The solar system is delimited by the Main into two parts. The first includes Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. In the second - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, behind them is Pluto and the Kuiper belt. The first four are the terrestrial planets. In addition to their location, they are united by the structure: they consist of compounds of metals and silicon, have a core, mantle and crust. Earth is the largest planet in the solar system in this group.
The four beyond the Asteroid Belt are the so-called gas giants. As the name implies, they are huge, much larger than the terrestrial planets. However, their most important difference lies in the composition of the substance that forms such space objects. It is a mixture of gases: hydrogen, helium, ammonia, methane. Such a structure makes the giants fundamentally different from the Earth and similar planets.
Ninth
As for Pluto, in 2006 it was “demoted” to the dwarf planets and attributed to the objects of the Kuiper belt, a structure quite distant from the Earth, which, however, does not yet end the solar system. Pluto, according to scientists, does not correspond to one of the points of the accepted definition of the planet: it does not have enough mass to clear its orbit from other bodies. Apparently, at the same time, in composition, it is close to the bodies of the Kuiper belt, ice blocks formed by frozen methane and nitrogen.
Now in our system there are only eight planets and a few more dwarf planets, which will never grow up to their “brothers”.
What is the largest planet in the solar system?
Obviously, the most impressive is to be found among the gas giants. However, every student today knows the answer to the question “which planet in the solar system is the largest”. This is Jupiter, the first magnificent giant beyond the Main Asteroid Belt, which probably played a role in the emergence of life on Earth, protecting it from meteorites throughout its existence.
Striking dimensions
Again, it is extremely difficult to understand how huge Jupiter is if you try to imagine an object 1300 times the volume of the Earth. A comparison comes to the rescue: Jupiter is a planet in the solar system that surpasses our house in size, like a pea. The storm that broke out in the atmosphere of a giant is so massive that it can cover all the planets of the terrestrial group, except for Mercury, combined.
It affects not only the size, but also the speed of rotation of Jupiter. It makes one revolution around its axis in just 10 hours, moving at a speed of 45,300 km / h. At the same time, the giant passes the orbit in 12 years. And this is also quite fast, considering how far from the Sun it is (five times farther than the Earth).
ephemeral surface
Many schoolchildren, having learned which planet in the solar system is the largest, thought about how long it would be possible to walk and travel on it. And these dreams continued until they found out that no one could ever set foot on the surface of the planet. Jupiter is surrounded by an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium in a ratio of 9:1. It flows smoothly into liquid hydrogen. In fact, there is no boundary between the atmosphere and the surface; it is conventionally designated by the level of pressure.
Clouds and spots
If you look closely at the photographs of Jupiter, it is easy to see that the planet has a "characteristic appearance." The recognizable striped pattern of the upper atmosphere is made up of stable clouds: light zones are interspersed with reddish-brown belts. Between them wedged powerful atmospheric flows, or scientific jets. In fact, these are winds of great strength. Their direction either coincides with the movement of the planet, or opposite to it. Clouds, light and dark, as well as jets are conditionally designated as geographical objects on the equally conditional surface of the gas giant.
main feature
The surface of Jupiter is characterized by another phenomenon. This is the Great Red Spot. It can be called a special sign of the planet. There are no similar formations, equally bright and persistent, on other space objects of the solar system. Scientists suggest that the Great Red Spot is a giant storm in the atmosphere. It moves around the planet, changing longitude, but strictly adhering to the same latitude, for at least the last 350 years. The spot is characterized by changes in dimensions: it either increases to a huge size, or it is reduced by half.
Spacecraft studies have confirmed the hypothesis of astronomers: the Great Red Spot is a huge anticyclone, rotating counterclockwise at a speed of one revolution in six days.
Approximate giant
A lot of interesting processes take place on Jupiter, but it is worth mentioning its "brothers". The second largest planet is Saturn. It is unlikely that there will be a person who will not be able to identify him in the image of all the objects of the solar system. Its distinguishing feature is noticeable rings. By the way, all gas giants have similar formations, like satellites. best known for their impressiveness. They consist of ice particles with a small admixture of heavy elements and dust.
The composition of Saturn is similar to that of Jupiter: hydrogen, helium, methane, ammonia, various impurities. On the surface of the planet visible from space, no formations are as stable as on Jupiter. Much stronger winds rage here.
Ice giants
Next to Saturn is Uranus, then Neptune. Astronomers combine them into a separate subgroup because in their depths there is no metallic hydrogen characteristic of Jupiter and Saturn, but there is a lot of ice in high-temperature modifications. Perhaps the most unusual characteristic of Uranus is its axial tilt. The planet, as it were, lies on its side and therefore the Sun mainly illuminates not the equatorial zone, but alternately either the North or the South Pole.
The strongest winds blow on Neptune. Its surface is characterized by a formation similar to the Great Red Spot. It was called the "Great Dark Spot".
So, the answer to the question "what is the largest planet in the solar system" sounds simple: it's Jupiter. Hidden behind this short word is a huge mass, the strongest winds, the Great Red Spot. It is followed by Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, each is unique in its own way, modern astronomy knows something interesting about each. The entire solar system with all the objects and structures, even compared to the giant Jupiter, is huge. And this corner of the Universe in many respects remains shrouded in mystery for us. A lot of information, including about gas giants, now remains without explanation, some theories need to be improved. We can say with confidence that many more discoveries await us, related both to the largest planets of the system, and to those more modest in size.
Reading time: 8 min.
Space has always attracted man. Every day we can observe our natural satellite - the Moon, in the sky. But, it’s only worth arming yourself with good optics, and many other celestial objects will open before us. The largest and most significant of them are planets that may have once had life or may someday appear. In this list, we have prepared for you a description of the largest planets in our solar system.
Pluto is a dwarf planet in the solar system, which is slightly smaller than the largest dwarf planet - Ceres. Clyde Tombaugh was the discoverer of Pluto. When it was considered a full-fledged planet, it still remained the smallest planet, its mass was equal to 1/6 of the mass of our celestial satellite, the Moon. Pluto has a diameter of 2370 km and is made entirely of rocks and ice. Pluto is probably structurally composed of frozen nitrogen, ice, and silicates. Its surface temperature is minus 230 degrees Celsius, the atmosphere is very rarefied and consists of gases (nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide). It is noteworthy that after Pluto was removed from the list of planets, a new expression appeared - to degrade - to demote in rank.
Mercury, the first planet from the Sun, has a mass of almost 20 times less than the mass of the Earth, and its diameter is two and a half times less than that of our planet. Mercury, even closer to the Moon in size than to the Earth, is today the smallest planet in the solar system. Mercury in its structure has many rocks, which are striated with deep craters. The American Messenger, which self-destructed on the surface of Mercury, managed to transmit photographs that confirm that there is frozen water on the back side of the planet, which is always in shadow. It is curious that Mercury is most often closest to the Earth, since Venus and Mars, having huge orbits of rotation, are moving away from our planet to a greater extent.
In size, Mars is almost 2 times smaller than the Earth, its diameter is 6.792 kilometers, which is not any unusual figure. It is striking only that its weight is one tenth of the weight of the Earth. The fourth farthest from the Sun, it has an axial tilt of 25.1 degrees. Due to such features of the position in outer space, on Mars there is a change of seasons, just as on our planet one season follows another. Days on Mars are very close to those on Earth, and they are called sols. Sol lasts 24 hours and 40 minutes. In the south, summers are always hot, and winters are harsh, in the northern part of the planet there are no such differences - both summer and winter are very mild. Mars is the best planet that mankind can master in the near future.
The sixth place in the list is occupied by a planet named after the goddess of beauty Venus. Venus has a couple more names like “Morning Star” and “Evening Star”, because having a very close location to the Sun, Venus is the first in the evening in the sky and the last one to be seen in the morning. The diameter is 12,100 km (the Earth is only a thousand kilometers larger), and the mass is more than 80% of the Earth's. On the surface of Venus, the most visible are the plains, which consist of the cooled lava of volcanoes, everything else is huge mountain ranges. There is carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and thick clouds of sulfur dioxide hang over the planet. The largest greenhouse effect that exists in the Universe is observed here, the surface temperature of Venus is 460 degrees Celsius.
The cradle of mankind and the third planet farthest from the Sun. Earth is the only planet where life has been found. The diameter of the Earth is 12742 km, and its mass is 5.972 septillion kilograms. Scientists have also been able to determine the age of our planet, it is already about 4.54 billion. All this time, her natural satellite, the Moon, follows her non-stop. It is believed that the Moon, during its formation, was affected by Mars, which affected the Earth, causing the latter to throw out a lot of material in order to form the Moon. The moon works as a stabilizer on the tilt of the Earth's axis, and possibly causes the tides to ebb and flow.
Neptune is one of the largest planets in the solar system, its diameter is 49,000 km, its mass is 17 times the mass of the Earth. Neptune consists of gases, and from the Sun, if you count, it is the eighth. On Neptune, you can observe the most powerful cloud bands, storms and cyclones. They were captured by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which took pictures of outer space. The speed of the winds on this planet is amazing - about 600 m / s. Due to the fact that Neptune is so far from the Sun, it is one of the coldest planets, only in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere the temperature is minus 220 degrees Celsius.
Third place was taken by Uranus - the seventh planet from the sun, has many satellites (about 27) and is striking in its size. Uranus is 50,000 kilometers in diameter, 104 times the size of Earth, and weighs 14 times the Earth. The 27 satellites range in size from 20 to 1,500 kilometers and are made of frozen ice, rock and a host of other trace elements. Hydrogen, helium and methane are what the atmosphere of Uranus is made of. In its structure, it has a rocky core, which is surrounded by water and vapors of ammonia and methane. Until now, the planet is of interest to researchers, and spacecraft are often sent to it.
Galileo Galilei discovered this planet in 1610. Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system, the most recognizable planet due to its rings, which are composed of water ice and impurities of silicate dust. Christian Huygens in 1655, through improved optics, was the first to consider these rings. They, at a distance of 7 to 120 thousand kilometers, spread over the surface of the planet. Saturn has a radius that is 9 times greater than the Earth - 57,000 km, and 95 times heavier than it. Like Uranus, Neptune, and Jupiter, Saturn is a gas giant that is made up of hydrogen, methane, ammonia, a dash of helium, and heavy elements.
In the first place rightfully settled Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet that bears the name of the Roman king of the gods. This planet in the sky is visible to the naked eye, without any optics. If you cross out the Sun, Jupiter could fit all the other planets into itself without even noticing it. Jupiter's diameter is 142.984 km. For its size, Jupiter moves very fast, making a full rotation on its axis in just 10 hours. A hump is visible on the planet, which was formed due to the work of centrifugal force, which makes the diameter of Jupiter's equator 9000 km larger than the diameter measured at its poles. It has over 60 satellites, but many of them are not very large. Galileo Galilei discovered the 4 largest moons of Jupiter in 1610: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa.
Diameter: 139822 km
Jupiter is the largest and heaviest planet in the solar system and is made up of hydrogen, methane and ammonia. The mass of Jupiter is 2.5 times greater than the mass of all the planets in our solar system combined. Jupiter's storms and lightning extend over an area larger than the entire Earth. The most famous storm (the Great Red Spot) has been observed by astronomers for several centuries. In the depths of Jupiter's atmosphere, due to the colossal pressure, the gases pass into a liquid state, and the planet's core consists of metallic hydrogen. Jupiter has a powerful magnetic field, an extensive set of satellites and a ring, though not as noticeable as that of Saturn.
Diameter: 116464 km
Saturn is the second largest gas giant. Just like Jupiter consists of a mixture of gases, with increasing depth turning into a liquid state. Of all the planets in the solar system, Saturn has the most contraction. Its mass is 95 times the mass of the Earth. In the upper atmosphere of Saturn, winds reach speeds of 1800 km/h. This planet is famous for its rings, and the largest number of satellites in the solar system. Now 62 satellites are known, the largest of them is Titan, which is larger than Mercury, has its own atmosphere and methane oceans. Also, this planet makes one revolution around the Sun in 29.5 years. Saturn was studied by the Vodyazher, Pioneer, and Cassini automatic devices.
Diameter: 50724 km
The third largest and fourth largest gas giant in the solar system. Due to its large distance from the Sun, Uranus has the coldest atmosphere (-224 ° C), at the equator the wind speed reaches 900 km / h. Uranus makes one revolution around the Sun in 84 Earth years. The mass of Uranus is only 14 times the mass of the Earth. Instrumental observations of the atmosphere of Uranus are hampered by its low brightness, there are no cloud bands and stable formations, but seasonal changes are recorded. The axis of the planet is tilted by 98 degrees, and as it rotates in its orbit, the planet turns to the Sun alternately north and south poles. Uranus has 27 moons and small rings.
Diameter: 49224 km
The most distant planet in the solar system. Gas giant, third in mass after Jupiter and Saturn. Neptune's mass is 17 times that of Earth. It is not visible to the naked eye, and was discovered thanks to mathematical calculations. Neptune's atmosphere is made up primarily of hydrogen and helium. The core of the planet is solid, consisting mostly of ice and rocks. In the atmosphere of the planet, the strongest winds rage at speeds up to 2100 km / h. The Voyager 2 spacecraft photographed powerful cloud bands, storms and large cyclones. He also reliably confirmed the presence of a system of small, hard-to-distinguish rings in Neptune. The planet has 14 satellites. The largest of them is Triton.
Diameter: 12742 km
The third planet from the Sun is the cradle of life and the birthplace of mankind. The Earth has a metallic core, a mineral shell. The surface of the planet is 70% covered by ocean. Scientists believe that the Earth appeared 4.5 billion years ago. The atmosphere is made up of nitrogen and oxygen. Due to the optimal distance to the Sun and a slight tilt of the axis of rotation, there is liquid water on the surface of the planet, and seasonal climate changes occur. Most likely, it was thanks to this that life was able to originate on the planet. The Earth has a powerful magnetic field that protects against solar radiation, and a large satellite - the Moon.
Diameter: 12103 km
The planet is very similar in structure and size to Earth. The same metal core, mineral shell, volcanic activity and gravity on the surface. But the very surface of Venus is very different from the earth. The atmosphere is composed of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, with a dense cloud layer of sulfur and chlorine compounds. The pressure on the surface is 92 times greater than on Earth, the temperature reaches 475 ° C. On the surface of Venus, space stations have discovered many volcanoes, mountains, and asteroid craters. Venus has no satellites of its own.
Diameter: 6780 km
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. Small, cold and deserted. Mars has a rarefied atmosphere, 160 times less dense than Earth's. The temperature on the planet's surface varies from -153°C in winter at the pole to +20°C at the equator. Mars has vast polar caps made up of water ice and frozen carbon dioxide. The relief of the planet is very diverse - from the highest mountain in the Solar System - Olympus volcano 27 km high - to the Mariner fault 10 km deep. Seasonal climate changes are recorded on Mars, dust storms occur. This planet has already been visited by spacecraft more than 30 times. Mars has two small satellites - Phobos and Deimos.
Diameter: 4879 km
The closest planet to the Sun. The Mercury year lasts only 88 Earth days. Due to the slow rotation around its axis, the duration of a solar day is 176 Earth days. Mercury has virtually no atmosphere. The temperature on the side of the planet facing the Sun reaches 349.9 ° C, at night it drops to -170.2 ° C. The surface of Mercury resembles that of the moon - a rocky lifeless desert covered with craters, the largest of which has a diameter of 716 km. The planet has a large metallic core and a weak magnetic field. Mercury has no satellites of its own.
Diameter: 2306 km
Pluto was previously considered the 9th planet in the solar system. It now has the status of a dwarf planet, and is one of the largest and most visible of the many objects in the Kuiper Belt, which is located outside the orbit of Neptune. Pluto is made up of rock and ice, and is one-fourth the mass of Earth's moon. The atmosphere is practically non-existent. Pluto's surface is a frozen, icy desert covered in craters. More detailed information about it will be available only in 2015, when it will be reached by the New Horizons spacecraft. Pluto has 5 satellites, the largest of them is Charon, and it is only 8 times smaller than Pluto in mass.
Here is a picture that compares the sizes of the planets:
