The weight of the planets in the solar system. solar system

Our own solar system seems too big, stretching over 4 trillion miles from the sun. But it is just one of the billions of other stars that make up our Milky Way galaxy.

General characteristics of the planets of the solar system

The usual picture of the solar system is as follows: 9 planets revolve in their oval orbits around the constant, always blazing Sun.

But the characteristics of the planets of the solar system are much more complicated and interesting. In addition to themselves, there are many of their satellites, as well as thousands of asteroids. Far beyond the orbit of Pluto, which has been recognized as a dwarf planet, there are tens of thousands of comets and other frozen worlds. Tethered by gravity to the Sun, they revolve around it at great distances. The solar system is chaotic, constantly changing, sometimes even abruptly. The forces of gravity cause neighboring planets to influence each other, changing their orbits over time. Hard collisions with asteroids can give the planets new angles of inclination. The characteristic of the planets of the solar system is interesting in that they sometimes change climatic conditions because their atmospheres evolve and change.

A star called the sun

As sad as it is to realize, the Sun is gradually depleting its supply of nuclear fuel. In billions of years, it will expand to the size of a giant red star, swallow the planets Mercury and Venus, and on Earth, the temperature will rise to such levels that the oceans will evaporate into space, and the Earth will become a dry rocky world, similar to today's Mercury. Having exhausted the entire supply of nuclear fusion, the Sun will decrease to the size of a white dwarf, and after millions of years, already as a burnt out shell, it will turn into a black dwarf. But 5 billion years ago, the Sun and its 9 planets did not yet exist. There are many various versions the appearance in the clouds of cosmic gas and dust of the Sun as a protostar and its system, but as a result of billions of years of nuclear fusion, modern man observes it as it is now.

Along with the Earth and other planets, a star called the Sun was born about 4.6 billion years ago from a huge cloud of dust that swirled in space. Our star is a ball of flaming gases, if the Sun could be weighed, the scales would show 1990,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg of matter consisting of helium and hydrogen.

Gravity force

Gravity, according to scientists, is the most mysterious mystery in the universe. This is the attraction of one matter to another and what gives the planets the shape of a ball. The Sun's gravity is powerful enough to hold 9 planets, a dozen satellites, and thousands of asteroids and comets. All this is held around the Sun by invisible threads of gravity. But as the distance between space objects increases, the attraction between them quickly weakens. The characteristic of the planets of the solar system directly depends on gravity. For example, Pluto's attraction to the Sun is much less than the force of attraction between the Sun and Mercury or Venus. The sun and the earth mutually attract each other, but due to the fact that the mass of the sun is much larger, then the attraction from its side is more powerful. Comparative characteristics planets solar system will help to understand the main features of each of the planets.

The sun's rays travel through different directions in outer space, reaching all nine planets that revolve around the sun. But depending on how far the planet is, it comes to different amount light, hence different characteristic planets of the solar system.

Mercury

On Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, the Sun appears to be 3 times as large as the Earth's Sun. During the day it can be blindingly bright. But the sky is dark even during the day, because there is no atmosphere on IT to beat and scatter sunlight. When the Sun hits the rocky landscape of Mercury, the temperature can reach up to 430 C. But nevertheless, at night, all the heat returns freely into space, and the surface temperature of the planet can drop to -173 C.

Venus

The characteristics of the planets of the solar system (grade 5 studies this topic) leads to the consideration of the closest planet for earthlings - Venus. Venus, the second planet from the Sun, is surrounded by an atmosphere that is predominantly carbon dioxide gas. In such an atmosphere, clouds of sulfuric acid are constantly observed. Interestingly, despite the fact that Venus is more distant from the Sun than Mercury, its surface temperature is higher and reaches 480 C. This is due to carbon dioxide, which creates the greenhouse effect and keep the planet warm. Venus has a similar size and density to Earth, but the properties of its atmosphere are detrimental to all living things. chemical reactions clouds produce acids capable of dissolving lead, tin and stones. In addition, Venus is covered with thousands of volcanoes and lava rivers that have formed over millions of years. Near the surface, Venus's atmosphere is 50 times thicker than Earth's. Therefore, all objects that penetrate it explode before they hit the surface. Scientists have discovered about 400 flat spots on Venus, each of which is from 29 to 48 km in diameter. These are the scars of meteorites that exploded above the surface of the planet.

Earth

The Earth, where we all live, has ideal atmospheric and temperature conditions for life, because our atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen. Scientists prove that the Earth revolves around the Sun, leaning on one side. Indeed, the position of the planet deviates from right angle at 23.5 degrees. This tilt, as well as its size, according to scientists, our planet received after a powerful collision with a cosmic body. It is this tilt of the Earth that forms the seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn.

Mars

After Earth comes Mars. On Mars, the Sun appears to be three times smaller than from Earth. Only a third of the light compared to what earthlings see is received by Mars. In addition, hurricanes often occur on this planet, raising red dust from the surface. But, nevertheless, in summer days temperatures on Mars can reach 17 C, just like on Earth. Mars has a red hue because the iron oxide minerals in its soil reflect the reddish-orange light of the Sun, in other words, the Martian soil contains a lot of rusty iron, which is why Mars is often called the red planet. Martian air is very rarefied - 1 percent of the density of the earth's atmosphere. The planet's atmosphere is made up of carbon dioxide. Scientists admit that on this planet once, about 2 billion years ago, there were rivers and water in liquid state, and the atmosphere contained oxygen, because iron only rusts when it interacts with oxygen. It is possible that the atmosphere of Mars was once suitable for the emergence of life on this planet.

With regard to chemical and physical parameters, the characteristics of the planets of the solar system are shown below (table for terrestrial planets).

As you can see, chemical composition The atmospheres of all three planets are very different.

This is the characteristic of the planets of the solar system. The table above clearly shows the ratio of different chemical substances, as well as pressure, temperature, and the presence of water on each of them, so to compose general idea about this now it will not be difficult.

Giants of the solar system

Behind Mars are the giant planets, which consist mainly of gases. interesting physical characteristic solar system planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

All giants are covered with thick clouds, and each subsequent one receives less and less light from the Sun. From Jupiter, the Sun looks like a fifth of what earthlings see. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Under thick clouds of ammonia and water, Jupiter is covered by an ocean of metallic liquid hydrogen. A feature of the planet is the presence of a giant red spot on the clouds hanging over its equator. It is a gigantic storm nearly 48,000 km long that has been orbiting the planet for over 300 years. Saturn is the show planet in the solar system. On Saturn, sunlight is even weaker, but still powerful enough to illuminate the planet's vast ring system. Thousands of rings, which are mostly made of ice, are illuminated by the Sun, turning them into giant circles of light.

The rings of Saturn have not yet been studied by earth scientists. According to some versions, they were formed as a result of a collision of his satellite with a comet or asteroid and, under the influence of enormous gravity, turned into rings.

The planet Uranus is a cold world, which is located at a distance of 2.9 billion km from the main star. The average temperature of its atmosphere is -177 C. It is the planet with the greatest inclination and revolves around the Sun, lying on its side, and even in the opposite direction.

Pluto

The most distant 9th planet - icy Pluto - shines with a distant cold light, and is located at a distance of 5.8 billion kilometers and looks like a bright star in a dark sky.

This planet is so small and so far from Earth that scientists know very little about it. Its surface is made up of nitrogen ice, in order to make one revolution around the Sun, it needs approximately 284 Earth years. The sun on this planet is no different from billions of other stars.

Complete description of the planets of the solar system

The table (5th graders study this topic in sufficient detail), located below, allows not only to get an idea of ​​​​the planets of the solar system, but also makes it possible to compare them in terms of basic parameters.

As you can see, there is no planet like the Earth in our Galaxy. The above characteristics of the planets of the solar system (table, grade 5) makes it possible to understand this.

Conclusion

A brief description of the planets of the solar system will allow readers to plunge a little into the world of space and remember that earthlings are still the only intelligent beings in the vast universe and the world around them must be constantly protected, preserved and restored.

Our solar system is made up of the sun, planets orbiting it, and smaller celestial bodies. All of these are mysterious and amazing, because they are still not fully understood. Below will be indicated the sizes of the planets of the solar system in ascending order, and briefly talk about the planets themselves.

There is everything famous list planets, in which they are listed in order of their distance from the Sun:

Pluto used to be in last place, but in 2006 it lost its status as a planet, as larger celestial bodies were found farther away. These planets are divided into stone (inner) and giant planets.

Brief information about the stone planets

The inner (stone) planets include those bodies that are located inside the asteroid belt that separates Mars and Jupiter. They got their name "stone" because they consist of various hard rock, minerals and metals. They are united by a small number or even the absence of satellites and rings (like Saturn). On the surface of the stone planets there are volcanoes, depressions and craters formed as a result of the fall of other cosmic bodies.

But if we compare their sizes and arrange them in ascending order, the list will look like this:

Brief information about the giant planets

The giant planets are located beyond the asteroid belt and therefore they are also called outer. They consist of very light gases - hydrogen and helium. These include:

But if you make a list by the size of the planets in the solar system in ascending order, then the order changes:

A little information about the planets

In modern scientific understanding, a planet means a celestial body that revolves around the Sun and has enough mass for its own gravity. Thus, there are 8 planets in our system, and, importantly, these bodies are not similar to each other: each has its own unique differences, as in appearance, and in the very components of the planet.

- This is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest among the rest. It weighs 20 times less than the Earth! But, despite this, it has a sufficiently high density, which allows us to conclude that there are a lot of metals in its depths. Due to its close proximity to the Sun, Mercury is subject to sharp temperature changes: at night it is very cold, during the day the temperature rises sharply.

- This is the next planet close to the Sun, in many ways similar to the Earth. It has a more powerful atmosphere than the Earth, and is considered a very hot planet (its temperature is above 500 C).

is a unique planet due to its hydrosphere, and the presence of life on it led to the appearance of oxygen in its atmosphere. Most of the surface is covered with water, and the rest is occupied by the continents. Unique feature are and tectonic plates, which move, albeit very slowly, causing the landscape to change. The Earth has one satellite - the Moon.

Also known as the "Red Planet". It gets its fiery red color from a large number iron oxides. Mars has a very rarefied atmosphere and a much smaller atmospheric pressure compared to the earth. Mars has two satellites - Deimos and Phobos.

- this is a real giant among the planets of the solar system. Its weight is 2.5 times the weight of all the planets combined. The surface of the planet is made up of helium and hydrogen and is similar in many ways to the sun. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is no life on this planet - no water and no solid surface. But Jupiter has big number satellites: on this moment known 67.

- this planet is famous for the presence of rings, consisting of ice and dust, revolving around the planet. With its atmosphere, it resembles that of Jupiter, and is slightly smaller in size than this giant planet. In terms of the number of satellites, Saturn is also a little behind - he knows 62 of them. The largest satellite, Titan, has big sizes than Mercury.

- the lightest planet among the outer ones. Its atmosphere is the coldest in the entire system (minus 224 degrees), it has a magnetosphere and 27 satellites. Uranus is made up of hydrogen and helium, and the presence of ammonia ice and methane. Due to the fact that Uranus has a large axial tilt, it seems that the planet is rolling rather than rotating.

- despite being smaller than y, it is heavier than it and exceeds the mass of the Earth. This is the only planet that was found through mathematical calculations, and not thanks to astronomical observations. On this planet, the most strong winds in the solar system. Neptune has 14 moons, one of which, Triton, is the only one that rotates backwards.

It is very difficult to imagine all the scales of the solar system within the studied planets. It seems to people that the Earth is a huge planet, and, in comparison with other celestial bodies, it is. But if you put giant planets next to it, then the Earth already takes on tiny sizes. Of course, next to the Sun, all celestial bodies seem small, so to represent all the planets in their full scale is a difficult task.

The most famous classification of the planets is their distance from the Sun. But a listing that takes into account the sizes of the planets of the solar system in ascending order will also be correct. The list will be presented as follows:

As you can see, the order has not changed much: the first lines are the inner planets, and the first place is occupied by Mercury, and the other positions are the outer planets. In fact, it doesn’t matter at all in what order the planets are located, from this they will not become less mysterious and beautiful.

> The diameter of the planets of the solar system

Explore diameter of planets in the solar system in order. Detailed description with photo, time for rotation of the axis and indicators for the diameter at the equator and poles.

Solar planets differ in size and shape. Some are incredibly huge, while others are very tiny and do not reach the satellites. For example, Mercury is inferior to Ganymede. Some planets are wider at the equatorial line than at the poles. Let's look at the diameters of the planets of the solar system in km in order.

Diameter of Mercury - the first planet of the solar system

With a diameter of 4879 km, Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. It is only slightly larger than our Moon (3474 km) and inferior to Jupiter's satellite Ganymede (5268 km) and Saturn's Titan (5152 km).

This is a terrestrial planet, which contains metals and silicate rocks, divided into an iron core, a silicate mantle and a crust. The sidereal period covers 58.646 days. There is no flattening at the poles, which means we have an almost perfect sphere.

Diameter of Venus - the second planet of the solar system

The diameter is 12104 km and is devoid of flattening at the poles, which means that the figure is almost the same everywhere. Sidereal rotation - 243.025 days.

Diameter of the Earth - the third planet of the solar system

It stretches 12,756 km in diameter and is considered the largest terrestrial planet. Flattening leads to what we can't see perfect sphere, and the polar diameter differs from the equatorial one by 41 km. The sidereal rotation of the Earth is 23 hours, 58 minutes and 4.1 seconds.

The diameter of Mars - the fourth planet of the solar system

The flattening at the poles reaches 0.00589, which leads to a difference in diameters at the poles (6752.4 km) and the equatorial line (6792.4 km) of 40 km. The sidereal day of Mars is 24 hours, 37 minutes and 22 seconds.

The diameter of Jupiter - the fifth planet of the solar system

With a diameter of 142,984 km, Jupiter is considered the largest planet in the solar system. The flattening is 0.06487, which hints at a rapid axial rotation at 9 hours, 55 minutes and 30 seconds. This means that the equatorial line is wider than the polar one (133708 km) by 9276 km.

Diameter of Saturn - the sixth planet of the solar system

With an indicator of 120536 km, it occupies the 2nd position in terms of size in the system. The flattening situation (0.09796) is repeated due to the sidereal rotation at 10 hours and 33 minutes. Therefore, the polar diameter of Saturn (108728 km) differs from the equatorial diameter (120536 km) by 12000 km.

Diameter of Uranus - the seventh planet of the solar system

Uranus is in 3rd position with an indicator of 50724 km. An axial rotation lasts 17 hours, 14 minutes and 24 seconds. Therefore, the diameter at the poles is 49946 km, and at the equator - 51118 km. The difference is - 1172 km (with the flattening index - 0.0229).

Neptune extends for 48244 km. But it completes an axial revolution in 16 hours, 6 minutes and 36 seconds. So the difference is 846 km (48682 km and 49528 km).

As a result, the diameter is affected not only by the composition, but also by the speed of axial rotation. Gas giants rotate faster than the inner planets, so the difference is more noticeable for them.

The solar system - our home - consists of 8 planets and many other space bodies that revolve around the star. Large, medium, small in size, solid and gaseous, near and farthest from the Sun, they live within the system in a well-ordered manner.

Until 2006, it was believed that there were 9 planets in the solar system. However, then at the next International Astronomical Congress, the most distant object, Pluto, was deleted from the list. Scientists revised the criteria and left planets that fit the parameters:

• orbital rotation around a star (Sun);
• gravity and spherical shape;
• the absence of other large cosmic bodies near, except for its own satellites.

These planets are in order from the Sun:

1. Mercury. Diameter - 4.9 thousand km.
2. Venus. Diameter - 12.1 thousand km.
3. Earth. Diameter - 12.7 thousand km.
4. Mars. Diameter - 6.8 thousand km.
5. Jupiter. Diameter - 139.8 thousand km.
6. Saturn. Diameter - 116.5 thousand km.
7. Uranus. Diameter - 50.7 thousand km.
8. Neptune. Diameter - 49.2 thousand km.

Attention! The discovery of another planet-like body, Eris, which turned out to be heavier than Pluto, prompted scientists to revise the parameters. Both objects were classified as dwarf planets.

Terrestrial planets: Mercury and Venus

The planets in the solar system are divided into two groups: terrestrial (inner) and gas (outer). They are separated from each other by the asteroid belt. He, according to one hypothesis, is a planet that could not form under the strong influence of Jupiter. The terrestrial group includes planets with a solid surface.

There are 8 planets

Mercury is the first object of the system from the sun. Its orbit is the smallest, and it revolves around the star faster than the others. A year here is equal to 88 Earth days. On the other hand, Mercury rotates very slowly around its axis. The local day here is longer than the local year and is 4224 Earth hours.

Attention! The movement of the sun in the black sky of Mercury is very different from the earth. Due to the peculiarities of rotation and orbit in different points it may look as if the luminary freezes, “backs up”, rises and sets several times a day.

Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. It is even smaller than some satellites of the gas group of planets. Its surface is covered with many craters with diameters ranging from several meters to hundreds of kilometers. There is almost no atmosphere on Mercury, so during the day it is very hot on the surface (+440°C), and at night it is cold (-180°C). But already at a depth of 1 m, the temperature is stable and is about +75°C at any time.

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. Its powerful atmosphere carbon dioxide(more than 96%) for a long time hid the surface from human eyes. Venus is very hot (+460°C), but unlike Mercury, the main reason for this is the greenhouse effect due to the density of the atmosphere. The pressure on the surface of Venus is 92 times that of Earth. Under clouds of sulfuric acid, hurricanes and thunderstorms are hiding, which never subside here.

Terrestrial planets: Earth and Mars

Earth- the largest of the inner group and the only planet in the system suitable for life. The Earth's atmosphere contains nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, and water vapor. The surface is protected by the ozone layer and magnetic field just enough to give birth to life in the form in which it is now. The Earth's satellite is the Moon.

Mars closes the four terrestrial planets. The planet has a highly rarefied atmosphere, a surface with craters, a relief with valleys, deserts, extinct volcanoes and polar glaciers. Including the huge volcano Olympus, which is the largest peak on the planets of the solar system - 21.2 km. It is proved that once the surface of the planet was. But today there is only ice and dust whirlwinds.

Location of the planets in the solar system

Gas group planets

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It is more than 300 times heavier than the Earth, although it consists of gases: hydrogen and helium. Jupiter has a fairly powerful radiation to influence neighboring objects. It has the most satellites - 67. Some of them are quite large bodies, different in structure.

Jupiter itself is covered in liquid. On its surface, there are many bands of light and dark colors moving parallel to the equator. These are clouds. Winds up to 600 km/h rage under them. For several centuries, astronomers have been observing a red spot larger than the Earth on the surface of Jupiter, which is a giant storm.

Attention! Jupiter rotates around its axis faster than all the planets in the solar system. The day here is less than 10 hours.

Saturn popularly known as the planet with rings. They are made up of particles of ice and dust. The atmosphere of the planet is dense, almost entirely consisting of hydrogen (over 96%) and helium. Saturn has over 60 open moons. The surface density is the smallest among the planets of the system, less than the density of water.

Uranus and Neptune They are classified as ice giants because they have a lot of ice on their surface. The atmosphere is made up of hydrogen and helium. It is very stormy on Neptune, Uranus is much calmer. As the most distant planet in the system, Neptune has the most long year- almost 165 Earth years. Behind Neptune is the little-studied Kuiper belt, a cluster of small bodies of various structures and sizes. It is considered the outskirts of the solar system.

Space: video

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

Brief information about the planets of the solar system

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

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

Rice. 1. Planets of the solar system.

The list of planets in the solar system in order from the sun is as follows: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. By listing the planets from largest to smallest, this order changes. The largest planet is Jupiter, followed by Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars and finally Mercury.

All planets revolve around the Sun in the same direction as the Sun's rotation (counterclockwise as viewed from the north pole of the Sun).

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

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

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

Terrestrial planets (inner planets)

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

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

Venus is the hottest planet in our system, with surface temperatures exceeding 400 degrees Celsius. Most probable cause so high temperature is the greenhouse effect due to the dense atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide.

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

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

Outer region of the solar system

The outer region of the solar system is the location of the gas giants and their satellites.

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

Rice. 3. Planet Saturn.

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

What have we learned?

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

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