What is the seventh planet of the solar system. We study the names of the planets of the solar system in order. Characteristics of the planet Mars

> Planets of the Solar System in order

Explore planets of the solar system in order. High quality photos, the location of the Earth and a detailed description of each planet around the Sun: from Mercury to Neptune.

Let's look at the planets of the solar system in order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

What is a planet?

According to the criteria established by the IAU in 2006, an object is considered a planet:

  • on an orbital path around the Sun;
  • has sufficient massiveness for hydrostatic balance;
  • cleared the surrounding area of ​​foreign bodies;

This led to the fact that Pluto could not meet the last point and moved into the ranks of dwarf planets. For the same reason, Ceres is no longer an asteroid, but has joined Pluto.

But there are also trans-Neptunian objects, which are considered a subcategory of dwarf planets and are called the plutoid class. These are celestial bodies rotating beyond the orbit of Neptune. These include Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Eris and Makemake.

Planets of the Solar System in order

Let's now study our planets of the solar system in order of increasing distance from the Sun with high-quality photos.

Mercury

Mercury is the first planet from the Sun, 58 million km away. Despite this, it is not considered the hottest planet.

Now considered the tiniest planet, second in size to its moon Ganymede.

  • Diameter: 4,879 km
  • Mass: 3.3011 × 10 23 kg (0.055 Earth).
  • Length of year: 87.97 days.
  • Length of day: 59 days.
  • Included in the category of planets earth type. The crater surface resembles the Earth's Moon.
  • If you weigh 45 kg on Earth, you will gain 17 kg on Mercury.
  • No satellites.
  • Temperature ranges from -173 to 427 °C (-279 to 801 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • Only 2 missions were sent: Mariner 10 in 1974-1975. and MESSENGER, which flew past the planet three times before entering orbit in 2011.

Venus

It is 108 million km distant from the Sun and is considered an earthly sister because it is similar in parameters: 81.5% of the mass, 90% of the earth’s area and 86.6% of its volume.

Due to its thick atmospheric layer, Venus has become the hottest planet in the solar system, with temperatures rising to 462°C.

  • Diameter: 12104 km.
  • Mass: 4.886 x 10 24 kg (0.815 earth)
  • Length of the year: 225 days.
  • Length of day: 243 days.
  • Temperature heating: 462°C.
  • The dense and toxic atmospheric layer is filled with carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2) with drops of sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
  • No satellites.
  • Retrograde rotation is characteristic.
  • If you weigh 45 kg on Earth, you will gain 41 kg on Venus.
  • It was called the Morning and Evening Star because it is often brighter than any other object in the sky and is usually visible at dawn or dusk. Often even mistaken for a UFO.
  • Sent over 40 missions. Magellan mapped 98% of the planet's surface in the early 1990s.

Earth

Earth - native home, living at a distance of 150 million km from the star. So far the only world that has life.

  • Diameter: 12760 km.
  • Weight: 5.97 x 10 24 kg.
  • Length of the year: 365 days.
  • Length of day: 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds.
  • Surface Heat: Average - 14°C, with ranges from -88°C to 58°C.
  • The surface is constantly changing, and 70% is covered by oceans.
  • There is one satellite.
  • Atmospheric composition: nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%) and other gases (1%).
  • The only world with life.

Mars

The Red Planet, 288 million km distant. Received its second name because of the reddish tint created by iron oxide. Mars resembles Earth because axial rotation and slope, which forms seasonality.

There are also many familiar surface features, such as mountains, valleys, volcanoes, deserts and ice caps. The atmosphere is thin, so the temperature drops to -63 o C.

  • Diameter: 6787 km.
  • Mass: 6.4171 x 10 23 kg (0.107 Earth).
  • Length of the year: 687 days.
  • Length of day: 24 hours and 37 minutes.
  • Surface Temperature: Average - approximately -55°C with a range of -153°C to +20°C.
  • Belongs to the category of terrestrial planets. The rocky surface has been affected by volcanoes, asteroid attacks and atmospheric effects such as dust storms.
  • The thin atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2) and argon (Ar). If you weigh 45 kg on Earth, you will gain 17 kg on Mars.
  • There are two tiny moons: Phobos and Deimos.
  • Called the Red Planet because iron minerals in the soil oxidize (rust).
  • More than 40 spacecraft have been sent.

Jupiter

Jupiter is the most big planet Solar system, living at a distance of 778 million km from the Sun. She is 317 times larger than Earth and 2.5 times more than all the planets together. Represented by hydrogen and helium.

The atmosphere is considered the most intense, where the wind accelerates to 620 km/h. There are also amazing auroras that almost never stop.

  • Diameter: 428400 km.
  • Mass: 1.8986 × 10 27 kg (317.8 Earth).
  • Length of year: 11.9 years.
  • Length of day: 9.8 hours.
  • Temperature reading: -148°C.
  • There are 67 known moons, and another 17 moons await confirmation of their discovery. Jupiter resembles a mini-system!
  • In 1979, Voyager 1 spotted a faint ring system.
  • If you weigh 45 kg on Earth, you will get 115 kg on Jupiter.
  • The Great Red Spot is a large-scale storm (larger than the Earth) that has not stopped for hundreds of years. IN last years there is a downward trend.
  • Many missions have flown past Jupiter. The last one arrived in 2016 - Juno.

Saturn

Distant 1.4 billion km. Saturn is a gas giant with a gorgeous ring system. There are layers of gas concentrated around a solid core.

  • Diameter: 120500 km.
  • Mass: 5.66836 × 10 26 kg (95.159 Earth).
  • Length of year: 29.5 years.
  • Length of day: 10.7 hours.
  • Temperature mark: -178 °C.
  • Atmospheric composition: hydrogen (H2) and helium (He).
  • If you weigh 45 kg on Earth, you will get about 48 kg on Saturn.
  • There are 53 known satellites with an additional 9 awaiting confirmation.
  • 5 missions were sent to the planet. Since 2004, Cassini has been studying the system.

Uranus

Lives at a distance of 2.9 billion km. It belongs to the class of ice giants due to the presence of ammonia, methane, water and hydrocarbons. Methane also creates a blue appearance.

Uranus is the frostiest planet in the system. The seasonal cycle is quite bizarre, as it lasts 42 years for each hemisphere.

  • Diameter: 51120 km.
  • Length of the year: 84 years.
  • Length of day: 18 hours.
  • Temperature mark: -216°C.
  • Most of the planetary mass is a hot, dense liquid of “icy” materials: water, ammonia and methane.
  • Atmospheric composition: hydrogen and helium with a small admixture of methane. Methane causes a blue-green hue.
  • If you weigh 45 kg on Earth, you will get 41 kg on Uranus.
  • There are 27 satellites.
  • There is a weak ring system.
  • The only ship sent to the planet was Voyager 2.

Neptune


It is no coincidence that each cosmic object finds its place in space; billions of particles are formed into a single body over billions of years so that we can see this or that phenomenon in the starry sky. Name of the planets solar system in order from the star Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

Knowledge of the order and structure of nearby space objects is not only an indicator of a person’s erudition, but also a way to expand knowledge about the world around us, which has a direct impact on each of us.

Nature, which includes deep space objects, is a complex mechanism, each element of which is inextricably linked with other objects.

The solar system includes a group of objects revolving around one star - the Sun. It is part of the Milky Way galaxy.

Interesting Facts:

  1. The approximate time since formation is 4,570,000,000 years.
  2. The sum of the masses of all elements of the system is about 1.0014 M☉ (Solar mass).
  3. The sum of the masses of the planets is 2% of the mass of the system.
  4. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars (the closest 4 objects to the luminary) include a large number of silicates and metals, while more distant bodies - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - consist of hydrogen (H), admixtures of methane and carbon monoxide gas
  5. 6 out of 8 have one or more satellites in their orbit.

Note! In addition to the planets, the planetary mechanism includes numerous small bodies.

The figure shows a diagram of the solar system.

Location of planets in the solar system

Order and characteristics

After large extraterrestrial bodies were discovered in the Kuiper Belt region in 2006, it was decided to exclude Pluto from the list of planets. Pluto, like Eris, Haumea and Makemake, was reclassified into the group of dwarf planets.

Useful video: what you need to know about the Solar System?

Planets of the solar system

Astronomy is evolving. Thanks to advances in physics and technological developments, the accuracy of remote exploration of various extraterrestrial bodies is increasing. What was previously only available in science fiction books is becoming more and more real every year. Let's consider all the planets of the solar system in order with their names.

Sun

The sun is the central element of our planetary system.

Star Features:

  • belongs to the category yellow dwarfs class G2;
  • the brightness of the star gradually increases;
  • As a star of the 1st type of stellar population, formed at the late stages of the formation of the universe, the Sun is distinguished by a significant content heavy elements(elements heavier than He and H);
  • Currently, several stars are known that are similar to the Sun in structure, age and composition.

The change in brightness, surface temperature and size of stars is clearly shown on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

The photo shows a Hertzsprung-Russell plot.

Hertzsprung-Russell plot

Most known stars are not as bright and emit less heat than the Sun (85%).

It should be noted that the Sun is in the middle of its development and its supply of hydrogen has not yet come to an end.

Inner Solar System

The terrestrial group of cosmic bodies belongs to this part of the cosmic mechanism.

Characteristics:

  1. Small diameter (compared to the Sun and gas giants).
  2. High density structure, hard surface, variety of elements in the composition.
  3. Have an atmosphere (with the exception of Mercury).
  4. Similar structure, including core, mantle and crust (with the exception of Mercury).
  5. The presence of a relief surface.
  6. Absence or a small number of satellites.
  7. Weak attraction.

It is important to remember that each planet is unique and amazing in its own way.

The internal structure can be seen in the photo.

Mercury is the first extraterrestrial body from the star Sun.

Peculiarities:

  • a revolution around the star takes 88 Earth days;
  • length of day - 59 Earth days;
  • average temperature during the day is +430 degrees, at night -170 degrees;
  • lack of accompanying elements;
  • Impact craters and blade-like ledges of impressive size are observed on the surface of the object;
  • rarefied atmosphere.

This is one of the most interesting planets solar system. What is surprising is the large size of the core with a thin layer of bark on the surface. One hypothesis is that the light structures that previously covered Mercury were torn off by a collision with another body, causing the planet to shrink significantly in size.

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It has a structure similar to our Earth, distinguishing a mantle and a core.

Peculiarities:

  • shows signs of internal activity;
  • characterized by high atmospheric density (90 times denser than the earth);
  • a small amount of water was detected on the surface;
  • surface temperature more than +400 degrees;
  • the length of a day on Venus is 243.02 Earth days;
  • Venus rotates at the opposite side in comparison with most objects;
  • has no satellites.

Venus does not have a magnetic field, but due to the high density of the atmosphere, the planet does not deplete.

Earth

The Earth is the third object from the star and our home. Distinctive feature considered to have a wide variety of living things.

Peculiarities:

  • development of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere;
  • more than 70% of the surface is covered with water;
  • the magnetic field is quite strong;
  • 1 revolution around its axis is equal to 24 hours, a revolution around the star is 365 days;
  • the presence of moving tectonic plates;
  • satellite - Moon;
  • many parameters of extraterrestrial objects (mass, orbital time, surface area) are recorded relative to the corresponding indicators of our planet.

The presence of life on other space objects has not been fully clarified.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is significantly smaller in size than Earth or Venus.

Peculiarities:

  • a full revolution around a star is equal to 687 Earth days;
  • has an atmosphere;
  • has traces of water and ice caps at the poles;
  • pressure 6.1 mbar (0.6% of Earth's);
  • volcanoes were discovered on the surface of Mars, the height of the largest of them (Olympus) is 21.2 km;
  • traces of geological activity were identified;
  • satellites - Deimos and Phobos.

Mars is the most studied space object in our planetary system after Earth.

Gas giants

The outer region of the planetary mechanism includes the gas giants, their moons, the Kuiper belt, the Scattered Disk, and the Oort clouds.

Features of gas giants:

  1. Large size and weight.
  2. They do not have a solid surface and consist of substances in a gaseous state.
  3. The core consists of liquefied metal H.
  4. High rotation speed.
  5. Pronounced gravitational field.
  6. A large number of satellites.
  7. Presence of rings.

Gas giants are significantly different from other planets in the solar system; it is difficult to imagine that life occurs on them. Nevertheless, their presence is reflected, including on Earth. For example, the gravitational field of Jupiter attracts a significant number of cosmic bodies, the fall of which to the surface of the Earth could lead to a catastrophe of immense proportions.

The internal structure is shown in the figure.

Internal structure

Jupiter is the first gas giant and the fifth planet from the Sun.

Peculiarities:

  • contains H and He;
  • high internal temperature detected;
  • the period of revolution around the star is 4333 Earth days;
  • the period of revolution around its axis is 10 Earth hours;
  • the largest satellites - Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa - have a structure similar to the terrestrial group;
  • the largest satellite Ganymede (radius 2634 km) exceeds Mercury in size.

According to one theory, it is believed that Jupiter is a star that has stopped in its development. One of the important confirmations of this idea is the numerous satellites orbiting the gas giant according to the model of the system.

Saturn is the second gas giant and the sixth planet from the luminary. A distinctive feature of the body are the rings visible from a distance.

Peculiarities:

  • a revolution around a star takes 10,759 Earth days;
  • length of day - 10.5 Earth hours;
  • the least dense body in the system;
  • the satellites Titan and Enceladus are distinguished by the presence of geological activity;
  • Saturn's moon Titan has an atmosphere and is larger than Mercury.

Previously, Saturn's rings were considered a unique phenomenon, however, in the recent past, rings were discovered on all gas giants, even on one of Saturn’s moons, Rhea.

Uranus is the lightest of the gas giants and the seventh planet from our main star.

Peculiarities:

  • surface temperature -224 degrees;
  • axis tilt - 98°;
  • a revolution around a star takes 30,685 Earth days;
  • a revolution around its axis takes 17 Earth hours;
  • the largest satellites are Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel and Miranda.

Interesting fact! Due to the tilt of its rotation, Uranus appears to be rolling on one side.

Neptune

Neptune is the last, eighth planet from the Sun.

Unique facts about the celestial body:

  • a revolution around a star occurs within 60,190 Earth days;
  • wind speeds can be up to 260 meters per second;
  • the largest satellite, Triton, is distinguished by the presence of geological activity and geysers from liquid nitrogen, atmosphere;
  • Triton rotates in the opposite direction relative to its other moons.

An amazing fact is that Neptune is the only body in the system whose presence was determined through mathematical calculations. The location of the terrestrial planets and other gas giants was determined using powerful telescopes.

Planets of the solar system: planets of the solar system

Conclusion

The Universe is limitless and amazing, there are many Galaxies and planets that humanity has yet to learn about. That is why one of the fundamental tasks of modern astronomy is the discovery of new, previously unexplored space objects, and the determination of the possibility of the existence of other forms of life.

In contact with

Universe (space)- this is the entire world around us, limitless in time and space and infinitely varied in the forms that eternally moving matter takes. The boundlessness of the Universe can be partially imagined on a clear night with billions of different sizes of luminous flickering points in the sky, representing distant worlds. Rays of light at a speed of 300,000 km/s from the most distant parts of the Universe reach the Earth in about 10 billion years.

According to scientists, the Universe was formed as a result of “ Big Bang» 17 billion years ago.

It consists of clusters of stars, planets, cosmic dust and other cosmic bodies. These bodies form systems: planets with satellites (for example, the solar system), galaxies, metagalaxies (clusters of galaxies).

Galaxy(late Greek galaktikos- milky, milky, from Greek gala- milk) - extensive star system, which consists of many stars, star clusters and associations, gas and dust nebulae, as well as individual atoms and particles scattered in interstellar space.

There are many galaxies of different sizes and shapes in the Universe.

All stars visible from Earth are part of the Milky Way galaxy. It got its name due to the fact that most stars can be seen on a clear night in the form of the Milky Way - a whitish, blurry stripe.

In total, the Milky Way Galaxy contains about 100 billion stars.

Our galaxy is in constant rotation. The speed of its movement in the Universe is 1.5 million km/h. If you look at our galaxy from its north pole, the rotation occurs clockwise. The Sun and the stars closest to it complete a revolution around the center of the galaxy every 200 million years. This period is considered to be galactic year.

Similar in size and shape to the Milky Way galaxy is the Andromeda Galaxy, or Andromeda Nebula, which is located at a distance of approximately 2 million light years from our galaxy. Light year— the distance traveled by light in a year, approximately equal to 10 13 km (the speed of light is 300,000 km/s).

For clarity, studying the movement and location of stars, planets and other celestial bodies the concept is used celestial sphere.

Rice. 1. Main lines of the celestial sphere

Celestial sphere is an imaginary sphere of arbitrarily large radius, in the center of which the observer is located. The stars, Sun, Moon, and planets are projected onto the celestial sphere.

The most important lines on the celestial sphere are: the plumb line, zenith, nadir, celestial equator, ecliptic, celestial meridian, etc. (Fig. 1).

Plumb line- a straight line passing through the center of the celestial sphere and coinciding with the direction of the plumb line at the observation location. For an observer on the Earth's surface, a plumb line passes through the center of the Earth and the observation point.

A plumb line intersects the surface of the celestial sphere at two points - zenith, above the observer's head, and nadire - diametrically opposite point.

The great circle of the celestial sphere, the plane of which is perpendicular to the plumb line, is called mathematical horizon. It divides the surface of the celestial sphere into two halves: visible to the observer, with the vertex at the zenith, and invisible, with the vertex at the nadir.

The diameter around which the celestial sphere rotates is axis mundi. It intersects with the surface of the celestial sphere at two points - north pole of the world And south pole of the world. North Pole is called the one from whose side the rotation of the celestial sphere occurs clockwise, if you look at the sphere from the outside.

The great circle of the celestial sphere, the plane of which is perpendicular to the axis of the world, is called celestial equator. It divides the surface of the celestial sphere into two hemispheres: northern, with its summit at the north celestial pole, and southern, with its peak at the south celestial pole.

The great circle of the celestial sphere, the plane of which passes through the plumb line and the axis of the world, is the celestial meridian. It divides the surface of the celestial sphere into two hemispheres - eastern And western.

The line of intersection of the plane of the celestial meridian and the plane of the mathematical horizon - noon line.

Ecliptic(from Greek ekieipsis- eclipse) is a large circle of the celestial sphere along which the visible annual movement of the Sun, or more precisely, its center, occurs.

The plane of the ecliptic is inclined to the plane of the celestial equator at an angle of 23°26"21".

To make it easier to remember the location of stars in the sky, people in ancient times came up with the idea of ​​combining the brightest of them into constellations.

Currently, 88 constellations are known, which bear the names of mythical characters (Hercules, Pegasus, etc.), zodiac signs (Taurus, Pisces, Cancer, etc.), objects (Libra, Lyra, etc.) (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Summer-autumn constellations

Origin of galaxies. The solar system and its individual planets still remain an unsolved mystery of nature. There are several hypotheses. It is currently believed that our galaxy was formed from a gas cloud consisting of hydrogen. At the initial stage of galaxy evolution, the first stars formed from the interstellar gas-dust medium, and 4.6 billion years ago, the Solar System.

Composition of the solar system

The set of celestial bodies moving around the Sun as a central body forms Solar system. It is located almost on the outskirts of the Milky Way galaxy. The solar system is involved in rotation around the center of the galaxy. The speed of its movement is about 220 km/s. This movement occurs in the direction of the constellation Cygnus.

The composition of the Solar System can be represented in the form of a simplified diagram shown in Fig. 3.

Over 99.9% of the mass of matter in the Solar System comes from the Sun and only 0.1% from all its other elements.

Hypothesis of I. Kant (1775) - P. Laplace (1796)

Hypothesis of D. Jeans (early 20th century)

Hypothesis of Academician O.P. Schmidt (40s of the XX century)

Hypothesis akalemic by V. G. Fesenkov (30s of the XX century)

Planets were formed from gas-dust matter (in the form of a hot nebula). Cooling is accompanied by compression and an increase in the speed of rotation of some axis. Rings appeared at the equator of the nebula. The substance of the rings collected into hot bodies and gradually cooled

A larger star once passed by the Sun, and its gravity pulled out a stream of hot matter (prominence) from the Sun. Condensations formed, from which planets were later formed.

The gas and dust cloud revolving around the Sun should have taken on a solid shape as a result of the collision of particles and their movement. The particles combined into condensations. The attraction of smaller particles by condensations should have contributed to the growth of the surrounding matter. The orbits of the condensations should have become almost circular and lying almost in the same plane. Condensations were the embryos of planets, absorbing almost all the matter from the spaces between their orbits

The Sun itself arose from the rotating cloud, and the planets emerged from secondary condensations in this cloud. Further, the Sun greatly decreased and cooled to its present state

Rice. 3. Composition of the Solar System

Sun

Sun- this is a star, a giant hot ball. Its diameter is 109 times the diameter of the Earth, its mass is 330,000 times the mass of the Earth, but its average density is low - only 1.4 times the density of water. The Sun is located at a distance of about 26,000 light years from the center of our galaxy and revolves around it, making one revolution in about 225-250 million years. The Sun's orbital speed is 217 km/s, so it travels one light year every 1,400 Earth years.

Rice. 4. Chemical composition of the Sun

The pressure on the Sun is 200 billion times higher than at the surface of the Earth. The density of solar matter and pressure quickly increase in depth; the increase in pressure is explained by the weight of all overlying layers. The temperature on the surface of the Sun is 6000 K, and inside it is 13,500,000 K. The characteristic lifetime of a star like the Sun is 10 billion years.

Table 1. General information about the Sun

The chemical composition of the Sun is about the same as that of most other stars: about 75% hydrogen, 25% helium and less than 1% all others chemical elements(carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc.) (Fig. 4).

The central part of the Sun with a radius of approximately 150,000 km is called the solar core. This is a zone of nuclear reactions. The density of the substance here is approximately 150 times higher than the density of water. The temperature exceeds 10 million K (on the Kelvin scale, in terms of degrees Celsius 1 °C = K - 273.1) (Fig. 5).

Above the core, at distances of about 0.2-0.7 solar radii from its center, is radiant energy transfer zone. Energy transfer here is carried out by absorption and emission of photons by individual layers of particles (see Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Structure of the Sun

Photon(from Greek phos- light), elementary particle, capable of existing only by moving at the speed of light.

Closer to the surface of the Sun, vortex mixing of the plasma occurs, and energy is transferred to the surface

mainly by the movements of the substance itself. This method of energy transfer is called convection, and the layer of the Sun where it occurs is convective zone. The thickness of this layer is approximately 200,000 km.

Above the convective zone is the solar atmosphere, which constantly fluctuates. Both vertical and horizontal waves with lengths of several thousand kilometers propagate here. Oscillations occur with a period of about five minutes.

The inner layer of the Sun's atmosphere is called photosphere. It consists of light bubbles. This granules. Their sizes are small - 1000-2000 km, and the distance between them is 300-600 km. About a million granules can be observed on the Sun at the same time, each of which exists for several minutes. The granules are surrounded by dark spaces. If the substance rises in the granules, then around them it falls. The granules create a general background against which large-scale formations such as faculae, sunspots, prominences, etc. can be observed.

Sunspots- dark areas on the Sun, the temperature of which is lower than the surrounding space.

Solar torches called bright fields surrounding sunspots.

Prominences(from lat. protubero- swell) - dense condensations of relatively cold (compared to the surrounding temperature) substance that rise and are held above the surface of the Sun by a magnetic field. The occurrence of the Sun's magnetic field can be caused by the fact that different layers of the Sun rotate at different speeds: the internal parts rotate faster; The core rotates especially quickly.

Prominences, sunspots and faculae are not the only examples solar activity. It also includes magnetic storms and explosions that are called flashes.

Above the photosphere is located chromosphere- the outer shell of the Sun. Origin of the name of this part solar atmosphere due to its reddish color. The thickness of the chromosphere is 10-15 thousand km, and the density of matter is hundreds of thousands of times less than in the photosphere. The temperature in the chromosphere is growing rapidly, reaching tens of thousands of degrees in its upper layers. At the edge of the chromosphere there are observed spicules, representing elongated columns of compacted luminous gas. The temperature of these jets is higher than the temperature of the photosphere. The spicules first rise from the lower chromosphere to 5000-10,000 km, and then fall back, where they fade. All this happens at a speed of about 20,000 m/s. Spi kula lives 5-10 minutes. The number of spicules existing on the Sun at the same time is about a million (Fig. 6).

Rice. 6. The structure of the outer layers of the Sun

Surrounds the chromosphere solar corona - outer layer of the Sun's atmosphere.

The total amount of energy emitted by the Sun is 3.86. 1026 W, and only one two-billionth of this energy is received by the Earth.

Solar radiation includes corpuscular And electromagnetic radiation.Corpuscular fundamental radiation- this is a plasma flow that consists of protons and neutrons, or in other words - sunny wind, which reaches near-Earth space and flows around the entire magnetosphere of the Earth. Electromagnetic radiation- This is the radiant energy of the Sun. It reaches in the form of direct and diffuse radiation earth's surface and ensures the thermal regime on our planet.

In the middle of the 19th century. Swiss astronomer Rudolf Wolf(1816-1893) (Fig. 7) calculated a quantitative indicator of solar activity, known throughout the world as the Wolf number. Having processed the observations of sunspots accumulated by the middle of the last century, Wolf was able to establish the average I-year cycle of solar activity. In fact, the time intervals between years of maximum or minimum Wolf numbers range from 7 to 17 years. Simultaneously with the 11-year cycle, a secular, or more precisely 80-90-year, cycle of solar activity occurs. Uncoordinatedly superimposed on each other, they make noticeable changes in the processes taking place in the geographical shell of the Earth.

The close connection of many terrestrial phenomena with solar activity was pointed out back in 1936 by A.L. Chizhevsky (1897-1964) (Fig. 8), who wrote that the vast majority physical and chemical processes on Earth represents the result of the influence of cosmic forces. He was also one of the founders of such science as heliobiology(from Greek helios- sun), studying the influence of the Sun on living matter geographic envelope Earth.

Depending on solar activity, such physical phenomena occur on Earth as: magnetic storms, frequency polar lights, amount of ultraviolet radiation, intensity of thunderstorm activity, air temperature, Atmosphere pressure, precipitation, levels of lakes, rivers, groundwater, salinity and activity of the seas, etc.

The life of plants and animals is associated with the periodic activity of the Sun (there is a correlation between solar cyclicity and the duration of the growing season in plants, the reproduction and migration of birds, rodents, etc.), as well as humans (diseases).

Currently, the relationships between solar and terrestrial processes continue to be studied using artificial satellites Earth.

Terrestrial planets

In addition to the Sun, planets are distinguished as part of the Solar System (Fig. 9).

By size, geographical indicators and chemical composition planets are divided into two groups: terrestrial planets And giant planets. The terrestrial planets include, and. They will be discussed in this subsection.

Rice. 9. Planets of the Solar System

Earth- the third planet from the Sun. A separate subsection will be devoted to it.

Let's summarize. The density of the planet’s substance, and taking into account its size, its mass, depends on the location of the planet in the solar system. How
The closer a planet is to the Sun, the higher its average density of matter. For example, for Mercury it is 5.42 g/cm\ Venus - 5.25, Earth - 5.25, Mars - 3.97 g/cm3.

The general characteristics of the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) are primarily: 1) relatively small sizes; 2) high temperatures on the surface and 3) high density of planetary matter. These planets rotate relatively slowly on their axis and have few or no satellites. In the structure of the terrestrial planets, there are four main shells: 1) a dense core; 2) the mantle covering it; 3) bark; 4) light gas-water shell (excluding Mercury). Traces of tectonic activity were found on the surface of these planets.

Giant planets

Now let's get acquainted with the giant planets, which are also part of our solar system. This , .

Giant planets have the following general characteristics: 1) large size and weight; 2) rotate quickly around an axis; 3) have rings and many satellites; 4) the atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen and helium; 5) in the center they have a hot core of metals and silicates.

They are also distinguished by: 1) low surface temperatures; 2) low density of planetary matter.

The solar system is a group of planets revolving in specific orbits around a bright star - the Sun. This star is the main source of heat and light in the solar system.

It is believed that our planetary system 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 an accumulation 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

At 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 belonged to this group of planets; it was considered the 9th planet from the Sun, however, due to its significant distance from the Sun and small size, it was excluded from this list and called a dwarf planet. More precisely, it is one of several dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt.

All of the above planets are usually divided into two large groups: the terrestrial group and the gas giants.

IN earth group include such planets as: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars. They are distinguished by their small size and rocky surface, and in addition, they are located closest to the Sun.

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 consist mainly of gas.

Sun

The Sun is the star around which all the planets and satellites in the solar system revolve. It consists of hydrogen and helium. The age of the Sun is 4.5 billion years, it is only in the middle of its life cycle, gradually increasing in size. Now the diameter of the Sun is 1,391,400 km. In just the same number of years, this star will expand and reach the orbit of the Earth.

The sun is the source of heat and light for our planet. Its activity increases or becomes weaker every 11 years.

Due to the extremely high temperatures on its surface, a detailed study of the Sun is extremely difficult, but attempts to launch a special device as close to the star as possible continue.

Terrestrial group of planets

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 proximity predetermined a significant temperature difference. average temperature on Mercury during the daytime it is +350 degrees Celsius, and at night - -170 degrees.

If we take the Earth year as a guide, Mercury makes a full revolution around the Sun in 88 days, and one day there lasts 59 Earth days. It was noticed that this planet can periodically change the speed of its rotation around the Sun, its distance from it and its position.

There is no atmosphere on Mercury; therefore, it is often attacked by asteroids and leaves behind a lot of craters on its surface. Sodium, helium, argon, hydrogen, and oxygen were discovered on this planet.

A detailed study of Mercury is very difficult due to its close proximity to the Sun. Sometimes Mercury can be seen from Earth with the naked eye.

According to one theory, it is believed that Mercury was previously a satellite of Venus, however, this assumption has not yet been proven. Mercury does not have its own satellite.

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 differs significantly from our planet. A day here lasts 243 Earth days, and a year lasts 255 days. The atmosphere of Venus is 95% composed of carbon dioxide, which creates on its surface Greenhouse effect. This results in an average temperature on the planet of 475 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere also contains 5% nitrogen and 0.1% oxygen.

Unlike the Earth, most of whose surface is covered with water, there is no liquid on Venus, and almost the entire surface is occupied by solidified basaltic lava. According to one theory, there used to be oceans on this planet, however, as a result of internal heating, they evaporated and the vapors were carried away solar wind into outer space. Near the surface of Venus, weak winds blow, however, at an altitude of 50 km their speed increases significantly and amounts to 300 meters per second.

Venus has many craters and hills that resemble earth's continents. The formation of craters is associated with the fact that the planet previously had a less dense atmosphere.

A distinctive feature of Venus is that, unlike other planets, its movement occurs not from west to east, but from east to west. It can be seen from Earth even without the help of a telescope after sunset or before sunrise. This is due to the ability of its atmosphere to reflect light well.

Venus has no satellite.

Earth

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 liquid water, and, therefore, for the emergence of life.

Its surface is 70% covered with water, and it is the only planet to contain such an amount of liquid. It is believed that many thousands of years ago, steam contained in the atmosphere created the temperature on the Earth's surface necessary for the formation of liquid water, and solar radiation contributed to photosynthesis and the birth of life on the planet.

The peculiarity of our planet is that under the earth’s crust there are huge tectonic plates, which, moving, collide with each other and lead to changes in the landscape.

The diameter of the Earth is 12,742 km. An earthly day lasts 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds, and a year lasts 365 days 6 hours 9 minutes 10 seconds. Its atmosphere is 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and a small percentage of other gases. None of the atmospheres of other planets in the solar system has such an amount of oxygen.

According to scientific research, the age of the Earth is 4.5 billion years, approximately the same amount of time it has existed the only satellite Moon. It is always turned to our planet with only one side. There are many craters, mountains and plains on the surface of the Moon. It reflects very little sunlight, so it is visible from Earth in the pale moonlight.

Mars

This planet is the fourth 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 Earth, and the atmosphere is quite thin, which allows solar radiation to unimpededly affect the surface. In this regard, if there is life on Mars, it is not on the surface.

When surveyed with the help of Mars rovers, it was found that there are many mountains on Mars, as well as dried river beds and glaciers. The surface of the planet is covered with red sand. It is iron oxide that gives Mars its color.

One of the most frequent events on the planet are dust storms, which are voluminous and destructive. It was not possible to detect geological activity on Mars, however, it is reliably known that significant geological events previously occurred on the planet.

The atmosphere of Mars consists of 96% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen and 1.6% argon. Oxygen and water vapor are present in minimal quantities.

A day on Mars is similar in length to those on Earth and is 24 hours 37 minutes 23 seconds. A year on the planet lasts twice as long as on Earth - 687 days.

The planet has two satellites Phobos and Deimos. They are small in size and uneven in shape, reminiscent of asteroids.

Sometimes Mars is also visible from Earth with the naked eye.

Gas giants

Jupiter

This planet is the largest in the solar system and has a diameter of 139,822 km, which is 19 times larger than 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 consists 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.

Jupiter has a huge number of satellites - 67. The largest of them are Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Ganymede is one of the largest moons in the Solar System. Its diameter is 2634 km, which is approximately the size of Mercury. In addition, a thick layer of ice can be seen on its surface, under which there may be water. Callisto is considered the most ancient of the satellites, since it is its surface that has the largest number of craters.

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 lasts 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.

Saturn is unique in that it has 65 moons and several rings. The rings are made up of small particles of ice and rock formations. Ice dust perfectly reflects light, so Saturn's rings are very clearly visible through a telescope. However, it is not the only planet with a diadem; it is just less noticeable on other planets.

Uranus

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 " ice planet", since the temperature on its surface is -224 degrees. A day on Uranus lasts 17 hours, and a year lasts 84 Earth years. Moreover, summer lasts as long as winter - 42 years. This a natural phenomenon This 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 seems to be “lying on its side.”

Uranus has 27 moons. The most famous of them are: Oberon, Titania, Ariel, Miranda, Umbriel.

Neptune

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun. It is similar in composition and size 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 is an ice giant and for a long time it was believed that no weather phenomena occur on its icy surface. However, it was recently discovered that Neptune has raging vortices and wind speeds that are the highest among 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 to have its own atmosphere.

Neptune also has rings. This planet has 6 of them.

Interesting facts about the planets of the solar system

Compared to Jupiter, Mercury seems like a dot in the sky. These are the actual proportions in the solar system:

Venus is often called the Morning and Evening Star, since it is the first of the stars visible in the sky at sunset and the last to disappear from visibility at dawn.

An interesting fact about Mars is the fact that methane was found on it. Due to the thin atmosphere, it constantly evaporates, which means that the planet has a constant source of this gas. Such a source could be living organisms inside the planet.

There are no seasons on Jupiter. The biggest mystery is the so-called “Great Red Spot”. Its origin on the surface of the planet has not yet been fully elucidated. Scientists suggest that it was formed by a huge hurricane, which has been rotating at very high speed for several centuries.

An interesting fact is that Uranus, like many planets in the solar system, has its own ring system. Due to the fact that the particles that make up them do not reflect light well, the rings could not be detected immediately after the discovery of the planet.

Neptune has a rich blue color, so it was named after the ancient Roman god - the master of the seas. Due to its distant location, this planet was one of the last to be discovered. At the same time, its location was calculated mathematically, and after time it was able to be seen, and precisely in the calculated place.

Light from the Sun reaches the surface of our planet in 8 minutes.

The solar system, despite its long and careful study, is still fraught with many mysteries and secrets that have yet to be revealed. One of the most fascinating hypotheses is the assumption of the presence of life on other planets, the search for which is actively continuing.