The solar system is a tiny structure on the scale of the Universe. At the same time, its size for a person is truly colossal: each of us, living on the fifth largest planet, can hardly even appreciate the scale of the Earth. The modest dimensions of our house are perhaps only felt when you look at it from the window of a spaceship. A similar feeling arises when viewing images from the Hubble telescope: the Universe is huge and the Solar System occupies only a small part of it. However, it is precisely this that we can study and explore, using the data obtained to interpret deep space phenomena.
Universal coordinates
Scientists determine the location of the Solar System by indirect signs, since we cannot observe the structure of the Galaxy from the outside. Our piece of the Universe is located in one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way. The Orion Arm, so named because it passes near the constellation of the same name, is considered a branch of one of the main galactic arms. The Sun is located closer to the edge of the disk than to its center: the distance to the latter is approximately 26 thousand
Scientists suggest that the location of our piece of the Universe has one advantage over others. In general, the Galaxy of the Solar System has stars that, due to the peculiarities of their movement and interaction with other objects, either plunge into the spiral arms or emerge from them. However, there is a small region called the corotation circle where the speed of stars and spiral arms coincides. Those located here are not exposed to the violent processes characteristic of the branches. The sun and its planets also belong to the corotation circle. This situation is considered one of the conditions that contributed to the emergence of life on Earth.
Solar system diagram
The central body of any planetary community is a star. The name of the Solar System provides a comprehensive answer to the question of which star the Earth and its neighbors move around. The Sun is a third-generation star, in the middle of its life cycle. It has been shining for more than 4.5 billion years. The planets orbit around it for about the same amount of time.
The diagram of the solar system today includes eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (more on where Pluto went, just below). They are conventionally divided into two groups: terrestrial planets and gas giants.
"Relatives"
The first type of planets, as the name implies, includes the Earth. In addition to it, Mercury, Venus and Mars belong to it.
They all have a set of similar characteristics. Terrestrial planets are mainly composed of silicates and metals. They are distinguished by high density. They all have a similar structure: an iron core with an admixture of nickel is wrapped in a silicate mantle, the top layer is a crust, including silicon compounds and incompatible elements. Such a structure is violated only in Mercury. The smallest one does not have a crust: it was destroyed by meteorite bombardments.
The groups are Earth, followed by Venus, then Mars. There is a certain order to the Solar System: the terrestrial planets make up its interior and are separated from the gas giants by an asteroid belt.
Major planets
Gas giants include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. All of them are much larger than terrestrial objects. Giants have a lower density and, unlike the planets of the previous group, consist of hydrogen, helium, ammonia and methane. Giant planets do not have a surface as such; it is considered the conventional boundary of the lower layer of the atmosphere. All four objects rotate very quickly around their axis and have rings and satellites. The most impressive planet in size is Jupiter. It is accompanied by the largest number of satellites. Moreover, the most impressive rings are those of Saturn.
The characteristics of gas giants are interrelated. If they were closer in size to the Earth, they would have a different composition. Light hydrogen can only be retained by a planet with a sufficiently large mass.
Dwarf planets
The time to study what the solar system is is 6th grade. When today's adults were at this age, the cosmic picture looked a little different to them. The solar system at that time included nine planets. Last on the list was Pluto. This was the case until 2006, when the IAU (International Astronomical Union) meeting adopted the definition of a planet and Pluto no longer met it. One of the points is: “The planet dominates its orbit.” Pluto is littered with other objects that, in total, exceed the former ninth planet in mass. For Pluto and several other objects, the concept of “dwarf planet” was introduced.
After 2006, all bodies in the Solar System were thus divided into three groups:
planets are objects large enough that have managed to clear their orbit;
small bodies of the Solar System (asteroids) - objects that are so small in size that they cannot achieve hydrostatic equilibrium, that is, take on a round or approximately round shape;
dwarf planets occupying an intermediate position between the two previous types: they have reached hydrostatic equilibrium, but have not cleared their orbit.
The latter category today officially includes five bodies: Pluto, Eris, Makemake, Haumea and Ceres. The latter belongs to the asteroid belt. Makemake, Haumea and Pluto belong to the Kuiper belt, and Eris belongs to the scattered disk.
Asteroid belt
A kind of boundary separating the terrestrial planets from the gas giants is exposed to the influence of Jupiter throughout its existence. Due to the presence of a huge planet, the asteroid belt has a number of features. So, its images give the impression that this is a very dangerous zone for spacecraft: the ship could be damaged by an asteroid. However, this is not entirely true: the influence of Jupiter has led to the fact that the belt is a rather sparse cluster of asteroids. Moreover, the bodies that make it up are quite modest in size. During the formation of the belt, Jupiter's gravity influenced the orbits of large cosmic bodies accumulated here. As a result, collisions constantly occurred, leading to the appearance of small fragments. A significant part of these debris, under the influence of the same Jupiter, was expelled from the solar system.
The total mass of the bodies that make up the Asteroid Belt is only 4% of the mass of the Moon. They consist mainly of rocks and metals. The largest body in this area is dwarf, followed by Vesta and Hygiea.
Kuiper Belt
The diagram of the solar system also includes another area populated by asteroids. This is the Kuiper Belt, located beyond the orbit of Neptune. Objects located here, including Pluto, are called trans-Neptunian. Unlike the asteroids of the belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, they consist of ice - water, ammonia and methane. The Kuiper belt is 20 times wider than the asteroid belt and significantly more massive.
Pluto in its structure is a typical Kuiper belt object. It is the largest body in the region. It is also home to two more dwarf planets: Makemake and Haumea.
Scattered disk
The size of the solar system is not limited to the Kuiper belt. Behind it is the so-called scattered disk and a hypothetical Oort cloud. The first partially intersects with the Kuiper belt, but extends much further into space. This is the place where short-period comets of the solar system are born. They are characterized by an orbital period of less than 200 years.
Scattered disk objects, including comets, as well as bodies from the Kuiper belt, consist predominantly of ice.
Oort cloud
The space where long-period comets of the Solar System are born (with a period of thousands of years) is called the Oort cloud. To date, there is no direct evidence of its existence. Nevertheless, many facts have been discovered that indirectly confirm the hypothesis.
Astronomers suggest that the outer boundaries of the Oort cloud are located at a distance of 50 to 100 thousand astronomical units from the Sun. In size, it is a thousand times larger than the Kuiper belt and the scattered disk combined. The outer boundary of the Oort cloud is also considered the boundary of the Solar System. Objects located here are exposed to nearby stars. As a result, comets are formed, the orbits of which pass through the central parts of the Solar System.
Unique structure
Today, the Solar System is the only part of space known to us where there is life. Not least of all, the possibility of its appearance was influenced by the structure of the planetary system and its location in the corotation circle. The earth, located in the “life zone” where sunlight becomes less harmful, could be as dead as its closest neighbors. Comets arising in the Kuiper belt, scattered disk and Oort cloud, as well as large asteroids, could destroy not only the dinosaurs, but even the very possibility of the emergence of living matter. The huge Jupiter protects us from them, attracting similar objects to itself or changing their orbit.
When studying the structure of the solar system, it is difficult not to fall under the influence of anthropocentrism: it seems as if the Universe did everything just so that people could appear. This is probably not entirely true, but a huge number of conditions, the slightest violation of which would lead to the death of all living things, stubbornly incline to such thoughts.
Our native home “Earth” is located among 7 large and 5 dwarf planets moving around the most important star “Sun”! The name “Solar System” came about because all the planets depend on the Sun and move around the system.
Planetary or Solar System!
For those who do not yet know what we are talking about now, we inform you: The solar system is a planetary system that consists of eight large and five dwarf planets, and in the center of it there is one very bright, hot and attracting other planets - "Star". And in this solar system of planets our abode is located - the Earth.
Our Solar System contains not only distant hot and cold planets, but also all other objects living in space, including a huge number of comets, asteroids, a large number of satellites, planetoids and much, much more, in general, everything that moves around the Sun and falls into the zone of its attraction and gravity.
Map of the Solar System in the modern world!
Our planetary system was formed more than 4.5 billion years ago!
More than 4.5 billion years ago, when our solar system did not yet exist, the first star appeared and around it there was a giant disk containing a huge amount of gas, dust, and other materials. , from the gas cloud, on the fragments of the disk surrounding our star and thanks to gravitational compression, planets began to appear. Rotation around the Sun collided dust particles, which kept growing and growing, like a snowball that rolls down a mountain and becomes larger, and dust particles eventually became stones, and after many years these stones became cobblestones and collided with the same others. Over time, they acquired enormous sizes and took the form of huge balls, which today we know as planets. This formation took billions of years, but some planets of the solar system were formed quite quickly in relation to others, and what is curious is that this did not always depend on the distance to the fiery giant and the chemical composition of the physical body; science has not yet been able to say anything definitive about this condition.
The current structure of the solar system.
Despite the fact that all the planets of the Solar System are located close to the ecliptic plane (in Latin - ecliptica), they do not move around the main star strictly along the equator (the star itself has a rotation axis with an inclination of 7 degrees), some move differently. For example, Pluto deviates from this plane by 17 degrees, because it is the farthest away from everyone, and the planet is not large (it was recently stopped being considered a planet and is now a planetoid).
The smallest planet in the solar system today- This Mercury, it has a deviation of as much as 7 degrees, which is completely incomprehensible, because it is located closest to the Sun and is subject to the enormous gravitational force of the star, but nevertheless, Mercury and most other planets try to be in the rotation of a flat disk.
Almost the entire mass of the Solar System, which is 99.6 percent of the mass, falls on our star - the Sun, and the small remaining part is divided between the planets of the Solar System and everything else: comets, meteors, etc. The dimensions of the system do not end with the most distant planets or planetoids, but with the place where the attraction of our golden star ends, and it ends on the Oort cloud.
This huge distance, a third of the distance to our next star, Proxima Centauri, indicates how huge our solar system is. It is worth saying that the Oort cloud exists purely hypothetically, it is a sphere surrounding our star at a distance of 2 light years from it, in which there is a colossal number of comets, which in turn, as our science suggests, fall under the influence of our Sun and rush to the center of the system carrying gases and ice with it. There, on the outskirts of this huge sphere, the gravity of our giant star no longer acts; in that place there is open interstellar space, stellar wind and enormous interstellar radiation.
The solar system is mostly made up of gas giants!
It should also be noted that our Solar System contains the most gas giants: Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter and Saturn. The last planet, despite the fact that it occupies second place in our solar system in size, second only to Jupiter, it is the lightest. If, for example, there was an ocean on Saturn (although this cannot be since the planet does not have a solid surface), then the planet itself would float in this ocean.
The largest planet in the solar system- this is definitely Jupiter, it is also a giant vacuum cleaner that sucks in large comets and other cosmic bodies. Its strong attraction saves our planet, and all the inner planets in the solar system, from terrifying cataclysms. In addition, its enormous force prevents the formation of a new planet between Jupiter and Mars in the asteroid belt, which could be assembled from a large amount of asteroid material.
The hottest planet in our solar system- this is unambiguous Venus, despite the fact that it is twice as far away from the closest Mercury to the Sun. Venus is the hottest, and this is due to the fact that it has very dense clouds, the heat that falls on the surface of Venus cannot cool down, it is a kind of giant steam room with a temperature of up to 400 degrees Celsius. In this regard, it is Venus that shines very brightly from Earth, and this is not only because it is the closest planet to us, but also because its clouds reflect a large amount of Sunlight. On Venus, among other things, a year is shorter than a day, this is due to the fact that it rotates around its axis more slowly than around a star in the solar system. Unlike everyone else, it has a reverse rotation, although Uranus is even more unusual, it rotates lying on its end.
Detailed diagram of the solar system!
Scientists have revealed how many planets, stars and satellites there are in the solar system.
There are 8 large and 5 dwarf planets in our solar system. The large ones include: “Mercury”, “Venus”, “Earth”, “”, “Jupiter”, “Saturn”, “Uranus” and “Neptune”. Dwarf ones: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake and Eris. All planets in the solar system have their own size, mass, age and location.
If you arrange the planets in order, the list will look like this: “Mercury”, “Venus”, “Earth”, “Mars”, “Ceres” (dwarf planet), “Jupiter”, “Saturn”, “Uranus”, “Neptune” ”, and only the dwarf planets “Pluto”, “Haumea”, “Makemake” and “Eris” will go further.
There is only one significant star in the planetary system - the Sun. Life on Earth depends precisely on the Sun; if this star becomes cold, then life on Earth will cease to exist.
We have 415 satellites in our solar system, and only 172 belong to the planets, and the remaining 243 are satellites of very small celestial bodies.
Model of the Solar System in 2D and 3D formats.
Model of a planetary system in 2D format!
Model of a planetary system in 3D format!
Solar System (Photographs)
The name “Solar System” comes from the fact that all the planets depend on the Sun and move around it according to a certain pattern. Planet Earth is among 7 large and 5 dwarf planets moving around the most important star “Sun”!
The picture shows the so-called correct map of the Solar System in the modern world! This image shows the order in which the planets are located from the Sun.
Despite the fact that the structure of the solar system looks frightening and all the planets are located close to the ecliptic plane (in Latin - ecliptica), they do not move around the main star strictly along the equator (the star itself has a rotation axis with an inclination of 7 degrees), some move otherwise.
The picture shows a detailed official diagram of the Solar System, which was drawn by NASA employees using special algorithms and programs.
The endless space that surrounds us is not just a huge airless space and emptiness. Here everything is subject to a single and strict order, everything has its own rules and obeys the laws of physics. Everything is in constant motion and is constantly interconnected with each other. This is a system in which each celestial body occupies its specific place. The center of the Universe is surrounded by galaxies, among which is our Milky Way. Our galaxy, in turn, is formed by stars around which large and small planets with their natural satellites revolve. The picture of a universal scale is complemented by wandering objects - comets and asteroids.
In this endless cluster of stars our Solar System is located - a tiny astrophysical object by cosmic standards, which includes our cosmic home - planet Earth. For us earthlings, the size of the solar system is colossal and difficult to perceive. In terms of the scale of the Universe, these are tiny numbers - only 180 astronomical units or 2.693e+10 km. Here, too, everything is subject to its own laws, has its own clearly defined place and sequence.
Brief characteristics and description
The interstellar medium and the stability of the Solar System are ensured by the location of the Sun. Its location is an interstellar cloud included in the Orion-Cygnus arm, which in turn is part of our galaxy. From a scientific point of view, our Sun is located on the periphery, 25 thousand light years from the center of the Milky Way, if we consider the galaxy in the diametrical plane. In turn, the movement of the solar system around the center of our galaxy is carried out in orbit. A complete revolution of the Sun around the center of the Milky Way is carried out in different ways, within 225-250 million years and is one galactic year. The orbit of the Solar System has an inclination of 600 to the galactic plane. Nearby, in the neighborhood of our system, other stars and other solar systems with their large and small planets are running around the center of the galaxy.
The approximate age of the Solar System is 4.5 billion years. Like most objects in the Universe, our star was formed as a result of the Big Bang. The origin of the Solar System is explained by the same laws that operated and continue to operate today in the fields of nuclear physics, thermodynamics and mechanics. First, a star was formed, around which, due to the ongoing centripetal and centrifugal processes, the formation of planets began. The Sun was formed from a dense accumulation of gases - a molecular cloud, which was the product of a colossal Explosion. As a result of centripetal processes, molecules of hydrogen, helium, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and other elements were compressed into one continuous and dense mass.
The result of grandiose and such large-scale processes was the formation of a protostar, in the structure of which thermonuclear fusion began. We observe this long process, which began much earlier, today, looking at our Sun 4.5 billion years after its formation. The scale of the processes occurring during the formation of a star can be imagined by assessing the density, size and mass of our Sun:
- density is 1.409 g/cm3;
- the volume of the Sun is almost the same figure - 1.40927x1027 m3;
- star mass – 1.9885x1030 kg.
Today our Sun is an ordinary astrophysical object in the Universe, not the smallest star in our galaxy, but far from the largest. The Sun is in its mature age, being not only the center of the solar system, but also the main factor in the emergence and existence of life on our planet.
The final structure of the solar system falls on the same period, with a difference of plus or minus half a billion years. The mass of the entire system, where the Sun interacts with other celestial bodies of the Solar System, is 1.0014 M☉. In other words, all the planets, satellites and asteroids, cosmic dust and particles of gases revolving around the Sun, compared to the mass of our star, are a drop in the bucket.
The way we have an idea of our star and the planets revolving around the Sun is a simplified version. The first mechanical heliocentric model of the solar system with a clock mechanism was presented to the scientific community in 1704. It should be taken into account that the orbits of the planets of the solar system do not all lie in the same plane. They rotate around at a certain angle.
The model of the solar system was created on the basis of a simpler and more ancient mechanism - tellurium, with the help of which the position and movement of the Earth in relation to the Sun was simulated. With the help of tellurium, it was possible to explain the principle of the movement of our planet around the Sun and to calculate the duration of the earth's year.
The simplest model of the solar system is presented in school textbooks, where each of the planets and other celestial bodies occupies a certain place. It should be taken into account that the orbits of all objects revolving around the Sun are located at different angles to the central plane of the Solar System. The planets of the Solar System are located at different distances from the Sun, rotate at different speeds and rotate differently around their own axis.
A map - a diagram of the Solar System - is a drawing where all objects are located in the same plane. In this case, such an image gives an idea only of the sizes of celestial bodies and the distances between them. Thanks to this interpretation, it became possible to understand the location of our planet among other planets, to assess the scale of celestial bodies and to give an idea of the enormous distances that separate us from our celestial neighbors.
Planets and other objects of the solar system
Almost the entire universe is made up of myriads of stars, among which there are large and small solar systems. The presence of a star with its own satellite planets is a common occurrence in space. The laws of physics are the same everywhere and our solar system is no exception.
If you ask the question how many planets there were in the solar system and how many there are today, it is quite difficult to answer unequivocally. Currently, the exact location of 8 major planets is known. In addition, 5 small dwarf planets revolve around the Sun. The existence of a ninth planet is currently disputed in scientific circles.
The entire solar system is divided into groups of planets, which are arranged in the following order:
Terrestrial planets:
- Mercury;
- Venus;
- Mars.
Gas planets - giants:
- Jupiter;
- Saturn;
- Uranus;
- Neptune.
All planets presented in the list differ in structure and have different astrophysical parameters. Which planet is larger or smaller than the others? The sizes of the planets of the solar system are different. The first four objects, similar in structure to the Earth, have a solid rock surface and are endowed with an atmosphere. Mercury, Venus and Earth are the inner planets. Mars closes this group. Following it are the gas giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - dense, spherical gas formations.
The process of life of the planets of the solar system does not stop for a second. Those planets that we see in the sky today are the arrangement of celestial bodies that the planetary system of our star has at the current moment. The state that existed at the dawn of the formation of the solar system is strikingly different from what has been studied today.
The astrophysical parameters of modern planets are indicated by the table, which also shows the distance of the planets of the Solar System to the Sun.
The existing planets of the solar system are approximately the same age, but there are theories that in the beginning there were more planets. This is evidenced by numerous ancient myths and legends that describe the presence of other astrophysical objects and disasters that led to the death of the planet. This is confirmed by the structure of our star system, where, along with planets, there are objects that are products of violent cosmic cataclysms.
A striking example of such activity is the asteroid belt, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Objects of extraterrestrial origin are concentrated here in huge numbers, mainly represented by asteroids and small planets. It is these irregularly shaped fragments that are considered in human culture to be the remains of the protoplanet Phaeton, which perished billions of years ago as a result of a large-scale cataclysm.
In fact, there is an opinion in scientific circles that the asteroid belt was formed as a result of the destruction of a comet. Astronomers have discovered the presence of water on the large asteroid Themis and on the small planets Ceres and Vesta, which are the largest objects in the asteroid belt. Ice found on the surface of asteroids may indicate the cometary nature of the formation of these cosmic bodies.
Previously one of the major planets, Pluto is not considered a full-fledged planet today.
Pluto, which was previously ranked among the large planets of the solar system, is today reduced to the size of dwarf celestial bodies revolving around the Sun. Pluto, along with Haumea and Makemake, the largest dwarf planets, is located in the Kuiper belt.
These dwarf planets of the solar system are located in the Kuiper belt. The region between the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud is the most distant from the Sun, but space is not empty there either. In 2005, the most distant celestial body of our solar system, the dwarf planet Eris, was discovered there. The process of exploration of the most distant regions of our solar system continues. The Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud are hypothetically the border regions of our star system, the visible boundary. This cloud of gas is located at a distance of one light year from the Sun and is the region where comets, the wandering satellites of our star, are born.
Characteristics of the planets of the solar system
The terrestrial group of planets is represented by the planets closest to the Sun - Mercury and Venus. These two cosmic bodies of the solar system, despite the similarity in physical structure with our planet, are a hostile environment for us. Mercury is the smallest planet in our star system and is closest to the Sun. The heat of our star literally incinerates the surface of the planet, practically destroying its atmosphere. The distance from the surface of the planet to the Sun is 57,910,000 km. In size, only 5 thousand km in diameter, Mercury is inferior to most large satellites, which are dominated by Jupiter and Saturn.
Saturn's satellite Titan has a diameter of over 5 thousand km, Jupiter's satellite Ganymede has a diameter of 5265 km. Both satellites are second in size only to Mars.
The very first planet rushes around our star at tremendous speed, making a full revolution around our star in 88 Earth days. It is almost impossible to notice this small and nimble planet in the starry sky due to the close presence of the solar disk. Among the terrestrial planets, it is on Mercury that the largest daily temperature differences are observed. While the surface of the planet facing the Sun heats up to 700 degrees Celsius, the back side of the planet is immersed in universal cold with temperatures up to -200 degrees.
The main difference between Mercury and all the planets in the solar system is its internal structure. Mercury has the largest iron-nickel inner core, which accounts for 83% of the mass of the entire planet. However, even this uncharacteristic quality did not allow Mercury to have its own natural satellites.
Next to Mercury is the closest planet to us - Venus. The distance from Earth to Venus is 38 million km, and it is very similar to our Earth. The planet has almost the same diameter and mass, slightly inferior in these parameters to our planet. However, in all other respects, our neighbor is fundamentally different from our cosmic home. The period of Venus' revolution around the Sun is 116 Earth days, and the planet rotates extremely slowly around its own axis. The average surface temperature of Venus rotating around its axis over 224 Earth days is 447 degrees Celsius.
Like its predecessor, Venus lacks the physical conditions conducive to the existence of known life forms. The planet is surrounded by a dense atmosphere consisting mainly of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Both Mercury and Venus are the only planets in the solar system that do not have natural satellites.
Earth is the last of the inner planets of the solar system, located at a distance of approximately 150 million km from the Sun. Our planet makes one revolution around the Sun every 365 days. Rotates around its own axis in 23.94 hours. The Earth is the first of the celestial bodies located on the path from the Sun to the periphery, which has a natural satellite.
Digression: The astrophysical parameters of our planet are well studied and known. Earth is the largest and densest planet of all the other inner planets in the solar system. It is here that natural physical conditions have been preserved under which the existence of water is possible. Our planet has a stable magnetic field that holds the atmosphere. Earth is the most well studied planet. The subsequent study is mainly of not only theoretical interest, but also practical one.
Mars closes the parade of terrestrial planets. The subsequent study of this planet is mainly not only of theoretical interest, but also of practical interest, associated with human exploration of extraterrestrial worlds. Astrophysicists are attracted not only by the relative proximity of this planet to Earth (on average 225 million km), but also by the absence of difficult climatic conditions. The planet is surrounded by an atmosphere, although it is in an extremely rarefied state, has its own magnetic field, and temperature differences on the surface of Mars are not as critical as on Mercury and Venus.
Like Earth, Mars has two satellites - Phobos and Deimos, the natural nature of which has recently been questioned. Mars is the last fourth planet with a rocky surface in the solar system. Following the asteroid belt, which is a kind of inner boundary of the solar system, begins the kingdom of gas giants.
The largest cosmic celestial bodies of our solar system
The second group of planets that are part of the system of our star has bright and large representatives. These are the largest objects in our solar system, which are considered the outer planets. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are the most distant from our star, huge by earthly standards and their astrophysical parameters. These celestial bodies are distinguished by their massiveness and composition, which is mainly gaseous in nature.
The main beauties of the solar system are Jupiter and Saturn. The total mass of this pair of giants would be quite enough to fit in it the mass of all known celestial bodies of the Solar System. So Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, weighs 1876.64328 1024 kg, and the mass of Saturn is 561.80376 1024 kg. These planets have the most natural satellites. Some of them, Titan, Ganymede, Callisto and Io, are the largest satellites of the Solar System and are comparable in size to the terrestrial planets.
The largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, has a diameter of 140 thousand km. In many respects, Jupiter more closely resembles a failed star - a striking example of the existence of a small solar system. This is evidenced by the size of the planet and astrophysical parameters - Jupiter is only 10 times smaller than our star. The planet rotates around its own axis quite quickly - only 10 Earth hours. The number of satellites, of which 67 have been identified to date, is also striking. The behavior of Jupiter and its moons is very similar to the model of the solar system. Such a number of natural satellites for one planet raises a new question: how many planets were there in the Solar System at the early stage of its formation. It is assumed that Jupiter, having a powerful magnetic field, turned some planets into its natural satellites. Some of them - Titan, Ganymede, Callisto and Io - are the largest satellites of the solar system and are comparable in size to the terrestrial planets.
Slightly smaller in size than Jupiter is its smaller brother, the gas giant Saturn. This planet, like Jupiter, consists mainly of hydrogen and helium - gases that are the basis of our star. With its size, the diameter of the planet is 57 thousand km, Saturn also resembles a protostar that has stopped in its development. The number of satellites of Saturn is slightly inferior to the number of satellites of Jupiter - 62 versus 67. Saturn's satellite Titan, like Io, a satellite of Jupiter, has an atmosphere.
In other words, the largest planets Jupiter and Saturn with their systems of natural satellites strongly resemble small solar systems, with their clearly defined center and system of movement of celestial bodies.
Behind the two gas giants come the cold and dark worlds, the planets Uranus and Neptune. These celestial bodies are located at a distance of 2.8 billion km and 4.49 billion km. from the Sun, respectively. Due to their enormous distance from our planet, Uranus and Neptune were discovered relatively recently. Unlike the other two gas giants, Uranus and Neptune contain large quantities of frozen gases - hydrogen, ammonia and methane. These two planets are also called ice giants. Uranus is smaller in size than Jupiter and Saturn and ranks third in the solar system. The planet represents the pole of cold of our star system. The average temperature on the surface of Uranus is -224 degrees Celsius. Uranus differs from other celestial bodies revolving around the Sun by its strong tilt on its own axis. The planet seems to be rolling, revolving around our star.
Like Saturn, Uranus is surrounded by a hydrogen-helium atmosphere. Neptune, unlike Uranus, has a different composition. The presence of methane in the atmosphere is indicated by the blue color of the planet's spectrum.
Both planets move slowly and majestically around our star. Uranus orbits the Sun in 84 Earth years, and Neptune orbits our star twice as long - 164 Earth years.
Finally
Our Solar System is a huge mechanism in which each planet, all satellites of the Solar System, asteroids and other celestial bodies move along a clearly defined route. The laws of astrophysics apply here and have not changed for 4.5 billion years. Along the outer edges of our solar system, dwarf planets move in the Kuiper belt. Comets are frequent guests of our star system. These space objects visit the inner regions of the Solar System with a periodicity of 20-150 years, flying within visibility range of our planet.
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The science
We all know from childhood that at the center of our solar system is the Sun, around which the four closest terrestrial planets revolve, including Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They are followed by four gas giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
After Pluto ceased to be considered a planet in the solar system in 2006 and became a dwarf planet, the number of main planets was reduced to 8.
Although many people know the general structure, there are many myths and misconceptions regarding the solar system.
Here are 10 facts you might not know about the solar system.
1. The hottest planet is not closest to the Sun
Many people know that Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun, whose distance is almost two times less than the distance from the Earth to the Sun. It's no wonder that many people believe that Mercury is the hottest planet.
In fact Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system- the second planet close to the Sun, where the average temperature reaches 475 degrees Celsius. This is enough to melt tin and lead. At the same time, the maximum temperature on Mercury is about 426 degrees Celsius.
But due to the lack of an atmosphere, the surface temperature of Mercury can vary by hundreds of degrees, while the carbon dioxide on the surface of Venus maintains a virtually constant temperature at any time of the day or night.
2. The edge of the solar system is a thousand times further from Pluto
We are used to thinking that the solar system extends to the orbit of Pluto. Today, Pluto is not even considered a major planet, but this idea remains in the minds of many people.
Scientists have discovered many objects orbiting the Sun that are much further than Pluto. These are the so-called trans-Neptunian or Kuiper belt objects. The Kuiper Belt extends over 50-60 astronomical units (An astronomical unit, or the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, is 149,597,870,700 m).
3. Almost everything on planet Earth is a rare element
The earth is mainly composed of iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, sulfur, nickel, calcium, sodium and aluminum.
Although all of these elements have been found in different places throughout the universe, they are only traces of elements that dwarf the abundance of hydrogen and helium. Thus, the Earth is mostly composed of rare elements. This does not indicate any special place on planet Earth, since the cloud from which the Earth formed contained large amounts of hydrogen and helium. But because they are light gases, they were carried into space by the sun's heat as the Earth formed.
4. The solar system has lost at least two planets
Pluto was originally considered a planet, but due to its very small size (much smaller than our Moon), it was renamed a dwarf planet. Astronomers also the planet Vulcan was once believed to exist, which is closer to the Sun than Mercury. Its possible existence was discussed 150 years ago to explain some features of Mercury's orbit. However, later observations ruled out the possibility of Vulcan's existence.
In addition, recent research has shown that it may someday there was a fifth giant planet, similar to Jupiter, which orbited the Sun, but was thrown out of the Solar System due to gravitational interaction with other planets.
5. Jupiter has the largest ocean of any planet
Jupiter, which orbits in cold space five times farther from the sun than planet Earth, was able to retain much higher levels of hydrogen and helium during formation than our planet.
One could even say that Jupiter is mainly composed of hydrogen and helium. Given the planet's mass and chemical composition, as well as the laws of physics, under cold clouds, an increase in pressure should lead to the transition of hydrogen to a liquid state. That is, on Jupiter there should be deepest ocean of liquid hydrogen.
According to computer models, this planet not only has the largest ocean in the solar system, its depth is approximately 40,000 km, that is, equal to the circumference of the Earth.
6. Even the smallest bodies in the solar system have satellites
It was once believed that only large objects such as planets could have natural satellites or moons. The existence of moons is sometimes even used to determine what a planet actually is. It seems counterintuitive that small cosmic bodies could have enough gravity to hold a satellite. After all, Mercury and Venus don't have any, and Mars only has two tiny moons.
But in 1993, the Galileo interplanetary station discovered a Dactyl satellite near the asteroid Ida, only 1.6 km wide. Since then it has been found moons orbiting about 200 other small planets, which made defining a “planet” much more difficult.
7. We live inside the Sun
We usually think of the Sun as a huge hot ball of light located at a distance of 149.6 million km from Earth. In fact The Sun's outer atmosphere extends much further than the visible surface.
Our planet orbits within its thin atmosphere, and we can see this when gusts of solar wind cause the aurora to appear. In this sense, we live inside the Sun. But the solar atmosphere does not end on Earth. The aurora can be observed on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and even distant Neptune. The outermost region of the solar atmosphere is the heliosphere extends over at least 100 astronomical units. This is about 16 billion kilometers. But since the atmosphere is drop-shaped due to the movement of the Sun in space, its tail can reach from tens to hundreds of billions of kilometers.
8. Saturn isn't the only planet with rings
While Saturn's rings are by far the most beautiful and easy to observe, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings. While Saturn's bright rings are made of icy particles, Jupiter's very dark rings are mostly dust particles. They may contain minor fragments of disintegrated meteorites and asteroids and possibly particles of the volcanic moon Io.
Uranus's ring system is slightly more visible than Jupiter's and may have formed after the collision of small moons. Neptune's rings are faint and dark, just like Jupiter's. Faint rings of Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune impossible to see through small telescopes from Earth, because Saturn became most famous for its rings.
Contrary to popular belief, there is a body in the solar system with an atmosphere essentially similar to that of Earth. This is Saturn's moon Titan.. It is larger than our Moon and is close in size to the planet Mercury. Unlike the atmosphere of Venus and Mars, which are much thicker and thinner, respectively, than that of Earth, and consist of carbon dioxide, Titan's atmosphere is mostly nitrogen.
The Earth's atmosphere is approximately 78 percent nitrogen. The similarity to the Earth's atmosphere, and especially the presence of methane and other organic molecules, led scientists to believe that Titan could be considered an analogue of the early Earth, or that some kind of biological activity was present there. For this reason, Titan is considered the best place in the solar system to search for signs of life.
Questions:
1. Structure and composition of the Solar system.
2. Birth of the Solar System.
3. Terrestrial planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars.
4. Planets of the Jupiterian group.
5. The Moon is a satellite of the Earth.
1. Structure and composition of the Solar system
The solar system is a particle in the Milky Way galaxy.
The solar system is a system of celestial bodies welded together by the forces of mutual attraction. The planets included in the system move almost in the same plane and in the same direction along an elliptical orbit.
The existence of the solar system was first announced in 1543 by the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, refuting the idea that had prevailed for several centuries that the Earth was the center of the Universe.
The center of the Solar System is an ordinary star, the Sun, in which the bulk of the system’s matter is concentrated. Its mass is 750 times the mass of all the planets in the solar system and 330,000 times the mass of the Earth. Under the influence of the gravitational attraction of the Sun, the planets form a group, rotating around their axis (each at their own speed) and making a revolution around the Sun without deviating from their orbit. The elliptical orbits of the planets are at different distances from our star.
The order of the planets:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
According to physical characteristics, the large 8 planets are divided into two groups: Earth and similar Mercury, Mars and Venus. The second group includes the giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The most distant planet Pluto, as well as 3 more planets discovered since 2006, are classified as minor planets of the Solar system.
Planets of the 1st group (terrestrial type) consist of dense rocks, and the second - of gas, ice and other particles.
2. Birth of the Solar System.
In the internal heated regions, dense blocks formed and fused with each other, forming terrestrial planets. Dust particles collided, broke and stuck together again, forming lumps. They were too small, had a small gravitational field and could not attract the light gases hydrogen and helium. As a result, type 1 planets are small in volume but very dense.
Farther from the center of the disk, the temperature was significantly lower. Volatile substances stuck to dust particles. The high content of hydrogen and helium served as the basis for the formation of giant planets. The planets formed there attracted gases to themselves. They also now have extensive atmospheres.
Part of the gas and dust cloud turned into meteorites and comets. The constant bombardment of cosmic bodies by meteorites is a continuation of the process of formation of the Universe.
How did the solar system originate?
3. Terrestrial planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars.
All terrestrial planets have a lithosphere - the solid shell of the planet, including the earth's crust and part of the mantle.
Venus, Mars, like the Earth, have an atmosphere that is similar in the presence of chemical elements. The only difference is in the concentration of the substances. On Earth, the atmosphere has changed due to the activities of living organisms. The basis of the atmosphere of Venus and Mars is carbon dioxide - 95%, and the atmosphere of Earth is nitrogen. The density of the Earth's atmosphere is 100 times less than Venus and 100 times more than Mars. The clouds of Venus are concentrated sulfuric acid. Large amounts of carbon dioxide can create a greenhouse effect, which is why temperatures there are so high.
planet X atmospheres | Venus | Earth | Mars |
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Main components of the atmosphere | N 2 O 2 CO2 H2O | 3-5% 0,0 01 95 -97 0 , 01-0 , 1 0 , 01 | N 2 O2 CO2 H2O |
0,03 0,1-1 0,93 | N 2 O2 CO2 H2O | 2-3% 0,1-0,4 0,001-0,1 |
Surface pressure (atm.) | 0,006 |
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Surface temperature (lat. average) | From + 40 to -30 o C | From 0 to - 70 o C |
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Comparison of the sizes of the terrestrial planets (from left to right - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars)
Mercury.
Distance to the Sun: 57.9 million km
Diameter: 4,860 km
Period of rotation around an axis (days): 176
Per. revolutions around the Sun (year): 88 days.
Temperature: + 350-426 O C on the sunny side and - 180 o C for night.
There is almost no atmosphere, there is a very weak magnetic field.
The average speed of the planet's orbit is 48 km/s, constantly changing. The planet's rotation axis is at almost right angles to the orbital plane. The surface of Mercury is similar to the Moon. The surface was formed by volcanic activity and meteorite impacts due to the lack of an atmosphere. The sizes of the craters range from several meters to hundreds of kilometers in diameter. The largest crater on Mercury is named after the great Dutch painter Rembrandt; its diameter is 716 km. Through a telescope, phases similar to those of the Moon are observed. There are lowlands - “seas” and uneven hills - “continents”. Mountain ranges reach heights of several kilometers. The sky on Mercury is black due to the highly rarefied atmosphere, which is almost non-existent.
Mercury has a large iron core and a rocky mantle and crust.
Venus.
Distance to the Sun: 108 million km
Diameter 12104 km
243 days
225 days
Rotation axis vertical
Temperature: average + 464 about S.
Atmosphere: CO 2 97%.
Rotates clockwise
Venus has extensive plateaus, the mountain ranges located on them rise to a height of 7-8 km. The highest mountains are 11 km. There are traces of tectonic and volcanic activity. About 1000 craters of meteorite origin. 85% of the planet's surface is occupied by volcanic plains.
The surface of Venus is hidden by a dense cloud layer of sulfuric acid. The sun is barely visible in the dark orange sky. At night you can't see the stars at all. Clouds travel around the planet in 4-5 days. The thickness of the atmosphere is 250 km.
The structure of Venus: a solid metallic core, silicate mantle and crust. There is almost no magnetic field.
Mars.
Distance to the Sun: 228 million km
Diameter: 6794km
Period of rotation around an axis (days): 24 hours 37 minutes
Per. revolutions around the Sun (year): 687 days
Temperature:Average - 60 o C;at the equator 0 o C; at the poles - 140 o C
Atmosphere: CO 2, the pressure is 160 times less than Earth's.
Satellites: Phobos, Deimos.
The tilt of Mars' axis is 25 degrees.
On the surface of Mars, one can distinguish “seas” of 2000 km and elevated areas – “continents”. In addition to meteorite craters, giant volcanic cones 15-20 km high, the diameter of which reaches 500-600 km, were discovered - Mount Olympus. Valles Marineris is a giant canyon visible from space. Mountain ranges and canyons have been discovered. Talus, dunes and other atmospheric erosion formations indicate dust storms. The red color of Martian dust is due to the presence of iron oxide (the substance limonite). Valleys that look like dried up river beds indicate that Mars was once warmer and had water. It still exists in the polar ice. And oxygen is in oxides.
The largest meteorite crater in the solar system has been discovered in the northern hemisphere of Mars. Its length is 10.6 thousand km, and its width is 8.5 thousand km.
The change of seasons causes the Martian glaciers to melt, accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide and an increase in pressure in the atmosphere. As a result, winds and hurricanes appear, the speed of which reaches 10-40, and sometimes 100 m/s.
The structure of Mars: has an iron core, mantle and crust.
Mars has two irregularly shaped moons. They are composed of carbon-rich rock and are thought to be asteroids caught in the gravitational pull of Mars. The diameter of Phobos is about 27 km. This is the largest and closest satellite to Mars. The diameter of Deimos is about 15 km.
4. Planets of the Jupiterian group
Distance to the Sun: 778 million km
Diameter: 143thousand km
Period of rotation around the axis (day): 9 hours 50 minutes
Per. revolutions around the Sun (year): » 12 years
Temperature: –140 o C
Atmosphere: Hydrogen, methane, ammonia, helium.
A ring of dust and stones is barely noticeable
Satellites: 67 – Ganymede, Io, Europa, Callisto, etc.
The planet rotates very quickly. The axis is slightly tilted. Structure:
liquid hydrogen, liquid metallic hydrogen, iron core.
The atmosphere is gaseous: 87% consists of hydrogen, ammonia and helium are present. High pressure. Reddish ammonia clouds, severe thunderstorms. The thickness of the cloud layer is 1000 km. Wind speed 100 m/s (650 km/h), cyclones (Great Red Spot 30 thousand km wide). The planet radiates heat, but thermonuclear reactions do not occur in the center, as in the Sun.
Jupiter's rapid rotation and heat emanating from within give rise to powerful atmospheric movements. Belts with different pressures (stripes) appear in the atmosphere, and hurricanes rage. The surface is liquid hydrogen with a temperature of –140 ° C, seething. The density is 4 times less than the density of water - 1330 kg/m3. Inside the hydrogen ocean the temperature is +11,000 oC. Liquefied hydrogen under high pressure becomes metallic (very dense) and creates a strong magnetic field. The core temperature is 30 thousand oC, it consists of iron.
Jupiter has a barely visible ring of dust and rocks. Reflecting from the ring, sunlight creates a halo - a glow. It is impossible to see the ring through a telescope - it is perpendicular.
As of January 2012, Jupiter has 67 known satellites - the largest number among the planets of the Solar System. The largest: 
And about- the closest, orbits Jupiter in 42.5 hours. The density is high, there is iron in the core. Similar in volume to the Moon. Io is volcanically active, observable. 12 active volcanoes. Sulfur compounds colored the surface yellow-orange. The surface temperature near the volcanoes is 300 °C. Black seas of molten sulfur sway on the orange shores. One side is always facing Jupiter. Forms 2 tidal humps due to the force of gravity, which move, which led to the heating of the subsoil.
Europe smaller than Io. It has a smooth surface consisting of frozen water ice, dotted with cracks and stripes. The core is silicate, there are few craters. Europe is young in age - about 100 million years.
Ganymede- the largest satellite in the solar system. Its radius is 2.631 km. 4% of the surface is ice crust covered with craters. Age like Io. It has a rocky core and a mantle of water ice. There is rock and ice dust on the surface.
Callisto is the 2nd largest moon of Jupiter. The surface is icy, densely dotted with craters, similar to Ganymede.
All satellites face one side towards Jupiter.
Saturn
Distance to the Sun: 9.54 AU (1 astronomical unit AU=150 million km - the distance from the Earth to the Sun, used for large distances)
Diameter: 120.660 km
Period of rotation around an axis (days): 10.2 h
Per. appeals to the district of the Sun (year): » 29.46 years
Temperature: –180 o C
Atmosphere: Hydrogen 93%, methane, ammonia, helium.
Surface made of liquid hydrogen and helium
Satellites: 62.
Saturn is a light yellow ball of gas composed of hydrogen and helium (mostly liquid molecular hydrogen). Due to the rapid rotation, the ball is greatly flattened at the poles. Day – 10 hours 16 minutes. The core is made of iron. Saturn has a strong magnetic field generated by metallic hydrogen in its mantle. The surface of Saturn is liquid hydrogen. Ammonia crystals are concentrated near the surface, making it difficult to see the surface from space.
Structure: core, liquid metallic hydrogen, liquid hydrogen, atmosphere.
The structure of the atmosphere is almost like that of Jupiter. It consists of 94-93% hydrogen, helium, ammonia, methane, water, phosphorus impurities and other elements. There are stripes parallel to the equator - giant atmospheric currents, the speed of which is 500 m/s.
Saturn has rings - the remnants of a huge circumplanetary cloud, consisting of dust particles, ice and rocks. The rings are younger than the planet. It is believed that these are the remains of an exploded satellite or comet captured by Saturn. The banding is determined by the composition of the rings. The rings sway and bend under the gravitational pressure of the satellites. Particle speed 10 km/s. The lumps constantly collide and crumble, sticking together again. Their structure is loose. The thickness of the rings is 10-20 m, and the width is 60 thousand km.
Saturn has 62 moons made of light-colored water ice. Satellites always face Saturn with one side. Mimas has a huge crater 130 km wide, Tethys has two satellites, and Dione has one. Saturn's largest moon is Titan. (2nd after Ganymede). Its diameter is 5,150 km (larger than Mercury). Its structure is similar to that of Jupiter: a rocky core and an icy mantle. It has a powerful atmosphere of nitrogen and methane. The surface is an ocean of methane -180 °C. Phoebe is a distant satellite of Saturn, rotating in the opposite direction.
Uranus
Diameter: 51,200 km
Period of rotation around an axis (days): » 17h
Per. converted time around the Sun (year): 84 years old
Temperature: –218 оС
Atmosphere: hydrogen and helium are the main components, methane, ammonia, etc.
Surface made of liquid hydrogen and methane
Rings - 9 (11) rows
Satellites: 27 – Miranda, Ariel, Titania, Oberon, Umbriel and etc.
The planet is green-blue. This is due to the presence of methane in the atmosphere. Methane absorbs red rays and reflects blue and green ones. The atmosphere consists of hydrogen, helium and methane. Its thickness is 8 thousand km. The surface is hidden from observation due to methane haze. The speed of clouds in the atmosphere is 10 m/s. Uranus' mantle is a frozen ocean composed of water, ammonia and methane. Pressure of 200 thousand earth atmospheres. The temperature is about - 200 oC. The iron-silicate core has a temperature of 7,000°C.
Uranus has a strong magnetic field. Axis tilt 98°. Uranus has 27 satellites moving perpendicular to the ecliptic orbit. The most distant ones, Oberon and Titania, have an icy surface.
Uranus has narrow black rings arranged in 9 rows. They are made of stone. The thickness is tens of meters, with a radius of 40-50 thousand km. Satellites: 14 – Triton, Nereid, etc.
It is similar in structure and composition to Uranus: core, icy mantle and atmosphere. Has a strong magnetic field. The atmosphere contains a lot of hydrogen, helium, and also more methane than Uranus, which is why the planet is blue. Atmospheric cyclones are noticeable - the Great Dark Spot with white clouds along the edges. Neptune has the strongest winds in the solar system - 2200 km/h.
Neptune has 14 satellites. Triton moves in the opposite direction to Neptune. Its diameter is 4950 km. It has an atmosphere, surface temperature is 235-238 °C. Volcanically active - geysers.
Neptune has 4 sparse narrow rings, which are visible to us in the form of arcs, because Perhaps the substance is distributed unevenly. The rings are composed of reddish colored ice particles or silicates.
Structure: iron core, icy mantle and atmosphere (hydrogen, helium, methane). Pluto is a rocky ball whose surface is covered with frozen gases - grayish methane ice. Planet diameter 2290 km . The atmosphere of methane and nitrogen is very thin. Pluto's only satellite is very large compared to the planet (Charon). Consists of water ice and reddish rocks. Surface temperature – 228 - 206°С. At the poles there are caps of frozen gases. The Sun from the surface of Pluto and Charon is seen at1000 times less than from Earth.
5. The Moon is a satellite of the Earth
The only satellite of the Earth, the Moon, lags behind it by 385,000 km. Glows with a reflected glow. Half the size of Pluto and almost the size of Mercury. The diameter of the Moon is 3474 km (more than ¼ of the Earth). The mass is 1/81 of the mass of the Earth (7.34x1022 kg), and the force of gravity is 1/6 of the Earth's gravity. The age of the Moon is 4.36 billion years. There is no magnetic field.
The Moon completes a full revolution around the Earth in 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes. A day lasts 2 earth weeks. There is no water or air on the Moon, so during the lunar day the temperature is + 120 ° C, and at night it drops to – 160 ° C.
The Moon has a core and a thick crust about 60 km thick. Therefore, the Moon and Earth have similar origins. An analysis of the soil delivered by American astronauts on the Apollo spacecraft showed that its composition includes minerals similar to those on Earth. The soil is poorer in the amount of minerals, because there is no water, which creates oxides.
Samples of lunar rock indicate that it was formed from a molten, cooled and crystallized mass. Lunar soil - regolith - is a finely crushed substance formed as a result of constant bombardment of the surface by cosmic bodies. The surface of the Moon is dotted with craters (there are 30 thousand of them). One of the large craters is located on the far side of the satellite and reaches 80 km in diameter. The craters are named after famous scientists and figures from different eras: Plato, Aristotle, Copernicus, Galileo, Lomonosov, Gagarin, Pavlov, etc.
The light areas of the Moon are called “land”, and the dark depressions are called “seas” (Ocean of Storms, Sea of Rains, Sea of Tranquility, Gulf of Heat, Sea of Crises, etc.). There are mountains and even mountain ranges on the Moon. They are named like on Earth: Alps, Carpathians, Caucasus, Pyrenees.
On the Moon you can observe cracking of the surface due to sudden temperature changes and moonquakes. There is frozen lava in the cracks.
There are three hypotheses for the origin of the Moon.
1. "Capture". A cosmic body flying past was captured by the Earth's gravitational forces and turned into a satellite.
2 sisters". The Earth and the Moon were formed from one clump of matter, but each developed on its own in close proximity to each other.
3. "Mother and daughter." Once upon a time, part of the matter separated from the Earth, leaving a deep depression (in place of the Pacific Ocean). Space images of the lunar surface and soil analysis show that it was formed under the influence of high temperatures as a result of the impact of cosmic bodies. This means that this separation occurred a very long time ago. According to this hypothesis, a huge asteroid or small planet crashed into the Earth 4 billion years ago. The broken pieces of the earth's crust and the “wanderer” scattered into fragments into space. Under the influence of gravitational forces, a satellite was formed over time. The correctness of this hypothesis is proven by two facts: a small amount of iron on the Moon and the presence of two dusty satellites rotating in lunar orbit (discovered in 1956).
Origin of the Moon
The Moon also influences the Earth. It affects our well-being, causes ebbs and flows. This is due to the strengthening of the action of the Moon by the Sun when they are in the same plane.
The lunar appearance is constantly changing. This is due to the different position of the Moon relative to the luminary.
The full cycle of the Moon phase takes 29.5 days. Each phase lasts about a week.
1. New Moon - The Moon is not visible.
2. The first quarter is from a thin crescent on the right to a semicircle.
3. Full moon - round moon.
4. The last quarter is a decrease from half to a narrow crescent.
Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Earth is in a straight line between the Sun and the Moon. The Moon is in the shadow of the Earth. The Earth's atmosphere allows only red rays to reach the Moon, which is why the Moon appears red. This phenomenon lasts approximately one and a half hours.
Eclipse of the Sunhappens when The Moon covers the Sun with its disk. A total eclipse at one point on the globe is rare. You can see partial solar eclipses, which are more common. The moon's shadow has length 250 km . Duration 7 min 40 sec.
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