Perhaps we all know that a piece of the universe, sheltered us, called the solar system.Hot stars with planets around it began its formation about 4.6 billion years ago.Then there was a gravitational collapse of the interstellar molecular clouds.Center collapse, which has accumulated a large part of the substance, later became the Sun, and it is surrounded by protoplanetary cloud has created all other objects.
information about the solar system originally intended only while observing the night sky.With the improvement of telescopes and other instruments, scientists learned more about the surrounding space.However, the most interesting facts about the solar system was able to obtain only after the beginning of the space age - in the 60s of the last century.
composition
central object of our piece of the universe - it is the sun.Around it turns eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.Then the last placed the so-called trans-Neptunian objects, which include Pluto, stripped in 2006, the status of the planet.He and several other cosmic bodies carried to the small planets.Eight main object after the Sun are divided into two categories: terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) and the huge planet of the solar system, the interesting facts about beginning with the fact that they consist almost entirely of gas.They are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
between Mars and Jupiter lies the asteroid belt where there are many small asteroids and planets irregularly shaped.For the orbit of Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt and the associated scattered disc.The asteroid belt contains objects mainly consisting of rock and metal, while the Kuiper Belt is filled with the bodies of ice of various origins.Objects scattered disk are also largely ice composition.
Sun
Interesting facts about the solar system should start talking to her center.A giant glowing ball with the inside temperature over 15 million degrees focused a more than 99% of the mass of the entire system.Sun refers to the stars of the third generation, it is about in the middle of its life cycle.Its core - a place of continuous thermonuclear reactions that result in hydrogen is converted into helium.This process leads to the formation of huge amounts of energy, which then falls including the Earth.
future
Approximately 1.1 billion years the Sun will use up most of the hydrogen fuel, it heats up the surface as possible.At this time, most likely in the world will disappear almost all life.Terms will preserve only organisms in the depths of the ocean.When the age of the Sun is 12.2 billion years, it will turn into a red giant.The outer layers of the star thus reached the Earth's orbit.Our planet at this time or switch to a more distant orbit, or be absorbed.
In the next stage of development of the Sun will lose its outer shell, which will turn into a planetary nebula with a white dwarf, which is a core of the Sun - Earth-sized - in the center.
Mercury
while the sun is relatively stable, will continue the study of the planets of the solar system.The first cosmic body large enough that you can meet, if removed from the outskirts of our star system - is Mercury.Closest to the Sun, while the smallest planet explored apparatus "Mariner 10", managed to photograph the surface.Studying Mercury hampered its proximity to the star, so for many years he remained poorly understood.After the "Mariner 10" launched in 1973, she has visited Mercury, "Messenger".The spacecraft began its mission in 2003.Several times he flew up to the planet, and in 2011 became her companion.Thanks to this research information about the solar system has expanded considerably.
Today we know that, though, and Mercury closest to the Sun, it is not the hottest planet.Venus in this regard it strongly ahead.Mercury has no real atmosphere: it blows away the solar wind.For the gaseous envelope of the planet is characterized with a very low pressure.Day of Mercury is almost two Earth months, with year lasts 88 days of our planet, that is, less than two Mercurian days.
Venus
Due to flight "Mariner-2" interesting facts about the solar system, on the one hand, impoverished, and on the other - abound.Pending receipt of this information from the spacecraft Venus was considered the owner of the temperate climate, and perhaps ocean, considered the probability of finding life on it."Mariner-2" has dispelled these dreams.Investigations of this unit, as well as several others outlined a fairly inhospitable picture.Under the layer of the atmosphere, mostly consisting of carbon dioxide, and the clouds of sulfuric acid it is almost red-hot to 500 ° C surface.There is no water and can not be known to us of life forms.On Venus, the spacecraft did not even stand: they melt and burn.
4 Mars planet in the solar system, and the last of Earth-like - it's Mars.The Red Planet has always attracted the attention of scientists, it is a center of research today.Mars has been studied by numerous "Mariner", two "Vikings" and the Soviet "Mars".For a long time, astronomers believed found on the Red Planet's surface water.Today we know that long ago Mars looked completely different than it is now, perhaps, it was water.There is an assumption, according to which a change in the nature of the surface of Mars has contributed to a collision with a large asteroid that left a trace in the form of five craters.The result was a disaster shifting of the poles of the planet almost 90º, a significant increase in volcanic activity and plate movements.At the same time there have been and climate change.Mars lost water pressure on the planet is significantly decreased, the surface began to resemble a desert.
Jupiter
major planets of the solar system, or gas giants, separated from Earth-asteroid belt.The closest of these is to the Sun, Jupiter.For its size it is superior to all the other planets of our system.The gas giant has been studied with the help of apparatus "Voyager" 1 and 2, as well as the "Galileo".Last fall recorded on the surface of Jupiter, fragments of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was unique as the event itself, and the opportunity to observe it.As a result, scientists have been able to obtain not only a number of interesting images, but also some information about the composition of comets and planets.
itself fall into Jupiter differs from a similar space in the body of the terrestrial.Shards even huge size can not leave a crater on the surface of Jupiter is almost entirely composed of gas.Comet was absorbed into the upper layers of the atmosphere, leaving traces on the surface of the dark, which soon disappeared.Interestingly, Jupiter, due to its size and weight, performs the role of a defender of the Earth, has protected it from various debris.It is believed that the gas giant has played a role in the origin of life: all of the fragments that fell to Jupiter, the world could lead to a mass extinction.And if such falls occur frequently in the early stages of life, perhaps people would not exist until now.
signal brothers on reason
study planets in the solar system and the cosmos as a whole, not least carried out in order to find the conditions which may have arisen or have appeared life.However, the scale of the universe is such that humanity can not cope with the task, and for all the time allotted to him.Therefore apparatus "Voyager" were equipped with a round aluminum box containing a video disc.It contains information, according to scientists, able to explain to representatives of other civilizations may exist in space where the Earth and its inhabitants.The images depicted landscapes, anatomical structure of human DNA structure, scenes from the lives of people and animals, recorded sounds: birds singing, a baby crying, the sound of rain and many others.The disk is provided with respect to the coordinates of the solar system 14 powerful pulsars.Explanations are made up by a binary year.
"Voyager 1" roughly in 2020 will leave the solar system, and for many centuries will surf the space of the cosmos.Scientists believe that the discovery of other civilizations message earthlings could happen very soon, at a time when he and our planet will cease to exist.In this case, the disk with the information about people and the world - all that's left of humanity in the universe.
new round
At the beginning of the XXI century interest in space exploration has increased dramatically.Interesting facts about the solar system continue to accumulate.Offer expeditions to Mars, specified data on gas giants.Every year the improved apparatus, in particular to develop new types of engines that will make flights to more distant areas of space with less fuel.The movement of scientific progress offers hope that the most interesting things about the solar system will soon become part of our knowledge we can find evidence of the existence of the Oort cloud, understand exactly what led to the change of climate on Mars and how it was before, to study the sun-scorched Mercury, finally,to build a base on the moon.Wildest dreams of modern astronomers even more ambitious than some fantastic movies.The interesting thing is that the achievements of engineering and physics say about the real possibility of the ambitious plans for the future.
