The planets of the solar system in order.

has long attracted the attention of people space.The planets of the solar system, astronomers began to study in the Middle Ages, treating them in primitive telescopes.But a thorough classification, description of features of the structure and motion of celestial bodies became possible to do only in the 20th century.With the advent of powerful hardware, equipped with the latest technology observatories and spacecraft were opened several previously unknown objects.Now every student can list all the planets of the solar system in order.Almost all of them fell space probe, and the man is visited only on the moon.

What is the solar system

universe is huge and includes many galaxies.Our solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy in which more than 100 billion stars.But very few that are similar to the sun.Basically all of them - the red dwarfs, which are smaller than him, and the light is not so bright.Scientists have suggested that the solar system was formed after the emergence of the sun.His enormous gravity field captures the gas-dust cloud from which the gradual cooling of the particles formed solid.Over time, they formed celestial bodies.It is believed that the Sun is now resides in the middle of his career, so be it, as well as all its dependent celestial bodies will be a few billion years.Near the cosmos studied by astronomers for a long time, and anyone knows what are the planets of the solar system.Picture them made with satellites, can be found on all kinds of information resources on the subject.All celestial bodies are held by a strong field of gravity of the Sun, which is more than 99% of the solar system.Large celestial bodies revolve around the world and around its own axis in one direction and in the same plane, called the ecliptic.

planets of the solar system in order

in modern astronomy is considered to be the heavenly bodies from the sun.In the 20th century it was established classification, which includes 9 planets of the solar system.But recent studies of outer space and the latest discoveries prompted scientists to revise many of the provisions in astronomy.And at the 2006 International Congress, because of its small size (dwarf, diameter not exceeding three thousand. Km), Pluto was excluded from the classical planets, and then there were eight.Now, the structure of our solar system has taken a balanced, harmonious appearance.It includes the four terrestrial planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, the asteroid belt is then, after followed by four giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.On the outskirts of the solar system also passes the asteroid belt, which scientists called the Kuiper belt.That it is, and Pluto.These sites have not been studied because of its distance from the sun.

Features terrestrial planets

What can be attributed to these celestial bodies in the same group?Here are the main characteristics of the inner planets:

• relatively small size;
• solid surface, a high density and a similar composition (oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, magnesium and other heavy elements);
• presence of the atmosphere;
• the same structure: a core of iron-nickel alloy, the mantle consisting of silicates, and the bark of silicate rocks (except Mercury - he has no crust);
• small satellites - only 3 to four planets;
• relatively weak magnetic field.

Features giant planets

As for the outer planets, or gas giants, they are inherent in such similar characteristics:

• large size and weight;
• they have hard surface and are composed of gases, mainly hydrogen and helium (and therefore they are also called gas giants);
• liquid core consisting of metallic hydrogen;
• high speed rotation;
• strong magnetic field, which explains the unusually high number of processes that take place on them;
• in this group of 98 satellites, most of which belong to Jupiter;
• most characteristic feature of the gas giants - is the presence of the rings.They have all four planets, however, are not always visible.

first in a row planet - Mercury

It is located closest to the sun.Therefore, the surface light looks three times greater than with the Earth.This also explains why extreme temperatures: from -180 to 430 degrees.Mercury is very fast orbits.Maybe that's why he got the name, because in Greek mythology Mercury - a messenger of the gods.There are virtually no atmosphere, and the sky is always black, but the sun is shining very brightly.However, at the poles, there are places where its rays do not fall ever.This phenomenon can be explained by tilting the axis of rotation.Water on the surface is not found.This circumstance, as well as abnormally high daytime temperatures (and low night) fully explain the absence of life on the planet.

Venus

If we study the planets of the solar system in order, the second in a row is Venus.Its people can observe the sky in ancient times, but it shows it only in the morning and in the evening, it was thought that two different objects.By the way, our ancestors-Slavs called it flicker.This is the third brightest object in our solar system.People used to call her the morning and evening star, because the best is visible before sunrise and sunset.Venus and Earth are similar in structure, composition, size and gravity.Around its axis, this planet is moving very slowly, making a complete revolution in 243.02 Earth days.Of course, the conditions on Venus are very different from Earth.It is twice as close to the Sun, so it is very hot.The high temperature is due to the fact that the thick clouds of sulfuric acid and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect on the planet.Furthermore, the pressure at the surface is greater than in the world, 95 times.Therefore, the first ship visited Venus in the 70 years of the 20th century, survived there for over an hour.A feature of the planet is also the fact that it rotates in the opposite direction compared to the majority of the planets.Most astronomers of this celestial object is not known.

third planet from the Sun

only place in the solar system, and astronomers in the known universe where life exists - is the planet Earth.In the terrestrial, it has the largest size.What has its distinctive features?

1. biggest gravity among the terrestrial planets.
2. very strong magnetic field.
3. high density.
4. It is unique among all the planets has hydrosphere, which contributed to the formation of life.
5. It has the largest, compared to its size, a satellite that stabilizes its inclination relative to the Sun and impact on natural processes.

planet Mars is one of the smallest planets in our galaxy.If we consider the planets of the solar system in order, the Mars - the fourth from the sun.The atmosphere of her highly rarefied, and the surface pressure is almost 200 times less than on Earth.For this reason, there are very strong temperature changes.The planet Mars is poorly understood, although long attracted people's attention.According to scientists, this is the only celestial body on which life could exist.In the past, the planet's surface is water.Such a conclusion can be drawn from the fact that the poles there are large ice caps, and the surface is covered with a plurality of grooves, which could be dry riverbeds.In addition, there are some on Mars Minerals, whose formation is possible only in the presence of water.Another feature of the fourth planet is the presence of two satellites.The singularity of that Phobos is gradually slowing its rotation and approaches the planet, and Deimos, on the contrary, is moving away.

The famous Jupiter

The fifth planet is very large.The scope of Jupiter would fit 1,300 Earths, and its mass is 317 times greater than Earth's.As with all gas giants, the structure of the hydrogen-helium, which resembles the composition of stars.Jupiter - the most interesting planet that has a number of unique features:

• is the third brightest celestial object after the Moon and Venus;
• Jupiter's magnetic field is the strongest among all the planets;
• full rotation around its axis it makes the earth in just 10 hours - faster than the other planets;
• interesting feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot - as seen from the Earth's atmospheric vortex rotates counterclockwise;
• like all the giant planets, it has a ring, though not as bright as Saturn;
• this planet has the most large number of satellites.They had 63. The most famous - is Europe, which have found water, Ganymede - the largest moon of the planet Jupiter and Io and Callisto;
• another feature of the planet - is that in the shadow of the surface temperature is higher than in places illuminated by the sun.

planet Saturn is the second largest gas giant, is also named after the ancient god.It is composed of hydrogen and helium, but the surface showed traces of methane, ammonia and water.Scientists have found that Saturn - the planet is the most sparse.Its density is less than that of water.Rotating the gas giant very quickly - makes one revolution in 10 Earth hours, causing the planet is flattened laterally.Huge speed on Saturn and wind - up to 2,000 kilometers per hour.It is the speed of sound.Saturn has another distinctive feature - it keeps its attraction in the field of 60 satellites.The largest of them - Titan - is the second largest in the Solar System.The uniqueness of this property is that by exploring its surface, scientists first discovered a celestial body with conditions similar to those that existed on Earth about 4 billion years ago.But the most important feature of Saturn - is the presence of bright rings.They encircle the planet around the equator and reflect more light than she.Four rings of Saturn - this is the most surprising phenomenon in the solar system.Unusually, the inner rings are moving faster than the exterior.

ice giants - Uranium

So, we continue to consider the planet of the solar system in order.The seventh planet from the Sun - Uranus.It is the coolest of them all - the temperature drops to -224 ° C.Moreover, scientists have found in its content of metallic hydrogen, and found a modified ice.Because Uranus is considered to be a separate category of ice giants.The amazing feature of this celestial body that rotates it lying on its side.Unusual as the change of seasons on the planet as much as 42 Earth years where winter reigns, and the sun does not show up at all, as the summer lasts 42 years, and at this time the sun never sets.In the spring and autumn are born every 9 hours.Like all giant planets, Uranus has rings and many moons.As many as 13 rings revolves around him, but they are not as bright as that of Saturn's moons and the planet holds all 27. If you compare with the Earth Uranus, it is 4 times greater, 14 times heavier than the Sun and located at a distance, in19 times the path to the luminary of our planet.

Neptune: The planet invisible

After Pluto was excluded from the number of planets, the last of the sun in the system became Neptune.It is located 30 times farther from the sun than the Earth, and the planet can not be seen even with a telescope.Scientists opened it, so to speak, by chance watching the features of the motion next to it planets and their satellites, they concluded that beyond the orbit of Uranus should be another large celestial body.Following the discovery and study revealed interesting features of this planet:

• due to the presence in the atmosphere of large amounts of methane color planet from space appears blue-green;
• Neptune's orbit is almost perfectly round;
• planet rotates very slowly - one circle makes for 165 years;
• Neptune 4 times larger than Earth and 17 times heavier, but the force of attraction is almost the same as on our planet;
• the largest of the 13 moons of the giant - Triton.He always turned to one side of the planet, and slowly approaches it.On these grounds, scientists have assumed that he was captured by the attraction of Neptune.

Across the Milky Way - a hundred billion planets.While scientists can not even explore some of them.But the number of planets in the solar system known to almost all people in the world.However, in the 21st century, interest in astronomy, a little faded, but even children know the names of the planets of the solar system.