New scientific facts about planets. Fascinating astronomy: interesting facts about the planets of the solar system

Space is full of secrets and mysteries. It attracts with its immensity and infinity. And among this endless space there are myriads of interesting and amazing things that we have yet to learn.

And now Interesting Facts about the planets solar system:

Jupiter and Earth in comparison

The most big planet Solar System - Jupiter. It is the fifth planet from the Sun and is more than 2.5 times heavier than all the other planets combined! Jupiter's equator is approximately 11 times the diameter of the Earth, its length is 143,884 km!

Mercury and Earth in comparison

The smallest planet in the solar system is Mercury. Its diameter is only 4789 km. It is even smaller in size than some of its satellites, such as Jupiter's Ganymede and Saturn's Titan.

It is paradoxical that big planet- Jupiter, the most small satellite of all known. It is called Leda and has a diameter of 10 km.

Pallas is the largest asteroid. Diameter – 490 km. Until 2006 largest asteroid was considered Ceres until it was given the status of a dwarf planet.

One of the most interesting riddles of the sun- This solar corona(the outer part of the atmosphere), the temperature of which is higher than that of the star itself.

Jupiter breaks all records in the solar system. He has the most a large number of satellites - 63! Its closest competitor is Saturn with 60 satellites.

The brightest planet in the solar system is Venus. More precisely, this is a planet that reflects greatest number sunlight – 76%. This property is due to special clouds in the atmosphere of Venus. This is the third brightest object in the Earth's sky, second only to Venus to the Sun and Moon.

Brightest comet with the prosaic name C/1910 A1, it surpasses even Venus in brightness. It is also known as the Great January Comet, as it was discovered in January 1910.

The brightest asteroid is Vesta. It is the only asteroid that can be seen with the naked eye in the night sky.

The coldest place in the solar system is Neptune's moon, Triton. It's 38 degrees warmer there absolute zero, that is –235.

Neptune is the windiest planet. Large atmospheric formations on Neptune's equator move at a speed of 320 m/s, and smaller ones move 2 times faster.

Pluto is no longer last planet solar system

Until August 24, 2006, it was believed that there were 9 planets in the Solar System. But now there are 8 of them because the International Astronomical Union excluded dwarf Pluto from the list.

Questions related to the appearance of man on planet Earth and the emergence of planets in the solar system have always worried, are exciting and will continue to excite the minds of the curious. How did the planets and the Sun appear? What was the impetus for their appearance? Modern science does not stand still, and interesting facts about planets and Space excite humanity, forcing us to ask even more questions.

The Universe and hypotheses about it

The concept of “Universe” includes the energy of space and all visible and invisible bodies.

How and where did the Universe come from? There is no answer, but there are several assumptions (hypotheses) about the reasons for its appearance:

Big Bang. According to this theory, once upon a time there was nothing - all Matter under enormous pressure was compressed into a very small volume. Gradually the pressure reached critical values and, having warmed up as much as possible, matter began to expand. The explosion occurred 12-15 billion years ago. As a result, clots of energy scattered, and matter was formed radioactive particles. Those, in turn, gave impetus to the formation of atoms, then various objects space. The Universe continues to expand and what will happen next? The question remains unanswered.
Big bounce. This assumption is directly opposite to the previous one and suggests that the emergence of the Universe is associated with compression (“rebound”), and not with an explosion. The cosmos is constantly being reborn - it contracts, then expands, and, according to this model, after the expansion that is now occurring, compression must occur. But how this will happen - the theory does not answer.
Divine intervention. According to this theory, the Universe could not have appeared without the participation of the Creator - everything was thought out so rationally and logically. The theory is not scientific, but it has a right to exist.

Modern science is looking for confirmation of these hypotheses, but this moment they remain assumptions, and knowledge about the solar system accumulates more and more interesting scientific facts about cosmic bodies, planets, and outer space.

Unusual and surprising things about the planets

Outer space is an abyss of mysterious, unknown and interesting things. Rapidly developing, science makes it possible to learn more and more about it.

The planet visible without instruments is located at a great distance from the Earth and is difficult to study, but research is still being carried out, adding new facts to information about it.

Mercury, according to one assumption, was a satellite of Venus, but due to some cataclysm it broke away from its gravity and became an independent planet - the closest to the Sun.

A day on Mercury is 59 days, and a year is 88 days. If we compare this with earthly days and years, we get something difficult to imagine for our earthly time.

Information! Movement can be seen from Mercury solar disk V reverse side- this is due to the large difference between the speeds of rotation around the axis and movement along the orbit. The planet orbits the largest of all planets solar group speed, and its orbit is the most elongated.

On Earth we are used to seeing one sunset and one sunrise, but twice, and even three times, it can be seen on Mercury.

It would seem that due to the short distance to the Sun, the planet should have positive temperatures, but the difference between daytime and nighttime indicators is huge - during the day the surface heats up to +430°C, and at night it cools down to -180°C.

Interesting facts about Mercury:

The planet was first mentioned in manuscripts from 3000 BC. e.;
Mercury is only 5,000 km across, and second in density after Earth;
the main element of a small layer of the atmosphere is helium;
the energy received from the Sun is almost 7 times more than the Earth receives;
there were research vehicles in the vicinity of Mercury 2 times;
The Messenger probe has been operating in the orbital space of the planet since 2004;
there is an assumption that the core, weighing 4/5 of the mass of the planet, consists of iron;
there is no change of seasons on the planet.

See bright Venus possible at sunset, and lights up " Evening Star"(as it is sometimes called) for only 2 hours. By cosmic standards, it is not far from Earth - only 108,000,000 million kilometers. Its orbit, interestingly, is located inside earth's orbit, and the planet moves in the direction opposite to the clockwise direction. Sunrise is therefore observed in the west and not in the east.

Unusual and interesting facts about the planet Venus:

the movement around the axis occurs very slowly and it turns out that the length of the day and the length of the year (243 and 224, 7 earth days, respectively) are almost the same;
the sizes of Venus and Earth are approximately the same;
when moving to Venus, it is possible to establish settlements at an altitude of 100 km from the surface - there the conditions (t°, pressure, gravity) are similar to those on Earth;
for the first time in 1970, a Soviet probe landed on the planet, stayed there for only 23 minutes, but managed to transmit some information, and another device, Venera-13, stayed on the hot surface longer - 127 minutes;
there are no conditions for the existence of any living organisms there - the temperature on the surface is about 470°C, and the pressure is 90 times greater than at the bottom of the earth's sea;
more than 1,600 volcanoes have been discovered on the surface, and many of them are active.

Assumption! After 5 billion years, the Sun will run out of helium and hydrogen, and it will expand and become a red giant, swallowing up nearby planets.

Earth

Earth is the only thing cosmic body, which has various forms life. Its age is approximately 4,540 million. years. Together with Mercury, Venus and Mars, it is part of the terrestrial group of planets.

There are many interesting facts about our planet and it has been studied more than other cosmic bodies, but people want to know as much as possible about their habitat.

Amazing things about planet Earth:

the speed of the “blue planet” in orbit is 108,000 km/h;
water occupies 71% of the planet's surface and most of it is oceans, but only 5% of them have been explored, but even this small part is home to about 200 thousand marine species;
huge reserves fresh water(68%) are frozen in glaciers and at the poles;
Moon - natural satellite The Earth, which is the cause of the ebb and flow of the tides and it is believed that it was once separated from the Earth as a result of its collision with a cosmic body;
Every year, about 40,000 tons of dust from space falls onto the Earth's surface;
the water column hides many secrets and interesting phenomena– at a depth of 11 km (the Martian trench) there is life, the presence of which was confirmed by researchers (only three people) who visited there;
Most meteorites are found in Antarctica - they are clearly visible on the white surface and more of them fall there.

Unusual fact! In the tropics of Peru there is amazing place– the Shanay-Timpishka River, where the water almost boils, reaching a temperature of 92°C.

Mars

The next planet after Earth, Mars, with two satellites Deimos and Phobos, is located at a distance of 228,000,000 million km from the Sun. It owes its name to the Roman god of war - Mars. The color of the planet, like the color of blood, is red, which is why it is also called the Red Planet. The color is explained by the presence of iron oxides in the layers of the atmosphere.

Interesting facts about Mars are attractive to children, since it is often found in the plots of films and cartoons, in children's works, and the words “Martians” and “Martian” are always heard. The story about the planet Mars can be summarized as brief information about her:

Its age is estimated at 4.5 billion. years;
the size of Mars is significant smaller than Earth– the diameter is 6800 km, which is 2 times less than the Earth’s, the mass is 10% of the mass of the Earth (6.4169x10 23 kg and 5.9722x10 24 kg, respectively), and the volume is such that six planets Mars will fill the volume of one planet Earth;
a revolution around the Sun takes 687 Earth days - this is the length of a year, and the length of a day is 24 hours 40 minutes;
at midday at the equator the temperature rises to +30°C, at night it drops to -80°C, and near the poles to -143°C, and in winter about 20% of the air freezes;
because of big difference temperatures day and night, air movement occurs at high speeds (tornado);
the force of gravity there is less - with a weight of 100 kg on Earth, a person on Mars will weigh only 38 kg, and a high jump will be 3 times higher than on Earth (this interesting fact about the planet has been used more than once in science fiction films);
there is no ozone layer and, therefore, there is no protection from radiation, so radiation doses on the surface of Mars are lethal;
due to the thin atmosphere and low pressure a person can only be there in a spacesuit - without it, oxygen in the blood turns into gas bubbles, and this is fatal;
when approaching the Sun on Mars, strong dust storms– the wind reaches a speed of 200 km/h, they sometimes last for several weeks, often covering the entire surface of the planet.

Interesting! Spacecraft were launched to the planet more than once, but only a third of them were able to complete the assigned tasks, and the rest disappeared - apparently, as scientists suggested, there is Bermuda Triangle, only Martian.

Jupiter is giant planet consisting of gases. Its dimensions are amazing - the mass is 318 times the mass of the Earth, the volume is 1300 times, the length of the diameter is 10 times. Amazing planet unusual with interesting facts not only for adults, but also for children.

Interesting things about the giant planet:

Jupiter has more satellites than other planets - 79 (an ocean was discovered on Europa, one of the satellites, and there is more water in it than in all earth's oceans and there are probably living organisms there);
10 hours is the time it takes to rotate around its axis, and the planet completes its orbit in 12 years;
the atmosphere is 18 times denser than the Earth’s atmosphere and 89% of its composition is hydrogen, 8-10% is helium, 1-3% is other elements;
the giant protects the Earth from a large number of meteorites, attracting them to itself (its power magnetic field more than other planets in the solar system);
For more than 300 years, an atmospheric vortex of enormous size (the Great Red Spot) has been raging and clearly visible from the Earth, its speed is 435 km/h.

Reference! The planet's core is heated to an enormous temperature - 20,000°C.

Saturn is the planet next to Jupiter, named after the patron god agriculture from the ancient Romans. You can see it without instruments. Much data about the planet was obtained using 4 spacecraft that flew to Saturn.

Interesting facts about the planet:

Saturn's density is very low (0.687 g/cm3), so if it happened to be placed in water, it would float on its surface;
seasons change, just like on Earth, but a season lasts 7 years, a year lasts 30 Earth years, the length of a day is 10 hours 32 minutes 35 seconds;
due to the high rotation speed, the planet is significantly flattened at the poles;
near Saturn, rings consisting of cosmic dust and ice particles, and about 62 satellites different sizes(the smallest ones do not have a name).

Unusual fact! Powerful winds on the surface reach speeds of up to 1800 km/h, and hexagonal clouds are sometimes visible through a telescope.

Uranus is a little-studied planet and any interesting fact about it makes you think about the capabilities of the human mind:

this is a giant icy planet with a solid, cold core that is 80% liquid, and an atmosphere made of helium, hydrogen and a small amount of methane, which gives it a greenish color;
atmospheric temperature – -224°С;
the day is short - only 17 hours, but the year is long - 84 earthly years;
the rotation axis is tilted by 98° (according to scientists, the axis tilted as a result of an impact with a cosmic body) and rotation occurs from east to west;
Uranus has 13 rings, believed to be the remains of the moon after it collided with the planet.

Reference! The shell of Uranus, approximately 8,000 km thick, consists of various gases, and the planet has no solid surface.

Neptune is the planet farthest from the Sun, which has many internal satellites, rotating inside its orbit, and there are only two external ones. Color sea wave it is given by methane in the atmosphere.

Interesting and amazing facts a lot about the planet. Here are some of them:

a day lasts 16 hours, and Neptune moves in its orbit for 164 years;
temperature indicators in upper layers the atmosphere reaches – 221.45°C;
there are 5 dark rings consisting of dust particles and pebbles;
The Voyager 2 research vehicle flew past Neptune in 1989 at a distance of 3,000 km.

Proven fact! The wind on Neptune can reach speeds of 2100 km/h.

The interesting facts and stories about the planets given above are only a small part of what science now knows about them. The unexplored depths of space are fraught with many interesting and unusual things.

Jupiter swallows space debris

We all know that Jupiter is a planet with a big red spot on its surface and a storm that never stops. Did you know that Jupiter is vital to the safety of the Earth? This is the most major planet and its correspondingly large gravitational force attracts space debris, which would be extremely dangerous if it entered our orbit. Scientists have recorded a number of cases when, thanks to the gravitational force of Jupiter, space debris went beyond the solar system.

There are five dwarf planets in our solar system

It’s amazing how different cosmic bodies such as “dwarf planets”, the moon and full-fledged planets differ. Dwarf planets are fairly large celestial bodies that do not dominate their orbit to be called true planets. However, they do not orbit other planets like the Moon. Five dwarf planets include the recently demoted Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.

There are not so many asteroids in the solar system

Although it has been scientifically proven that our solar system has a large asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars, and also not large groups asteroids, we believe movies more. We present spaceships scurrying between asteroids. In fact, there is so much space between them that there is no need to scurry around.

Venus is the hottest planet

Most would think that Mercury should be the hottest because it is closest to the Sun. However, Mercury does not have an atmosphere that stores heat precisely because it is so close to the Sun. Venus is the hottest because of its dense atmosphere that traps heat. Do you want more? She rotates in opposite direction compared to most planets.

Pluto's status has long been questioned

Although many of us have long known that Pluto is a planet, the recent decision to deprive it of this status is not at all spontaneous. In fact, Pluto's status as a planet has been debated in astronomical academic circles for nearly thirty years. The main reason for such discussions was the tiny size of Pluto. It is one hundred and seventy times smaller than the Earth.

One day on Mercury is 58 Earth days

Mercury has an unusual orbital trajectory that makes it day ( full turn) equal to almost sixty Earth days. And if you were to look at the Sun from Mercury, its orbit would make the Sun appear to move forward and backward across the sky.

The seasons on Uranus last twenty years

Uranus has an inclination angle of 82 degrees, making it appear to be lying on its side in orbit. Every season on the planet is 20 earthly years. It is quite possible that this is the reason for such strange weather phenomena on this "littered" planet.

The mass of the solar system is 99% the mass of the sun

We all know that the Sun is big, VERY big, but because it is small in the sky, it is difficult for us to imagine how big it is. Here are some measurements. The Sun makes up more than 99% of the total mass of the Solar System (including planets, moons, asteroids, etc.).

You'd weigh less on the moon

We all know that the mass of the Moon is much less than the mass of the Earth, which means that the gravitational force there is much less, more precisely six times. Who is looking for a quick weight loss program?

Saturn isn't the only planet with rings

Despite what we were told in school, Saturn is not the only planet, which has rings made of small rocks, ice and other particles. This is simply the only planet where we can see these rings from Earth. In fact, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus also have rings.

Uranus has nine bright rings and several fainter ones. It seems ours school knowledge information about the solar system is quite scarce. We bet you would more attention would have spent in school if you had been told these ten facts.

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 big sizes and the presence of rings representing ice dust and rocky chunks. 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 Sun is 4.5 billion years old and is only halfway through its life cycle, gradually increases 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 extremely high temperatures on its surface detailed study 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 in daytime 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 Earth, most of whose surface is covered with water, there is no liquid on Venus, and almost the entire surface is occupied by frozen 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 water in liquid form, and solar radiation contributed to photosynthesis and the birth of life on the planet.

The peculiarity of our planet is that under 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 unhindered solar radiation influence 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 the “ice planet”, as 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 occurred 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. Most big 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, still conceals 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.

It's hard to believe, but once upon a time Space was completely empty. There were no planets, no satellites, no stars. Where did they come from? How was the Solar System formed? These questions have troubled humanity for many centuries. This article will help give some idea of what Space is and reveal interesting facts about the planets of the Solar System.

How it all began

The Universe is the entire visible and invisible Cosmos, along with all existing cosmic bodies. Several theories have been put forward for its appearance:

3. Divine intervention. Our Universe is so unique, everything in it is thought out to the smallest detail, that it could not arise by itself. Only the Great Creator can create such a miracle. Absolutely not scientific theory, but has a right to exist.

Disputes about the causes of the true occurrence outer space continue. In fact, we have an idea of the solar system, which includes a burning star and eight planets with their satellites, galaxies, stars, comets, black holes and much more.

Amazing discoveries or interesting facts about the planets of the solar system

Outer space beckons with its mystery. Each heavenly body keeps its mystery. Thanks to astronomical discoveries Valuable information about heavenly wanderers appears.

Closest to the sun is Mercury. There is an opinion that he was once a satellite of Venus. But due to space catastrophe the cosmic body separated from Venus and acquired own orbit. A year on Mercury lasts 88 days, and a day lasts 59 days.

Mercury is the only planet in the solar system where you can observe the movement of the Sun in the opposite direction. This phenomenon has a completely logical explanation. The speed of the planet's rotation around its axis is much slower than the movement in its orbit. Due to this difference in speed limits and the effect of changing the movement of the Sun occurs.

On Mercury you can observe a fantastic phenomenon: two sunsets and sunrises. And if you move to the 0˚ and 180̊ meridians, you can witness three sunsets and sunrises per day.

Venus comes next after Mercury. It lights up in the sky during sunset on Earth, but can only be observed for a couple of hours. Because of this feature, she was nicknamed "Evening Star". It is interesting that the orbit of Venus lies inside the orbit of our planet. But it moves along it in the opposite direction, counterclockwise. A year on the planet lasts 225 days, and 1 day lasts 243 Earth days. Venus, like the Moon, has a change of phases, transforming either into a thin sickle or into a wide circle. There is an assumption that some types of terrestrial bacteria can live in the atmosphere of Venus.

Earth- truly the pearl of the solar system. Only on it there is a huge variety life forms. People feel so comfortable on this planet and don’t even realize that it is rushing along its orbit at a speed of 108,000 km per hour.

The fourth planet from the Sun is Mars. He is accompanied by two companions. A day on this planet is equal in length to that of Earth – 24 hours. But 1 year lasts 668 days. Just like on Earth, the seasons change here. Seasons cause changes in appearance planets.

Jupiter- the biggest space giant. It has many satellites (more than 60 pieces) and 5 rings. Its mass exceeds the Earth by 318 times. But, despite its impressive size, it moves quite quickly. Around own axis turns around in just 10 hours, but covers the distance around the Sun in 12 years.

The weather on Jupiter is bad - constant storms and hurricanes, accompanied by lightning. A bright representative similar weather conditions is the Great Red Spot - a vortex moving at a speed of 435 km/h.

Distinctive feature Saturn, definitely are his rings. These flat formations are made of dust and ice. The thickness of the circles ranges from 10 - 15 m to 1 km, width from 3,000 km to 300,000 km. The rings of the planet are not a single whole, but are formed in the form of thin spokes. The planet is also surrounded by more than 62 satellites.

Saturn has an incredibly high rotation rate, so much so that it is compressed at the poles. A day on the planet lasts 10 hours, a year lasts 30 years.

Uranus, like Venus, it moves around the star counterclockwise. The uniqueness of the planet lies in the fact that it “lies on its side”, its axis tilted at an angle of 98˚. There is a theory that the planet took this position after a collision with another space object.

Like Saturn, Uranus has a complex ring system consisting of a collection of inner and outer rings. Uranus has 13 of them in total. It is believed that the rings are the remains of a former satellite of Uranus that collided with the planet.

Uranus does not have a solid surface; a third of its radius, approximately 8,000 km, is a gas shell.

Neptune- the last planet of the solar system. It is surrounded by 6 dark rings. The most beautiful shade of sea green gives the planet methane, which is present in the atmosphere. Neptune completes one orbit in 164 years. But it moves quickly enough around its axis, and a day passes in
16 hours. In some places, Neptune's orbit intersects with Pluto's orbit.

Neptune has a large number of satellites. Basically, they all orbit in front of Neptune's orbit and are called internal. There are only two external satellites accompanying the planet.

You can observe it on Neptune. However, the flares are too weak and occur throughout the planet, and not exclusively at the poles, as on Earth.

Once upon a time there were 9 planets in outer space. This number included Pluto. But because small size, the astronomical community has classified it as a dwarf planet (asteroid).

Here are some interesting facts and amazing stories about the planets of the solar system are discovered in the process of exploring the black depths of space.