Despite the fact that Neptune cannot be distinguished by its gigantic size among the planets, its mass exceeds the mass of Uranus. Observing this planet is not easy - you are unlikely to be able to see anything other than a small disk. For such an observation, a telescope is not necessary - you can simply look at this planet through binoculars. The ring of this planet is completely impossible to see from our Earth. And in general, only one space satellite called "Voyager 2" had the honor of reaching such distant land. No one has yet repeated the success of this device.
general information
Neptune is at a distance of 30 astronomical units from the Sun, and its diameter is almost 50 thousand kilometers. In other words, this object weighs as much as 17 of our Earths! The period of rotation around the Sun is almost 165 years, and average temperature– 55 Kelvin.
Legend has it that Neptune got its name because of its color - blue. It is generally accepted that blue is associated with water in the seas and oceans. And since Neptune is the god of the sea, the planet was named after him.
Discovery of Neptune
When scientists discovered the seventh planet, Uranus, they thought something was wrong with it. Its orbit did not comply with Newton's laws and was somewhat strange in its behavior. Scientists thought that the reason for this could be another, new planet, which is located beyond Uranus and changes the route of its movement in orbit. Taking into account all the information that astronomers had in their hands at that time, they calculated the approximate location new planet. The assumptions turned out to be correct, although no one really hoped for it, and the world saw Neptune. Computational astronomy has never reached such heights before.
Composition and conditions
The chemical elements that make up the planet are very similar to chemical elements uranium. Both planets are covered in ice and solid gases with a small percentage of hydrogen and helium. The estimated core of Neptune is approximately the same in mass as the Earth.
Neptune belongs to gas planets, which means that various tornadoes, storms, wind streaks - frequent occurrences for him. The wind can reach speeds of 650 m/s! In addition to the Sun, Neptune also warms up from the inside. Moreover, this energy is more than twice that of the sun.
There are two spots on the surface of Neptune. One of them was called the Great Dark Spot, which was discovered in southern hemisphere. The second was slightly smaller and remained unnamed.
Now nothing is known about the existence of the first one; it either evaporated or this moment is at such an angle to us that we cannot see it. Recently, researchers announced that a new spot has formed on Neptune. This tells us that the planet's atmosphere changes frequently and exact reason this is not yet known.
Popular science film about the outer planets
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This illustration clearly shows the size of the exoplanet Kepler-452b compared to Earth. Kepler-452b is 60% larger than Earth and lies 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.
On this image NASA artist shows exoplanet Kepler-186f - another contender for our Earth's twin. This planet was discovered in October 2014. And perhaps he is present on it liquid water. Because The planet is in the habitable zone of its Sun. This planet is located at a distance of 500 light years from the earth, also in the constellation Cygnus.
3. Sedna.
This object was discovered by astronomers much further than the orbit of Pluto beyond the Kuiper Belt. This illustration was submitted by an artist from NASA on March 26, 2014. A massive icy celestial body may reveal what the solar system was like on early stage of its existence.
Ceres. In the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Most Intriguing Object solar system. Icy, spewing water vapor from its icy surface into open space. Scientists argue whether such conditions can be hospitable to some forms of life.
An artist's view of views from the surface of the super-Earth Gliese 667 Cc. A billion such worlds orbit their red dwarf stars in our galaxy.
A view of planets the size of our own Saturn orbiting the star 79 Centauri
An artist's view of a planet larger than Earth, the super-Earth Kepler-62e, orbiting in the habitable zone of a star smaller and cooler than the Sun. The super-Earth Kepler-62e is 1,400 light-years away.
The moment of the birth of an icy planet around a young star called TW Hydrae. This beauty is located 175 light years from earth in the constellation Hydra
The most Earth-like planet, Kepler-22b, circles its star. it supposedly contains water and chemical elements necessary for the origin of life.
Object with complex name OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb. This is recent open planet, located 20,000 light years away, orbits a star 5 times smaller than our Sun.
An artist's vision of a planet orbiting a star with a triple member star system, which is closest to us. Our Sun is visible in this photo - in the upper right corner.
Exoplanet HD 189733b is the size of Jupiter. “Hot Jupiter,” as this planet is also called, is so close to its star that it completes one revolution around its star in just 2.2 days.
This is a young planet, Kepler-37b, slightly larger in size than the Moon, according to scientists, on its surface the temperature reaches 400 degrees Celsius, this small planet has an atmosphere and possibly some forms of life. Its complete revolution around its star takes only 13 days.
The planet, composed mainly of Diamond rocks, rotates around its star in the constellation Cancer so quickly that a year on this planet lasts only 18 hours.
A star similar to the Sun has 6 planets in its orbit
Hot, rocky and geologically active planet. It has an atmosphere, quite possibly, all shrouded in clouds like Venus.
The first photograph of the planet Fomalhaut b, which has a mass three times that of Jupiter. It is located 25 light years from Earth
The mysterious planet, called HAT-P-1, has a diameter 1.38 times larger than Jupiter and is only half the mass of Jupiter.
Quite an old planet, 13 billion years old. Gas giant, rotates around the helium white dwarf and the millisecond pulsar B1620-26. The small amount of heavy elements in such globular clusters complicates the process of creating planets and therefore, most likely, the appearance of new planets was possible only on early stage formation of the universe.
21. Planet 2003UB313
The most distant planet in the solar system ever discovered. It is located on the outer edges of our solar system and its orbit is three times further than the orbit of Pluto.
A planet the size of Jupiter passes a star. and The brightness from such a star drops by several percent, this phenomenon is called “Transit” and this event helps scientists find out that there is a planet or planets in the orbit of the observed star.
This exoplanet has a mass six times greater than our Earth, and its orbit around its star is only 1/20 of the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
Only famous planet, orbiting two stars, a large dwarf weighing 69% of the Sun's mass and a small dwarf weighing 20% of the Sun's mass. Life on such planets is not possible. because Its surface is very cold and also gaseous.
25. An amazing type of exoplanet
An amazing planet has been discovered Hubble telescope. The planet is so close to its star that its year is only 10.5 hours, the distance to the star is only 750,000 miles or 1/30th the distance from Earth to the Sun, and it is unlikely that any life can exist on it.
The young solar system, there is enough water in it to fill all the oceans on our planet 5 times. It is located in our galaxy Milky Way 1000 light years away.
This is a system of planets, at the center of which is bright Star, source of energy, heat and light - the Sun.
According to one theory, the Sun was formed along with the Solar System about 4.5 billion years ago as a result of the explosion of one or more supernovae. Initially, the solar system was a cloud of gas and dust particles, which, in motion and under the influence of their mass, formed a disk in which new star The sun and our entire solar system.
At the center of the solar system is the Sun, around which nine large planets revolve in orbit. Because the Sun is off center planetary orbits, then during the cycle of revolution around the Sun, the planets either approach or move away in their orbits.
There are two groups of planets:
Planets terrestrial group: And . These planets small size With a rocky surface, they are closest to the Sun.
Giant planets: And . These are large planets, consisting mainly of gas and characterized by the presence of rings consisting of icy dust and many rocky chunks.
And here does not fall into any group because, despite its location in the solar system, it is located too far from the Sun and has a very small diameter, only 2320 km, which is half the diameter of Mercury.
Planets of the Solar System
Let's begin a fascinating acquaintance with the planets of the solar system in order of their location from the Sun, and also consider their main satellites and some others space objects(comets, asteroids, meteorites) in the gigantic expanses of our planetary system.
Rings and moons of Jupiter: Europa, Io, Ganymede, Callisto and others...
The planet Jupiter is surrounded by a whole family of 16 satellites, and each of them has its own unique features...
Rings and moons of Saturn: Titan, Enceladus and others...
Not only the planet Saturn has characteristic rings, but also other giant planets. The rings around Saturn are particularly visible because they are made up of billions of fine particles, which revolve around the planet, in addition to several rings, Saturn has 18 satellites, one of which is Titan, its diameter is 5000 km, which makes it the most great companion Solar system...
Rings and moons of Uranus: Titania, Oberon and others...
The planet Uranus has 17 satellites and, like other giant planets, there are thin rings surrounding the planet that have practically no ability to reflect light, so they were discovered not so long ago in 1977, completely by accident...
Rings and moons of Neptune: 
Triton, Nereid and others...
Initially, before the exploration of Neptune by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, two satellites of the planet were known - Triton and Nerida. Interesting fact that the satellite Triton has reverse direction orbital movement, strange volcanoes were also discovered on the satellite, which erupted nitrogen gas like geysers, spreading a dark-colored mass (from liquid to vapor) many kilometers into the atmosphere. During its mission, Voyager 2 discovered six more moons of the planet Neptune...
The question of which planet in the solar system can be categorically and unambiguously called the most distant from the luminary worries almost all scientific minds hungry for discoveries last century. There is no consensus here and there will not be in the foreseeable future, since the situation only becomes more complicated every year due to new sensational discoveries that refute seemingly inviolable truths to dust. But first things first.
From the first grades of school (or even from kindergarten), every inquisitive child knows that the Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the most distant one is Pluto. This is absorbed instantly and perceived as an indisputable fact.
In fact, since the opening dwarf Pluto In 1930, scientific debate continued over whether it could even be classified as an ordinary planet. There were many arguments against this statement: the small size of Pluto, the impossibility of fully studying it due to its enormous distance from the Earth, and most importantly, its constantly changing orbit, as a result of which Pluto found itself either behind Neptune or in front of it. This factor gave rise to a bunch of questions about the reasonableness of considering Pluto a planet, and even the most distant one from the Sun.
In the early years this century Several new objects have been discovered within the Kuiper Belt, which includes Pluto. The most resonant was the discovery of Eris, which exceeds Pluto in mass and size. Heated discussions began about the need to assign Eris the status of the 10th planet of the solar system, but in the end, oddly enough, there were 8 planets altogether! In 2006, a new scientific definition an ordinary planet, and neither Pluto nor Eris fit under it. They were categorized as dwarf planets. Thus, the status of Pluto was debunked.
So, Neptune is the most distant planet in the solar system? In fact it turns out like this. Having the 4th largest diameter among all the planets, Neptune does not cause any controversy in the context of the indisputability of its position in relation to the rest of the bodies of the Universe.
But Scientific research never stop - this applies primarily to the astronomical and cosmic spheres. Over the past few years, experts have received a lot of food for thought and revision of traditional ideas about the solar system.
What then?
The boundaries of the Solar System itself, despite all the rigor of the calculations, are still very conditional and unstable. In this regard, no consensus whether dwarf planets discovered outside the Kuiper belt should be classified as part of the solar system.
So, in November 2012, even further than the most distant object discovered at that time - the dwarf planet Sedna - another dwarf planet was discovered, called 2012VP. If the discovery of Sedna shocked scientists, then what can we say about 2012VP! They unanimously insist that the presence of these bodies where they were discovered defies logic and demonstrates how little space has been explored and how fragile scientific facts are.
Sedna and 2012VP, according to experts, moved from another galaxy as a result of an anomaly of unknown origin. The most daring assumptions speak of the incredible: these 2 dwarf planets, having incomparable shape and elongated orbits, together with, presumably, 10 more similar ones, were squeezed into the visibility zone by a mysterious body large sizes. Perhaps it more than Earth. Scientists do not make hasty conclusions, but are increasingly inclined to the existence of an as yet undiscovered major planet. The strange orbits of Sedna and 2012VP are the result of its influence. It is believed that the planet is located from the Earth at a distance exceeding the distance between the Sun and Neptune by 8-9 times, but science has come almost close to its discovery.
If this happens, then it will be time to talk about an epoch-making revolution in astronomy. The consequences of such a discovery can be very different, one thing is clear - the Solar system and the long-term understanding of it will never be the same.
Therefore, the question of which planet is farthest from the Sun than the others becomes extremely relevant and exciting. When grand opening humanity will receive a new answer. However, it will not be final either. No one knows how many new mysteries the cosmos holds...
– a powerful and bright energy emitter of light and heat. It's huge and hot fire ball, consisting of plasma, helium and hydrogen. According to one popular theory, the star was formed as a result of an explosion supernova 4.5 billion years ago. A dusty gas cloud appeared. The movement then led to the appearance of a disk where the Sun and the rest of the planets orbiting around it were formed.
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Types of planets
Eat two types of planets– terrestrial (Mercury, Venus, Mars) and giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).
The terrestrial representatives are small in size, their surface is rocky, and they are located closer to the Sun than the giants. Planets closer to the Sun than Earth- These are Mercury and Venus.
The giants include: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They contain gas and have rings formed from icy dust and rocky stones.
There is also a ninth planet - Pluto. It is not included in any of the groups discussed above, since it is the farthest from the Sun, and its diameter is 2320 km (while the diameter of Mercury is 2 times larger). Pluto has the status of a dwarf planet.
Let's consider the main luminary of the galaxy, and which of the planets is in which place from the Sun.
Belongs to the “yellow dwarf” variety exists about 4.5 billion years. At the moment we are in the middle of existence. In 4 billion years it will become a “red giant”, expanding and reaching the orbit of our planet (according to scientists, the Earth will be moved away, and as a result high temperatures life on it will disappear). The Sun will spend the end of its existence as a “white dwarf”.
This is the smallest planet in size Venus or Mercury is closer to our star? It is Mercury that is closest to the Sun. The speed of rotation around its axis is extremely low: making one and a half revolutions around itself, the planet completes a full revolution around the main body. At night the temperature is minus 180 degrees, and during the day – plus 430 degrees.
The planet with such a romantic name is enveloped in a dense cloud consisting of carbon dioxide. It is similar to our planet in such parameters as mass and size. Which is closer to the Sun - Mars or Venus? Venus is in second place from the star, and Mars is in fourth. The hottest planet is Venus because it has a greenhouse effect.
Life on this planet originated due to its unique atmosphere, consisting of carbon and hydrogen, and also due to the presence and optimal temperature. Where is Earth located from the yellow dwarf?? It is the third in a row, and rotates at a distance of 149 million km from this giant star. It was this that determined the formation of suitable conditions for the emergence and development of life.
It resembles the Earth in structure, but has a much smaller mass and 2 times smaller radius. If it had water and an atmosphere, it would be suitable for life. The length of the day on it is the same as on Earth, but the length of the year is twice as long as ours. Orbiting Mars are two small satellites that resemble asteroids: Deimos and Phobos. Features of its location include the fact that Mars is closer to Earth than Neptune. Some people mistakenly believe that Mars is closer to the Sun than Earth, but that's not true.
Is the largest among all the planets included in the solar system (exceeds our Earth by more than 300 times). If Jupiter's mass were several times greater, it would become not a planet, but a star. Its atmosphere consists almost entirely of hydrogen, and 15% is made up of helium, sulfur, phosphorus and ammonia. The length of a day on it is 10 hours, and the length of a year is 144 months. Has more than 60 satellites and 4 rings.
The density of Saturn is less than one: if there were an ocean several times larger than this planet, then Saturn would not drown in it. Has many rings. Nearest neighbors- satellites, some quite large. Titan – unique companion, since its atmosphere resembles the earth’s, and the pressure is only 1.5 times higher than ours.
It has blue-green tones and lies “on its side”, since its axis of rotation and the ecliptic plane are parallel to each other. It has 27 moons and 13 rings. This most cold planet (most low temperature, which was recorded on it, is minus 222 degrees). It is very windy there: the speed of continuous winds is up to 580 km/h. Thanks to Voyager 2, which reached Uranus, scientists have received information that this celestial body has 2 main magnetic poles, and two more – minor ones.
Planet formed from gas, consisting of methane, ammonia and water. Has a solid stone core. Due to the presence of methane, Neptune is colored blue. It has 14 moons and 6 rings. Due to the great distance from Earth about celestial body little is known.
Attention! Neptune was discovered precisely thanks to mathematical calculations. It is the windiest of all the planets in the solar system, with hurricane speeds of 700 km/h, as reported by Voyager 2 scientists.
Refers to dwarf planets. According to scientists, its rocky core is covered with a gigantic thickness of ice, amounting to about 200 km. Little is known about him because he is farthest planet from the Sun. Its atmosphere is uninhabitable and consists of nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. Has three satellites - Charon ( long time considered the only one), Hydra and Nix. The diameter of Pluto is only a couple of times larger than the diameter of Charon.
Dwarf planets
Which planet is closer to the main luminary, if we consider only dwarf ones? In total, five planets with this status have been discovered so far. These include Pluto, Makemake, Eris, Haumea and Ceres. Makemake is known for having an incredibly flat icy surface - it is covered with slabs of ice consisting of methane. Eris is the heaviest dwarf planet(it is about 27% heavier than Pluto). Haumea is notable for the fact that its shape is oval and its surface is covered with a layer of ice. As for Ceres, it is located in the asteroid belt, has a spherical shape, and its orbit passes between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars.
Important! It is Ceres among the other dwarf planets closest to the luminary.
Approximate distance from the Sun:
- to Ceres – 414 million km;
- Pluto – 5.9 billion km;
- Haumea – 7.7 billion km;
- Makemake – 7.9 billion km;
- Eris – 10 billion km.
Perhaps even more dwarf planets will be discovered in the future.
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