The biggest mystery for humanity remains everything that is outside our planet. How much unknown and undiscovered dark space conceals within itself. I am glad that today we know information, albeit not all, about nearby planets. Let's talk about Mars today.
Mars is the fourth planet farthest from the Sun and closest to Earth. This planet is approximately 4.6 billion years old, like Earth, Venus and the rest of the planets in the solar system.
The name of the planet comes from the name of the ancient Roman and Greek god of war - ARES. The Romans and Greeks associated the planet with war due to its resemblance to blood. When viewed from Earth, Mars is red-orange in color. The color of the planet is due to the abundance of iron minerals in the soil.
In the recent past, scientists have discovered channels, valleys and ditches on the surface of Mars, and deposits of thick layers of ice have also been found at the north and south poles, which proves that water once existed on Mars. If this is true, then water may still be found in cracks and wells in the planet's underground rocks. In addition, a group of researchers claim that living beings once lived on Mars. As evidence, they cite certain types of materials found in a meteorite that fell to Earth. True, the claims of this group did not convince most scientists.
The surface of Mars is very diverse. Some of the impressive features include a canyon system that is much deeper and longer than the Grand Canyon in the United States, and a mountain system whose highest point is much higher than Mount Everest. The density of the atmosphere of Mars is 100 times less than that of the Earth. However, this does not prevent the formation of such phenomena as clouds and wind. Huge dust storms sometimes rage all over the planet.
It's much colder on Mars than on Earth. Surface temperatures range from a low of -125° Celsius recorded near the poles during winter to a high of +20° Celsius recorded at midday near the equator. The average temperature is approximately -60° Celsius.
This planet is not like Earth to many people, mainly because it is much further from the Sun and much smaller than Earth. The average distance from Mars to the Sun is about 227,920,000 km, which is 1.5 times greater than the distance from Earth to the Sun. The average radius of Mars is 3390 km, which is about half the radius of the Earth.
Physical characteristics of Mars
Orbit and rotation of the planet
Like the rest of the planets in the solar system, Mars revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit. But its orbit is more elongated than the orbit of the Earth and other planets. The greatest distance from the Sun to Mars is 249,230,000 km, the smallest is 206,620,000 km. The length of the year is 687 Earth days. The length of a day is 24 hours 39 minutes and 35 seconds.
The distance between Earth and Mars depends on the position of these planets in their orbits. It can vary from 54,500,000 km to 401,300,000 km. Mars is closest to Earth during opposition, when the planet is in the opposite direction to the Sun. Oppositions are repeated every 26 months at different points in the orbit of Mars and Earth.
Like Earth, Mars' axis is tilted relative to the orbital plane by 25.19° compared to Earth's 23.45°. This is reflected in the amount of sunlight falling on some parts of the planet, which in turn affects the occurrence of seasons similar to those on Earth.
Mass and density
The mass of Mars is 6.42*1020 tons, which is 10 times less than the mass of the Earth. Density is about 3.933 grams per cubic centimeter, which is approximately 70% of the density of Earth.
Gravitational forces
Due to the planet's smaller size and density, the gravity on Mars is 38% that of Earth. Therefore, if a person stands on Mars, he will feel as if his weight has been reduced by 62%. Or, if he drops a stone, then this stone will fall much more slowly than the same stone on Earth.
Internal structure of Mars
All information obtained about the internal structure of the planet is based on: calculations related to the mass, rotation, density of the planet; on knowledge of the properties of other planets; on the analysis of Martian meteorites that fell to Earth, as well as on data collected from research vehicles in orbit of the planet. All this makes it possible to assume that Mars, like the Earth, may consist of three main layers:
- Martian crust;
- mantle;
- core.
Bark. Scientists suggest that the thickness of the Martian crust is approximately 50 km. The thinnest part of the crust is in the northern hemisphere. The rest of the majority of the crust consists of volcanic rocks.
Mantle. The mantle is similar in composition to the Earth's mantle. As on Earth, the planet's main source of heat is radioactive decay - the decay of the nuclei of atoms of elements such as uranium, potassium and thorium. Due to radioactive radiation, the average temperature of the Martian mantle can be approximately 1500 degrees Celsius.
Core. The main components of the Martian core are probably iron, nickel and sulfur. Information about the planet's density gives some idea of the size of the core, which is expected to be smaller than the Earth's core. It is possible that the radius of Mars' core is approximately 1500-2000 km.
Unlike Earth's core, which is partially molten, Mars' core must be solid because the planet does not have a strong magnetic field. However, data obtained from the space station shows that some of the oldest Martian rocks were formed as a result of the influence of a large magnetic field - suggesting that Mars had a molten core in the distant past.
Description of the surface of Mars
The surface of Mars is very diverse. In addition to mountains, plains, and polar ice, almost the entire surface is densely dotted with craters. In addition, the entire planet is shrouded in fine-grained reddish dust.
Plains
Most of the surface consists of flat, low-lying plains, which are mainly located in the northern hemisphere of the planet. One of these plains is the lowest and relatively smooth among all the plains in the solar system. This smoothness was likely achieved by sediment deposits (tiny particles that settle at the bottom of liquid) formed as a result of water in the area—one piece of evidence that Mars once had water.
Canyons
Along the planet's equator lies one of the world's most stunning sites, a system of canyons known as Valles Marineris, named after the Marinera 9 space research station that first discovered the valley in 1971. Valles Marineris stretches from east to west and is approximately 4000 km in length, which is equal to the width of the continent of Australia. Scientists believe that these canyons were formed as a result of the splitting and stretching of the planet's crust; the depth in some places reaches 8-10 km.
Valles Marineris on Mars. Photo from astronet.ru
Channels emerge from the eastern part of the valley, and in some places layered deposits have been found. Based on these data, it can be assumed that the canyons were partially filled with water.
Volcanoes on Mars
The largest volcano in the solar system is located on Mars - the Olympus Mons volcano (translation from Latin: Mount Olympus) with a height of 27 km. The diameter of the mountain is 600 km. Three other large volcanoes - Mounts Arsia, Askreus and Povonis - are located on a huge volcanic highland called Tharsis.
All the slopes of the volcanoes on Mars gradually rise, similar to the volcanoes in Hawaii. Hawaiian and Martian volcanoes are wall volcanoes formed from lava eruptions. Currently, not a single active volcano has been found on Mars. Traces of volcanic ash on the slopes of other mountains suggest that Mars was once volcanically active.
Craters and river basins of Mars
A large number of meteorites caused damage to the planet, forming craters on the surface of Mars. The phenomenon of impact craters is rare on Earth for two reasons: 1) those craters that formed at the beginning of the planet’s history are already eroded; 2) The Earth has a very dense atmosphere, which prevents meteorites from falling.
Martian craters are similar to craters on the moon and other solar system objects, which have deep, bowl-shaped floors with raised, wheel-shaped edges. Large craters may have central peaks formed as a result of the shock wave.
Smiling crater. Photo from astrolab.ru
The number of craters on Mars varies from place to place. Almost the entire southern hemisphere is strewn with craters of various sizes. The largest crater on Mars is the Hellas Basin (lat. Hellas Planitia) in the southern hemisphere, whose diameter is approximately 2300 km. The depth of the depression is about 9 km.
Canals and river valleys have been discovered on the surface of Mars, many of which were spread across the low-lying plains. Scientists suggest that the Martian climate was warm enough if water existed in liquid form.
Polar deposits
The most interesting feature of Mars is the thick accumulations of finely layered sediments located at both poles of Mars. Scientists believe that the layers consist of a mixture of water ice and dust. The atmosphere of Mars likely retained these layers for a long period. They can provide evidence of seasonal weather patterns and long-term climate change. The ice caps on both hemispheres of Mars remain frozen throughout the year.
Climate and atmosphere of Mars
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of Mars is thin, the oxygen content in the atmosphere is only 0.13%, while in the Earth's atmosphere it is 21%. Carbon dioxide content - 95.3%. Other gases contained in the atmosphere include nitrogen - 2.7%; argon - 1.6%; carbon monoxide - 0.07% and water - 0.03%.
Atmosphere pressure
The atmospheric pressure on the planet's surface is only 0.7 kPascal, which is 0.7% of the atmospheric pressure on the Earth's surface. As the seasons change, atmospheric pressure fluctuates.
Temperature of Mars
At high altitudes in the region of 65-125 km from the surface of the planet, the atmospheric temperature is -130 degrees Celsius. Closer to the surface, the average daily temperature of Mars ranges from -30 to -40 degrees. Just below the surface, the temperature of the atmosphere can vary greatly throughout the day. Even near the equator, it can reach -100 degrees late at night.
The temperature of the atmosphere can rise when dust storms rage on the planet. Dust absorbs sunlight and then transfers most of the heat to gases in the atmosphere.
Clouds
Clouds on Mars form only at high altitudes, in the form of frozen carbon dioxide particles. Frost and fog appear especially often early in the morning. Fog, frost and clouds on Mars are very similar to each other.
Dust cloud. Photo from astrolab.ru
Wind
On Mars, as on Earth, there is a general circulation of the atmosphere, expressed in the form of wind, which is characteristic of the entire planet. The main cause of winds is solar energy and the unevenness of its distribution on the surface of the planet. The average speed of surface winds is approximately 3 m/s. Scientists recorded wind gusts of up to 25 m/s. However, gusts of wind on Mars are much less powerful than the same gusts on Earth - this is due to the low density of the planet's atmosphere.
Dust storms
Dust storms are the most spectacular weather phenomenon on Mars. This is a swirling wind that can lift dust from the surface in a short time. The wind looks like a tornado.
The formation of large dust storms on Mars occurs as follows: when strong winds begin to lift dust into the atmosphere, this dust absorbs sunlight and thereby warms the air around it. As soon as warm air rises, an even stronger wind arises, which raises even more dust. As a result, the storm becomes even stronger.
At large scales, dust storms can cover a surface area of more than 320 km. During the largest storms, the entire surface of Mars can be covered in dust. Storms of this size can last for months, obscuring the entire planet from view. Such storms were recorded in 1987 and 2001. Dust storms occur more often when Mars is closest to the Sun, since at such moments solar energy heats the planet's atmosphere more.
Moons of Mars
Mars is accompanied by two small satellites - Phobos and Deimos (sons of the god Ares), which were named and discovered in 1877 by the American astronomer Asaph Hall. Both satellites have an irregular shape. The largest diameter of Phobos is approximately 27 km, Deimos - 15 km.
The moons have a large number of craters, most of which were formed as a result of meteorite impacts. In addition, Phobos has many grooves - cracks that could have formed when the satellite collided with a large asteroid.
Scientists still do not know how and where these satellites were formed. They are believed to have been formed during the formation of the planet Mars. According to another version, the satellites used to be asteroids flying near Mars, and the gravitational force of the planet pulled them into its orbit. Evidence for the latter is that both moons have a dark gray color, which is similar to the color of some types of asteroids.
Astronomical observations from Mars
After the landing of automatic vehicles on the surface of Mars, it became possible to conduct astronomical observations directly from the surface of the planet. Due to the astronomical position of Mars in the solar system, the characteristics of the atmosphere, the orbital period of Mars and its satellites, the picture of the night sky of Mars (and astronomical phenomena observed from the planet) differs from that on Earth and in many ways appears unusual and interesting.
During sunrise and sunset, the Martian sky at the zenith has a reddish-pink color, and in the immediate vicinity of the solar disk - from blue to violet, which is completely opposite to the picture of earthly dawns.
At noon, the sky of Mars is yellow-orange. The reason for such differences from the colors of the earth's sky is the properties of the thin, rarefied, dust-containing atmosphere of Mars. Presumably, the yellow-orange color of the sky is also caused by the presence of 1% magnetite in dust particles that are constantly present in the Martian atmosphere and raised by seasonal dust storms. Twilight begins long before sunrise and lasts long after sunset. Sometimes the color of the Martian sky takes on a purple hue as a result of light scattering on microparticles of water ice in the clouds (the latter is a rather rare phenomenon). Earth on Mars is observed as a morning or evening star, rising before dawn or visible in the evening sky after sunset. Mercury from Mars is practically inaccessible to observation with the naked eye due to its extreme proximity to the Sun. The brightest planet in the sky of Mars is Venus, Jupiter is in second place (its four largest satellites can be seen with the naked eye), and Earth is in third place.
The Phobos satellite, when observed from the surface of Mars, has an apparent diameter of about 1/3 of the Moon's disk in the Earth's sky. Phobos rises in the west and sets in the east and crosses the sky of Mars twice a day. The movement of Phobos across the sky is easily noticeable during the night, as are the phase changes. With the naked eye you can see the largest relief feature of Phobos - the Stickney crater.
The second satellite, Deimos, rises in the east and sets in the west, appears as a bright star without a noticeable visible disk, slowly crossing the sky over the course of 2.7 Martian days. Both satellites can be observed in the night sky at the same time, in this case Phobos will move towards Deimos. Both Phobos and Deimos are bright enough for objects on the surface of Mars to cast clear shadows at night.
Evolution of Mars
By studying the surface of Mars, scientists have learned how Mars has evolved since its formation. They compared the stages of the planet's evolution with the ages of different regions of the surface. The greater the number of craters in a region, the older the surface there.
Scientists have conditionally divided the lifespan of the planet into three stages: the Noachian era, the Hesparian and Amazonian era.
Noachian era. The Noachian Era is named after a huge mountainous region in the southern hemisphere of the planet. During this period, a huge number of objects, from small meteorites to large asteroids, collided with Mars, leaving behind many craters of various sizes.
The Noachian period was also characterized by great volcanic activity. In addition, during this period, river valleys may have been formed, which left an imprint on the surface of the planet. The existence of these valleys suggests that during the Noachian era the climate on the planet was warmer than it is now.
Hesperian era. The Hesperia Era is named after the plain located in the low latitudes of the southern hemisphere. During this period, the intensive damage to the planet by meteorites and asteroids gradually subsided. However, volcanic activity still continued. Volcanic eruptions have covered most of the craters.
Amazonian era. The era is named after the plain located in the northern hemisphere of the planet. At this time, meteorite impacts are observed to a lesser extent. Volcanic activity is also characteristic, and the largest volcanoes erupted during this period. Also during this period, new geological materials were formed, including layered ice deposits.
Is there life on Mars?
Scientists believe that Mars has three main components necessary for life:
- chemical elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, with the help of which organic elements are formed;
- a source of energy that can be used by living organisms;
- water in liquid form.
Researchers suggest: if there was once life on Mars, then living organisms can exist today. As evidence, they cite the following arguments: the basic chemical elements necessary for life were likely present on the planet throughout its history. The source of energy could be the sun, as well as the internal energy of the planet itself. Water in liquid form could also exist, since canals, ditches and a huge amount of ice, more than 1 m high, were discovered on the surface of Mars. Consequently, water can still exist in liquid form under the surface of the planet. And this proves the possibility of the existence of life on the planet.
In 1996, scientists led by David S. McCain reported that they had found evidence of microscopic life on Mars. Their evidence was confirmed by a meteorite that fell to Earth from Mars. The team's evidence included complex organic molecules, grains of the mineral magnetite that can form within some types of bacteria, and tiny compounds that resemble fossilized microbes. However, the conclusions of scientists are very contradictory. But there is still no general scientific agreement that there has never been life on Mars.
Why can't people go to Mars?
The main reason for the impossibility of flying to Mars is the radiation exposure of astronauts. Outer space is filled with protons from solar flares, gamma rays from newly formed black holes, and cosmic rays from exploding stars. All these radiations can cause enormous damage to the human body. Scientists have calculated that the likelihood of cancer in humans after a flight to Mars will increase by 20%. Whereas a healthy person who has not gone into space has a 20% chance of developing cancer. It turns out that having flown to Mars, the probability that a person will die from cancer is 40%.
The greatest threat to astronauts comes from galactic cosmic rays, which can accelerate to the speed of light. One type of such rays is heavy rays from ionized nuclei such as Fe26. These rays are much more energetic than typical protons from solar flares. They can penetrate the surface of a ship, the skin of people, and after penetration, like small guns, they break the strands of DNA molecules, killing cells and damaging genes.
The astronauts of the Apollo spacecraft, during their flight to the Moon, which lasted only a few days, reported seeing flashes of cosmic rays. After some time, almost most of them developed cataracts. This flight took only a few days, while the flight to Mars would take perhaps a year or more.
In order to find out all the risks of flying to Mars, a new space radiation laboratory was opened in New York in 2003. Scientists are modeling particles that mimic cosmic rays and studying their effects on living cells in the body. Having found out all the risks, it will be possible to find out what material the spaceship needs to be built from. Perhaps aluminum, which is what most spacecraft are now built from, will suffice. But there is another material - polyethylene, which can absorb cosmic rays 20% more than aluminum. Who knows, maybe someday ships will be built from plastic...
This is the largest planet in the solar system. At night, Jupiter is easy to see - the only thing that shines brighter than it is the Moon. Even ancient astronomers knew this planet very well. It received its name in honor of the most important ancient Roman god, the thunderer.
The mass of this planet is very large. In addition to it, there are 7 different, large and small planets in the solar system. One Jupiter weighs two and a half times more than all the other planets combined. Earth is considered a small planet, and it weighs 318 times more than it.
Position in the Solar System
In order from the Sun, this is fifth planet. It revolves around the Sun in 12 Earth years. A day on Jupiter is 10 hours long - during this time it manages to rotate once around its axis.
The distance to Earth changes because the orbits of the planets are not exactly circular, but elongated. Therefore, the distance at different times ranges from half a million to almost a million kilometers.
Structure
This planet belongs to the gas giants, that is, only the inner core can be dense. There are no continents there, because... there is no surface as such; according to scientists’ reports, it is gaseous and represents boiling ocean of liquid hydrogen. The pressure on Jupiter is so high that hydrogen becomes liquid there. And since this planet also has a very high temperature, the same as on the surface of the Sun: +6000 degrees Celsius (and the core is even hotter), then life cannot exist there.
The atmosphere contains mainly hydrogen and helium; other gases: nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia are present in small quantities.
Surprisingly, in the clouds of the atmosphere the temperature is negative (-150°C) - this is the difference.
Red Spot and other giant hurricanes
Since Jupiter rotates very quickly winds there can reach speeds of 600 km/h. On this planet Hurricanes happen all the time powerful thunderstorms and auroras.
One of the most famous hurricanes has lasted for almost 350 years. In 1664, he saw a “great red spot” through a simple telescope. Scientists have been trying for many years to understand what it is, and only in the 20th century did they find out that it is a long-lived atmospheric vortex. Now it is twice as large as the Earth, and a hundred years ago it was four times larger than it.
In addition to the large red spot, three more white ovals were noticed in 1938 - these are also hurricanes. In 1988, two of them merged into one vortex, and in 2000, they were joined by a third white oval. In 2005, this large hurricane, formed from three small ones, began to change color and turned red. Now it is called the “small red spot”.
Satellites
Jupiter has 67 moons. 4 large satellites can be seen from Earth with ordinary binoculars. The largest, Ganymede, is half the size of the Earth. Ganymede is generally the largest satellite in the Solar System.
10 largest moons of Jupiter:
- Ganymede (size 5260 km);
- Callisto (4820 km);
- Io (3642 km);
- Europe (3122 km);
- Amalthea (250 km);
- Himalia (170 km);
- Thebes (116 km);
- Elara (86 km);
- Pasife (60 km);
- Karme (46 km);
- Lysithea (36 km).
The five smallest satellites are 1 km in size.
Planetary ring system
When many satellites revolve around a planet and sooner or later they can collide with each other, breaking into pieces. They are ejected into the surrounding outer space as a result of such collisions. huge masses of dust.
Also, a large planet attracts comets, which also leave a lot of dust.
All these dust clouds, due to the rotation of the planet, gradually shift towards the equator and take the form of rings.
Around Jupiter, like around another large planet, there is a planetary ring system. It consists of five rings:
- Halo. It is the closest to the planet and the thickest, its width is 30 thousand km.
- The main ring is the most noticeable and brightest. Its width is 6 and a half thousand km.
- Arachnoid ring of Amalthea. It is called arachnoid because it is transparent. The same weight as the Main Ring, but thinner.
- Web ring of Thebes. It is the dimmest and most transparent.
- The Himalia ring is the youngest and thinnest. It arose after 2000, when one of the newly discovered satellites crashed into another, Himalia, and crumbled into small pieces and dust.
4 closest satellites: Adrastea, Thebe, Metis and Amalthea rotate within and among these rings. The remaining satellites are located much further from the planet, behind the rings.
Jupiter Research
With the development of modern astronomy, scientific research of the giant planet began: the Voyager, Pioneer, and Galileo interplanetary probes were sent to it. Research is being conducted using orbital (located on artificial satellites around the Earth) and ground-based telescopes.
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The largest planet in our solar system is Jupiter. Along with Neptune, Saturn and Uranus, this planet is classified as a gas giant. Jupiter has been known to humanity since the times of ancient civilizations; it is reflected in religious beliefs and mythology. Its name comes from the name of the supreme thunder god of Ancient Rome.
The diameter of this giant is more than 10 times the diameter of our planet, and its volume exceeds all the planets in our solar system. It will fit 1300 planets like ours. The gravitational force of Jupiter is such that it can change the trajectory of comets, and in the end this celestial body can leave the solar system altogether. The magnetic field of the planet Jupiter is also the strongest among all the planets in the system. 
It is 14 times higher than ours. Many astronomers are inclined to believe that this field is created due to the movement of hydrogen inside the giant. Jupiter is a very strong radio source, it can damage any existing spacecraft that comes too close. 
Despite its enormous parameters, Jupiter is the fastest planet in the solar system. Ten hours is enough for its complete rotation. But in order to fly around the Sun, the giant spends about 12 years. 
This is interesting: there are no seasons on the planet!
In principle, the giant can be considered as a separate system, such a unique system of Jupiter in the solar system. The thing is that more than 60 satellites revolve around it. They all rotate in the opposite direction from the rotation of the planet itself. It is quite possible that the true number of Jupiter’s satellites exceeds a hundred, but, alas, they are still unknown to scientists. Among all the celestial bodies revolving around this giant, four can be distinguished: Callisto, IO, Europa and Ganymede. All of the above satellites are at least 1.5 times larger than our Moon. 
Jupiter has 4 rings. One, the most important thing, appeared due to the collision of a meteorite with 4 satellites of this planet: Metis, Almathea, Thebe and Adrestea. The rings of Jupiter have one difference: no ice was found in them. Relatively recently, scientists discovered another ring, which is located closest to the giant planet; it is called the Halo. 
An amazing fact is that the planet Jupiter is home to the Great Red Spot, which is actually a three hundred and fifty year anticyclone. Perhaps he has even more than we think. It was discovered by astronomer J. Cassini in 1665. It reached its maximum a century ago: 14 thousand km wide and 40 thousand km long. At the moment, the anticyclone has halved. The red spot is a kind of vortex that rotates at a speed of 400-500 km/h counterclockwise.
Earth and Jupiter are somewhat similar to each other. For example, storms on this huge planet do not last long, up to 4 days, and hurricanes are always accompanied by storms and lightning. Of course, the power of these phenomena is much greater than ours. 
It turns out that Jupiter can “talk.” It makes strange sounds similar to speech, also called electromagnetic voices. This strange phenomenon was first recorded by the NASA-Voyager probe.
Jupiter is a rather strange planet. Scientists cannot accurately answer why natural phenomena behave differently on it. For example, Jupiter is characterized by one interesting phenomenon - the phenomenon of “hot shadows”. The thing is that usually in the shade the temperature is lower than in the illuminated areas. However, on this giant, where the surface is in the shade, the temperature is higher than in the open surrounding area. There are many explanations for this anomaly. The most plausible theory is that all planets absorb most of the energy of our star, but reflect a small part. It turns out that Jupiter, on the contrary, reflects more heat than it receives from the Sun. 
The weirdness doesn't end there. Recently, volcanic activity was recorded on one of Jupiter’s moons, Io! Eight active volcanoes have been discovered on the surface of the satellite. This news became a sensation, because there are no volcanoes anywhere except Earth. On another satellite, Europa, scientists discovered water located under a very thick layer of ice. 
Jupiter can rightfully be considered the richest planet. According to scientists, there may be a hail of diamond pieces on this giant. The fact is that on Jupiter carbon in crystalline forms is far from uncommon. First, lightning turns methane into carbon, then when it falls, it hardens and turns into graphite. Falling even lower, graphite eventually becomes diamond, which still has 30 thousand km to fall. At the very end, the rocks reach such great depths that the high temperature of the gas giant's core melts them and, quite possibly, creates a huge ocean of liquid carbon inside. 
Are there signs of life on Jupiter? Alas, today the presence of life on this planet is unlikely, because there is a low concentration of water in the atmosphere and there is basically no solid surface.
Re-reading the above facts, one gets the impression that these are not all sensations; the most interesting ones await us ahead. Many researchers and scientists believe that life is quite possible on Jupiter. The atmosphere of this giant is very similar to our atmosphere in the distant past. Therefore, I think this is not the last article and these are not the last facts that we still have to consider.
Venus is the second planet in the solar system farthest from the main star. It is often called the “twin sister of the Earth”, because it is almost identical to our planet in size and is its kind of neighbor, but otherwise has many differences.
History of the name
The celestial body was named named after the Roman goddess of fertility. In different languages, the translations of this word vary - there is such a meaning as “mercy of the gods”, Spanish “shell” and Latin - “love, charm, beauty”. The only planet in the solar system, it has earned the right to be called a beautiful female name due to the fact that in ancient times it was one of the brightest in the sky.
Dimensions and composition, nature of the soil
Venus is quite a bit smaller than our planet - its mass is 80% of the Earth's. More than 96% of it is carbon dioxide, the rest is nitrogen with a small amount of other compounds. According to its structure the atmosphere is dense, deep and very cloudy and consists mainly of carbon dioxide, so the surface is difficult to see due to a peculiar “greenhouse effect”. The pressure there is 85 times greater than ours. The composition of the surface in its density resembles the basalts of the Earth, but it itself extremely dry due to the complete lack of liquid and high temperatures. The crust is 50 kilometers thick and consists of silicate rocks.
Research by scientists has shown that Venus has granite deposits along with uranium, thorium and potassium, as well as basalt rocks. The top layer of soil is close to the ground, and the surface is strewn with thousands of volcanoes.
Periods of rotation and circulation, change of seasons
The period of rotation around its axis for this planet is quite long and is approximately 243 Earth days, exceeding the period of revolution around the Sun, which is equal to 225 Earth days. Thus, a Venusian day is longer than one Earth year - this is the longest day on all planets in the solar system.
Another interesting feature is that Venus, unlike other planets in the system, rotates in the opposite direction - from east to west. At its closest approach to the Earth, the cunning “neighbor” turns only one side all the time, managing to make 4 revolutions around its own axis during breaks.
The calendar turns out to be very unusual: the Sun rises in the west, sets in the east, and there is practically no change of seasons due to its too slow rotation around itself and constant “baking” from all sides.
Expeditions and satellites
The first spacecraft sent from Earth to Venus was the Soviet spacecraft Venera 1, launched in February 1961, the course of which could not be corrected and went far past. The flight made by Mariner 2, which lasted 153 days, became more successful, and The ESA Venus Express orbiting satellite passed as close as possible, launched in November 2005.
In the future, namely in 2020-2025, the American space agency plans to send a large-scale space expedition to Venus, which will have to get answers to many questions, in particular regarding the disappearance of oceans from the planet, geological activity, features of the atmosphere there and the factors of its change .
How long does it take to fly to Venus and is it possible?
The main difficulty of flying to Venus is that it is difficult to tell the ship exactly where to go in order to directly reach its destination. You can move along the transition orbits of one planet to another, as if catching up with her. Therefore, a small and inexpensive device will spend a significant part of its time on this. No human has ever set foot on the planet and it is unlikely that she will like this world of unbearable heat and strong wind. Is it just to fly by...
Concluding the report, let us note one more interesting fact: today nothing is known about natural satellites ah Venus. It also does not have rings, but it shines so brightly that on a moonless night it is clearly visible from the inhabited Earth.
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