There are only eight of them.
Four Inner Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.
And four Outer: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
From the Sun, they are located in this order:
The figure shows the relative sizes of the Sun and all eight of the largest planets in the solar system, but the distances between them are of course different.
Note that in the solar system, these two groups of planets are separated by location and size.
external, largest planets in the solar system, are gas and ice giant planets.
The inner planets of the Terrestrial group are much smaller than the outer ones. Nevertheless, these four planets are much larger than asteroids, so they are rightfully classified among the largest planets in the solar system.
So, let's get acquainted with the largest planets of the solar system in descending order:
1 Jupiter is the largest planet diameter: ~139.822 km.
Jupiter - largest planet in the solar system. This is a gas giant.
Its upper layer consists of gases: hydrogen, methane, ammonia and water at temperatures around -145°C.
The video, compiled from images taken by the Voyager station over 29 days, shows the violent processes taking place in the atmosphere of Jupiter.
Due to the huge size of this big planet Solar system, different parts of Jupiter's atmosphere rotate at different speeds. This led to the formation of the famous belts of Jupiter.
A huge vortex is also visible here - the Great Red Spot Jupiter or the "eye of Jupiter". This vortex has been observed for more than one hundred years and its size is more than twice the size of our Earth!
A layer of metallic hydrogen with a temperature of several thousand degrees is hidden under the gas shell. And in the center of Jupiter is a stone core.
Jupiter has many moons, the most famous of which can be seen with any binoculars are Europa, Io, Ganymede and Callisto. Of particular interest is the moon Europa, because it is assumed to have water under the thickness of ice, in which life can be found.
2 Saturn diameter: ~116.464 km.
Saturn is also one of the largest planets in the solar system, it is the second largest planet after Jupiter.
It is best known for its rings, which are visible even with a small telescope. Jupiter and Uranus also have rings, but they are not as beautiful as those of Saturn.
According to its structure, Saturn is about the same gas giant as Jupiter. Its atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen with small admixtures of helium, ammonia, etc. Strong winds also rage in the upper layers of its atmosphere, and their speeds are even higher than on Jupiter - up to 1800 km / h, although in photographs the atmosphere seems outwardly homogeneous and calm.
Saturn has the largest number of moons of all the planets in the solar system. Now there are 62 satellites, 12 of which are discovered by space stations.
The Cassini research station has been orbiting Saturn since 2004. During this time, a lot of data has been collected about Saturn itself, its satellites and rings.
The automatic station "Huygens" was also landed on the surface of Titan, one of Saturn's satellites. This was the first ever landing of a probe on the surface of a celestial body in the Outer Solar System.
3 Uranus diameter: ~50.724 km.
Uranus is the third largest planet in the solar system.
This is an ice giant, consisting of frozen gases, it does not have metallic hydrogen, as on Jupiter. Therefore, despite the fact that Uranus is the third largest planet in the solar system, it is only in fourth place in terms of its mass due to its lower density.
The low density is one of the reasons that there is so little internal heat here that Uranus is the coldest of all the largest planets in the solar system. It is heated mainly by solar radiation. Uranus has a temperature of -224°C. Neptune is farther from the Sun than Uranus, but it is still "warmer" on it.
Uranus is also notable for its position - it revolves around the Sun, lying "on its side". The axis of rotation of Uranus around its axis lies almost in the plane of its rotation around the Sun. Therefore, it alternately turns to the Sun with either the north or the south pole, which are illuminated alternately with an interval of 42 years.
Uranus has small rings. It has 27 satellites in its orbit. The largest of them - Titania, has a radius of only 789 km.
By the way, Uranus is the only one of all the largest planets in the solar system, which is named after the ancient Greek god, and not the ancient Roman one.
Detailed studies of Uranus and Neptune by space stations have not yet been carried out.
4 Neptune diameter: ~49.224 km.
Neptune is the smallest and most distant of all the largest planets in the solar system.
"The smallest giant planet" sounds funny, but it's true :) Neptune is a giant planet, but its diameter is only 3.8 times larger than the Earth's diameter.
Neptune became the farthest, eighth planet from the Sun in the solar system after Pluto was "demoted" to a dwarf planet.
In size, Neptune is smaller than Uranus, but noticeably heavier. Neptune is also an ice giant, like Uranus, but it has noticeably more rocks besides ice.
Stations flying past Neptune recorded winds of terrifying speed on Neptune - up to 600 m / s ... This is almost supersonic speed!
By the way, Neptune is only 17 times heavier than the Earth, but has a much larger diameter. Therefore, the force of gravity at the equator almost does not differ from the earth's - only 1.14g.
But in order to successfully reach the surface of the planet, one must somehow break through those same almost-supersonic winds...
Neptune was the first planet whose position was first calculated by astronomers and only after that it was discovered through a telescope. This happened in 1846.
5 Earth is the largest planet of the Earth group Diameter: ~12.742 km.
The Earth is the third planet from the Sun, the largest of the planets of the Earth group, the only planet known to have life. And there are explanations for that.
The earth rotates within the "belt of life", a narrow strip around the sun, where water is in a liquid state.
A little closer to the Sun - and it will become too hot, like on Venus, the water will turn into steam.
A little further from the Sun - and the water will freeze, stopping all movement within itself.
There is quite a lot of water on Earth, up to 70% of the surface is covered by the ocean. Therefore, the atmosphere is saturated with water vapor and smooths out temperature fluctuations well.
The atmosphere also protects us from small meteorites - they simply burn up in it.
The moon is in the same conditions, but there is no life on it - there is no water, it is too small and cannot hold the atmosphere ...
The earth's atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen, which are essential for our life. But, this is the result of the vital activity of ancient bacteria. Before their appearance, the composition of the air on Earth was much less friendly for today's earthly inhabitants.
We were also lucky with one more important thing - with the existence of the Earth's own powerful magnetic field.
The sun radiates not only heat, streams of deadly hard electromagnetic radiation constantly rush from it, and our Earth reflects it with its magnetic field, like a shield, carefully sheltering us from this danger.
Mars does not have such a field, and when we colonize it, we will have to think about protection ...
6 Venus diameter: ~12.103 km.
Venus is often referred to as Earth's sister. Indeed, our planets are very similar in size and internal structure. Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, but that didn't seem like a big deal.
Telescopes could see clouds covering the surface of the planet. Science fiction writers even described Venus as the "Planet of Rains" - green jungle, humid, cloudy...
So people dreamed of colonizing the Earth's sister, until the Soviet automatic stations landed on its surface.
It was like a cold shower...
Instead of oxygen - carbon dioxide.
Instead of water clouds - clouds of toxic compounds of sulfur and chlorine.
Pressure: 92 atmospheres. Temperature: +475°С.
Studies have shown high volcanic activity. And in addition - the strongest winds on the surface of the planet.
In short - an ideal place for filming hell on location ...
Why this happened - there are many explanations for this. main reason appears to be close to the sun.
The questions of how to make Venus habitable are no less interesting than the questions of the exploration of Mars and the Moon. And for lovers computer simulation this is quite an interesting task.
There are many interesting projects and calculations, albeit unrealizable in the near future.
7 Mars diameter: ~6.780 km.
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. Cold and dry world.
By structure, Mars is the same rocky planet as the Earth. But now there is no open water in the liquid state.
Atmospheric pressure is 160 times less than on Earth - this is mainly carbon dioxide with minor impurities. But there are no poisonous gases. Low pressure is one of the reasons for the lack of water, which simply boils and evaporates at this pressure.
However, with such an atmosphere, dust storms occur on Mars, which are visible even from Earth.
A small dust whirlwind captured by the Spirit rover: video
Temperature: from -153 at the poles in winter to +20°C at the equator at noon.
At the poles, seasonal polar caps form from frozen atmospheric carbon dioxide.
On the surface of Mars is an extinct volcano Olympus, 21.2 km high. It is the second highest mountain in the solar system. (the largest - on the asteroid Vesta) There are also two largest impact craters in the solar system. The largest has a size of 10.6 thousand km in length and 8.5 thousand km in width.
Mars does not have a magnetic field like the Earth, so its surface is freely exposed to cosmic radiation. If we add to this the absence dense atmosphere, which would protect against small meteorites, it is still undesirable for future colonists to stay on the surface of the planet for a long time.
Earth spacecraft have visited Mars many times. Mars rovers are still working there.
8 Mercury diameter: ~4.879 km.
Mercury is the smallest of the eight largest planets in the solar system. This planet is closest to the Sun. The axis of rotation of Mercury is almost perpendicular to the plane of rotation around the Sun, so there is no change of seasons.
The surface is rocky, covered with craters, like on the moon.
Mercury is distinguished by the fact that the concentration of iron in its core is higher than on any other planet in the solar system.
Since the planet is close to the Sun, many people think that it is unbearably hot there. In general, the way it is: the temperature on the sunny side reaches +427°C. But, on the night side, the temperature can drop to -170 ° C, because there is almost no atmosphere on Mercury that would smooth out such drops. The same thing happens on our moon.
But in the polar latitudes (about 85 °), the picture is rather curious.
Since the Sun rises very low above the horizon (all year round), the temperature recorded there is +107°C. For the conditions of Mercury, this is not much.
Observations suggest that in places not illuminated by the Sun, near the pole, there may be deposits of ice up to two meters thick, sprinkled with dust on top.
And this means that even on such hot planets there are places to accommodate ... well, if not colonists, then at least for automatic research stations.
Since school, we all know that the largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. It is also gaseous. She also has satellites ... Perhaps this is all the information about Jupiter that is stored in the memory of most people after graduation. But after all, this is not only a large, but also a very interesting planet, and it is worth knowing a lot more about it. Although it is possible that in the near future we will have the opportunity to find out what is not known to scientists at the moment.
Education of Jupiter
Of course, no one can be absolutely sure of the correctness of the theory of the origin of the solar system in general and Jupiter in particular. However, the basic theory is as follows.
About 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system did not yet exist. There was only a cloud of gas and dust of unthinkable dimensions. This cloud is now called the Solar Nebula. Over time, gravity led to the fact that matter began to be absorbed into itself, and the Sun arose in the middle of the nebula.
After the birth of the star, the rest of the materials began to stick together. The smallest particles under the influence of gravity approached and coalesced, forming larger parts. The solar wind captured light helium and hydrogen, leaving rocks that later became the basis of the planets terrestrial group. But at a significant distance from the Sun, the solar wind could not have a significant effect. This made it possible for light materials to combine and form the gas giant - Jupiter. Satellites, comets, asteroids appeared in a similar way.
In order for the gases that make up the planet not to be blown away by the solar wind, the gas giant had to form incredibly quickly. Already after the solid base of Jupiter reached a mass that is 10 times the mass of the Earth, the attraction became enough to hold light gases without fear of influence solar wind. Despite the fact that Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, there are larger planets in the universe. But few celestial bodies were able to form at the same speed.
There is another theory of the origin of Jupiter - the instability disk model. The difference between this model and the basic one is that its followers believe that dust and gas were originally related. In this case, a planet like Jupiter could have come into existence in as little as a thousand years, while the normal birth time of a planet is several million years.
The emergence of such a massive celestial body at the very beginning of the birth of the solar system most likely influenced the formation of other planets. The mass of Jupiter gave him the ability to change the trajectory of the movement of small planets flying by. It was his gravity that could contribute to the fact that some planets ended up on the inner boundaries of the solar system, while others - on the outer ones.
Discovery of Jupiter and moons
As such, the discovery of Jupiter was not. After all, this planet is visible at night with the naked eye. Therefore, it is simply impossible to say who first drew attention to it. It is known for sure that the planet was known in ancient times. The religious beliefs of Greek, Mesopotamian, Babylonian and other cultures were based, in particular, on knowledge of the existence of Jupiter.
Subsequently, in 1610, Galileo discovered that this celestial body has satellites. For our star system Jupiter is the largest planet. In the Galaxy, there are planets and larger than it. However, few planets can boast so many moons. To date, 67 natural satellites of Jupiter have been discovered, the largest and most famous of which are Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. These four satellites were discovered by Galileo, who in this way proved the theory of Copernicus, who claimed that it was not the Earth at all - the center of the universe.
Name history
Jupiter got its name in ancient times. It was named after the main god of the Romans - a worthy name for the planet, the largest of all known even today. It is interesting that the ancient Greeks called the same planet Zeus, by analogy with the Romans, because in Greek mythology the king of the gods is Zeus. However, this name has remained Ancient Greece, only the Roman name of the planet has survived to our time.
Peculiarities
When a child asks which planet is the largest, we boldly answer that Jupiter. And we are right not only literally. After all, Jupiter is not just the largest in size of all the planets in the solar system. In addition, it is also much more massive than all the planets. Moreover, Jupiter is not heavier than each individual planet, and its weight is 2/3 greater than the weight of all the planets combined! Scientists believe that if the mass of Jupiter was 80 times greater, it would have every chance of becoming a star.
But not only the high mass gives Jupiter a resemblance to the Sun. Like our star, this planet is composed primarily of helium and hydrogen. It has 4 big moons and a large number of small moons. The Jupiter system is a solar system in miniature. Therefore, if a child asks about which is the biggest solar planet, you can not correct him, but proudly answer: “Jupiter!”
If you look at this planet through a telescope, you can see beautiful light and dark stripes on it. These bands are the movements of the wind raging in the atmosphere. Its speed is about 640 km / h.
The Great Red Spot looks especially unusual in photographs of Jupiter. More precisely, it is not even the stain itself that is of interest, but what it is. The fact is that this is a hurricane, the wind speed at the edge of which reaches about 360 km / h. The dimensions of this storm exceed the diameter of the Earth three times. But even this is not the strangest thing in this phenomenon. The most amazing thing is that the storm has been observed for more than 300 years, stopping only for a short time. However, the possibility of its termination has not yet been confirmed, it is only a hypothesis. The spot is called Red because the clouds of Jupiter contain phosphorus and sulfur in the composition of ammonia crystals.
Jupiter's magnetic field is 20,000 times greater than Earth's. Like the planet itself, its magnetic field is the strongest in the solar system. Jupiter's electromagnetic fields are so strong that they damage specially protected aircraft that have been sent to study it.
Day
Jupiter is the largest planet. In addition, she is also the most "nimble". The fact is that this celestial body rotates around its axis faster than other known planets. And this is even taking into account its gigantic size. A day on Jupiter lasts less than 10 Earth hours. This speed of rotation has led to the fact that the planet is more convex at the equator, so the equator is 7% wider than the poles.
Atmosphere of Jupiter
The largest planet is of extraordinary interest to scientists. In the world of this giant, everything is determined by the composition of the atmosphere. The gas giant has no solid elements on its surface that an aircraft could land on. Jupiter's surface is made up of helium and hydrogen, with a small percentage of other gases present in the air.
Most of the giant's atmosphere is hydrogen (90%). Helium is about 10%. The rest, an extremely small part, includes ammonia, water vapor, methane and sulfur.
If we assume that it is possible to descend from the outer shell of Jupiter to its center, then we would meet with a strong increase in pressure and temperature. This is due to the separation of gases into layers. Deep under the shell, closer to the center of the planet, hydrogen is most likely in a liquid state. And even deeper, presumably, it passes into the metal. It is the gigantic reserves of hydrogen and helium that make Jupiter the heaviest planet in the solar system.
The temperature of Jupiter's atmosphere ranges from -150 degrees Celsius in the lower troposphere to 725 degrees Celsius on the planet's surface. A little higher is the thermosphere, which emits a glow. Heating comes from the Sun and from particles from the magnetosphere.
The upper layer of the atmosphere is the exosphere. It does not have a clear boundary, which allows gas particles to go on an interstellar journey.
Jupiter center
The largest planet in the solar system definitely has a dense core. Its composition cannot be studied, but it is known that it is surrounded by a liquid layer of metallic hydrogen containing helium. Wrapped around it is an atmosphere of molecular hydrogen.
The core weighs 10 times less than the Earth. Hydrogen around it is more than 80% of the diameter of the planet.
Satellites and rings
Jupiter has at least 63 moons. The most famous of them are the Galilean satellites.
The largest planet in the solar system, as expected, has the largest satellite in our system. This is not just the largest satellite, its size exceeds the size of some planets - Pluto and Mercury. In addition, it is the only satellite known to mankind that has a magnetic field.
Io is the most volcanically active body known to science. Sulfur, which is ejected as a result of such activity, gives the satellite a yellow-orange color. Jupiter's gravity causes tides on solid Io, creating heat for volcanic activity.
Europe is completely covered in ice. If the ice melts, there will be twice as much water on Europa as on Earth. In addition, the existence of ice on Callisto and Ganymede is assumed.
Callisto has the lowest reflective effect. This means, most likely, that the entire surface of this satellite consists of a colorless dark stone.
The largest planet, the “earths” of which were able to surprise scientists in 1979, also has rings. Three rings were discovered by Voyager 1 passing around the gas giant's equator.
The main ring has a flat structure. Its thickness is about 30 kilometers and its width is 6400 km.
The inner cloud, called the halo, is about 20,000 kilometers thick. It runs from the main ring to the final one, expanding under the influence of the planet's magnetic field. Both rings are composed of dark small particles.
The third ring resembles a gossamer, as it is almost transparent. In fact, it consists of the smallest pieces of the giant's three satellites: Thebes, Amalthea and Adrastea. It is likely that the ring is composed of dust particles the size of particles in cigarette smoke. This ring has the most impressive dimensions - 129 thousand kilometers wide and more than 30 thousand kilometers thick.
The size of the planet and position in the solar system
Jupiter has simply incredible dimensions! It is 318 times more massive than the Earth. Its diameter is 12 times the length of the equator of our home planet. Despite the weight, this planet is in fifth place in terms of density (it is 1326 g / cubic centimeter). This is easy to explain: gas is much less dense than rock. The structure of the gas giant is similar to the structure of our Star. However, in order to start the hydrogen fusion that feeds the star, it is necessary to be 75 times larger than it is now.
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. It is 778 million kilometers away from the star. Of course, Jupiter is our largest planet. In the Universe, such scales are not uncommon, but in the nearest star systems there is no planet so massive.
Study and forecasts
The largest planet in the solar system has been studied for a very long time, but detailed studies were organized only by NASA. Of particular importance was the probe dropped into the atmosphere of Jupiter by the Galileo spacecraft. In addition, the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft were sent for research. The last to relay information about Jupiter was the New Horizons probe, which was sent to Pluto.
At present, Jupiter has no artificial satellites, but the next explorer of the gas giant is scheduled to be launched in 2016.
Jupiter can be seen from Earth with an 80mm telescope. At this magnification, spots, protrusions and depressions will be visible. With an aperture of 150 mm or more, the Great Red Spot and fine details of the belts will be visible.
During opposition, as seen from Earth, the largest planet in the solar system reaches an apparent magnitude of -2.94. Thus, Jupiter is the third brightest object in the sky. The rest of the time, the apparent value becomes -1.6.
Since the observation of Jupiter has become available to every inhabitant of the Earth, the largest planet, photos of which have circled the Internet and are the subject of collections of starry sky observers, has become more and more interesting for humanity.
Unfortunately, no one can predict the future. And although it has long been known which planet is the largest, no one understands what awaits it in the future. There is an assumption that in the future Jupiter will become a star, and its moons will form peculiar planets, which will make it possible to move to live in this system when the life of the Sun comes to an end.
Interesting facts about Jupiter that everyone should know
- If we imagine that the Sun does not exceed the size of a door, then the Earth will be equal to a coin, and Jupiter will become like a basketball.
- Jupiter is the fifth solar planet.
- Jupiter's day lasts only 9 hours and 55 minutes. The planet goes around the Sun in almost 12 Earth years.
- Jupiter is a gas giant. However, it is generally accepted that deep under the gases there is a solid core, approximately equal to the size of the Earth.
- The giant's atmosphere is made up of helium and hydrogen.
- Jupiter has poorly developed rings, discovered in 1979.
- Research on Jupiter and its satellites has been going on for a long time. The next mission - "Juno" will start in 2016.
- There can be no life forms familiar to us on Jupiter. However, the presence of oceans on the satellites suggests that there may be some kind of life there.
- The Great Red Spot is a huge storm larger than the Earth's diameter. The hurricane has been raging for over 300 years.
Those who travel know that if you devote your whole life to this activity, there will still be a piece, a plot, or even a huge piece of the Earth that has remained unexplored. It seems as if our planet is full of endless expanses. The task of closing your eyes and imagining it in its entirety feels like an impossible task. Meanwhile, the Earth belongs to the type of space objects, which can be called "small planets of the solar system." Scientifically, they are designated as planets of the terrestrial group, rather modest in terms of universal scales. Our Earth would seem even more infinite if its dimensions approached the parameters of the gas giants, which will be discussed below.
Classification
To begin with, consider the principle underlying the types of planets astronomy divides into. The solar system is delimited by the Main into two parts. The first includes Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. In the second - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, behind them is Pluto and the Kuiper belt. The first four are the terrestrial planets. In addition to their location, they are united by the structure: they consist of compounds of metals and silicon, have a core, mantle and crust. Earth is the largest planet in the solar system in this group.
The four beyond the Asteroid Belt are the so-called gas giants. As the name implies, they are huge, much larger than the terrestrial planets. However, their most important difference lies in the composition of the substance that forms such space objects. It is a mixture of gases: hydrogen, helium, ammonia, methane. Such a structure makes the giants fundamentally different from the Earth and similar planets.
Ninth
As for Pluto, in 2006 it was “demoted” to the dwarf planets and attributed to the objects of the Kuiper belt, a structure quite distant from the Earth, which, however, does not yet end the solar system. Pluto, according to scientists, does not correspond to one of the points of the accepted definition of the planet: it does not have enough mass to clear its orbit from other bodies. Apparently, at the same time, in composition, it is close to the bodies of the Kuiper belt, ice blocks formed by frozen methane and nitrogen.
Now in our system there are only eight planets and a few more dwarf planets, which will never grow up to their “brothers”.
What is the largest planet in the solar system?
Obviously, the most impressive is to be found among the gas giants. However, every student today knows the answer to the question “which planet in the solar system is the largest”. This is Jupiter, the first magnificent giant beyond the Main Asteroid Belt, which probably played a role in the emergence of life on Earth, protecting it from meteorites throughout its existence.
Striking dimensions
Again, it is extremely difficult to understand how huge Jupiter is if you try to imagine an object 1300 times the volume of the Earth. A comparison comes to the rescue: Jupiter is a planet in the solar system that surpasses our house in size, like a pea. The storm that broke out in the atmosphere of a giant is so massive that it can cover all the planets of the terrestrial group, except for Mercury, combined.
It affects not only the size, but also the speed of rotation of Jupiter. It makes one revolution around its axis in just 10 hours, moving at a speed of 45,300 km / h. At the same time, the giant passes the orbit in 12 years. And this is also quite fast, considering how far from the Sun it is (five times farther than the Earth).
ephemeral surface
Many schoolchildren, having learned which planet in the solar system is the largest, thought about how long it would be possible to walk and travel on it. And these dreams continued until they found out that no one could ever set foot on the surface of the planet. Jupiter is surrounded by an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium in a ratio of 9:1. It flows smoothly into liquid hydrogen. In fact, there is no boundary between the atmosphere and the surface; it is conventionally designated by the level of pressure.
Clouds and spots
If you look closely at the photographs of Jupiter, it is easy to see that the planet has a "characteristic appearance." The recognizable striped pattern of the upper atmosphere is made up of stable clouds: light zones are interspersed with reddish-brown belts. Between them wedged powerful atmospheric flows, or scientific jets. In fact, these are winds of great strength. Their direction either coincides with the movement of the planet, or opposite to it. Clouds, light and dark, as well as jets are conditionally designated as geographical objects on the equally conditional surface of the gas giant.
main feature
The surface of Jupiter is characterized by another phenomenon. This is the Great Red Spot. It can be called a special sign of the planet. There are no similar formations, equally bright and persistent, on other space objects of the solar system. Scientists suggest that the Great Red Spot is a giant storm in the atmosphere. It moves around the planet, changing longitude, but strictly adhering to the same latitude, for at least the last 350 years. The spot is characterized by changes in dimensions: it either increases to a huge size, or it is reduced by half.
Spacecraft studies have confirmed the hypothesis of astronomers: the Great Red Spot is a huge anticyclone, rotating counterclockwise at a speed of one revolution in six days.
Approximate giant
A lot of interesting processes take place on Jupiter, but it is worth mentioning its "brothers". The second largest planet is Saturn. It is unlikely that there will be a person who will not be able to identify him in the image of all the objects of the solar system. Its distinguishing feature is noticeable rings. By the way, all gas giants have similar formations, like satellites. best known for their impressiveness. They consist of ice particles with a small admixture of heavy elements and dust.
The composition of Saturn is similar to that of Jupiter: hydrogen, helium, methane, ammonia, various impurities. On the surface of the planet visible from space, no formations are as stable as on Jupiter. Much stronger winds rage here.
Ice giants
Next to Saturn is Uranus, then Neptune. Astronomers combine them into a separate subgroup because in their depths there is no metallic hydrogen characteristic of Jupiter and Saturn, but there is a lot of ice in high-temperature modifications. Perhaps the most unusual characteristic of Uranus is its axial tilt. The planet, as it were, lies on its side and therefore the Sun mainly illuminates not the equatorial zone, but alternately either the North or the South Pole.
The strongest winds blow on Neptune. Its surface is characterized by a formation similar to the Great Red Spot. It was called the "Great Dark Spot".
So, the answer to the question "what is the largest planet in the solar system" sounds simple: it's Jupiter. Hidden behind this short word is a huge mass, the strongest winds, the Great Red Spot. It is followed by Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, each is unique in its own way, modern astronomy knows something interesting about each. The entire solar system with all the objects and structures, even compared to the giant Jupiter, is huge. And this corner of the Universe in many respects remains shrouded in mystery for us. A lot of information, including about gas giants, now remains without explanation, some theories need to be improved. We can say with confidence that many more discoveries await us, related both to the largest planets of the system, and to those more modest in size.
Stars, comets, asteroids and meteorites have attracted the attention of people since the beginning of time. Priests prayed to heavenly idols, astrologers predicted fate along the trajectory of the planets, astronomers studied the constellations.
The ancient Romans and Greeks paid special respect to Jupiter. In ancient Rome, he personified the supreme God, and among the Greeks he was considered the king of Olympus. A worthy place, considering that Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.
gas giant
At the center of our star system is brightest star- The Sun, around which Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus and Jupiter revolve. All planets are very interesting, and each has its own distinctive characteristics. The largest of them is Jupiter.
It has a number of unusual features:
- entirely made up of gas. Almost 90% is hydrogen, about 10% is helium, the rest is an insignificant part - methane, sulfur, ammonia and water vapor;
- colossal pressure was recorded in the lower layers of the atmosphere, due to which the gas passes into a liquid state, and the core of Jupiter is metallic hydrogen;
- it weighs 2.5 times more than all the other planets of the solar system combined, 318 times heavier than the Earth;
- its diameter is 1.39 thousand km! This means that 1,300 planets like our own Earth can easily fit in Jupiter. Such a huge scale is even difficult to imagine;
- the strength of the magnetic field of this celestial body exceeds the strength of the earth by 20 thousand times and is the largest in the solar system. This causes as yet insurmountable difficulties for a careful study of the planet, since no aircraft can get close enough;
- its rotation rate is the highest of any known planet in the galaxy. The length of a day on Jupiter is less than 10 Earth hours. This, combined with the incredible size and gaseous state, leads to the flattening of the celestial body;
- temperature in the lower layer of the troposphere - minus 150°С, and in the upper layers of the atmosphere - plus 730°С;
- the gas giant is known for its endless storms of terrible force. Whirlwinds are rushing at a breakneck speed of 640 km/h! But the most amazing hurricane has been observed by astronomers since the end of the 17th century. It was called the Great Red Spot, has not been interrupted for more than 300 years, and is 3 times larger than the earth's diameter;
- Jupiter is many millions of kilometers away from the Earth, but due to its impressive size, it is visible to the naked eye. With a medium-power telescope, you can see the surface of the giant, the Great Red Spot, rings and satellites.
Jupiter is not only the largest planet in the solar system, but also one of the largest planets in the universe known to scientists today.
The most...
Jupiter is an exclusive of its kind. It is the largest planet in the solar system and has the strongest magnetic field. Jupiter is the fastest rotating planet, with the sharpest temperature difference - almost 900 ° C.
It is difficult to find such a celestial body not only in the Galaxy, but throughout the entire infinite space.
Moons and rings of Jupiter
A total of 67 moons of Jupiter have been discovered. The first 4 - Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede - were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. In his honor they are named Galileevs. They are also the largest. 
Ganymede the most known satellites, even more than planets like Mercury and Pluto. Io is the only satellite in the Universe that has its own magnetic field, and it is also the most volcanically active celestial body known. The entire surface of Europa's moon is covered in ice. Callisto has an incredibly low reflective effect, which gives scientists reason to consider it a huge piece of colorless stone.
Also in 1979, the Voyager spacecraft discovered 3 faint rings around Jupiter.
Jupiter, along with its satellites, is very similar to the solar system in miniature. Therefore, most scientists in the world agree that in millions of years Jupiter will be able to be reborn into a Star and become the center of another system in the Universe. Satellites around the planet can turn into celestial bodies with habitable conditions.
Other giants of the solar system
In addition to Jupiter, our system has 3 more large planets:
- Saturn. Its diameter is slightly inferior to Jupiter and is 116 thousand km. It is 95 times heavier than the Earth, is in a gaseous state, the speed of storms on its surface is 1800 km/h. Has 62 satellites.
- Uranus has a diameter of 50.7 thousand km, it is relatively "light" - only 14 times heavier than the Earth, gaseous, winds rush along its surface at a frantic speed - 900 km / h, a year on Uranus is equal to 84 Earth years, has 27 satellites.
- Neptune is another large planet with a diameter of 49.2 thousand km. It also consists of gases, 17 times heavier than the Earth. The wind speed here reaches 2100 km/h and is the most significant in the universe. Has 14 satellites.
All the largest planets in the solar system, except for their huge size, have the following common features:
- gaseous state (the main components are hydrogen and helium);
- low density;
- very high rotation speed, which leads to some oblateness of the planets from the poles;
- powerful gravitational field;
- a large number of satellites.
Queen of the Universe
Many are interested in which planet is the largest in all the vast space. In 2006, scientists at the Lovell Observatory in the United States, Arizona, received an answer to this question. They discovered a giant planet in the Hercules system. There are not enough epithets in modern Russian to describe its size. It's impossible to imagine. She is a huge giantess, against her background, even Jupiter seems like a baby. They called it laconic and completely unromantic - TrES-4.
Although the diameter of the newly discovered planet is several times larger than the giant Jupiter, it is inferior to it in weight, which is explained by the very low density of the gaseous substance from which the giantess is "built". You cannot descend to the planet, you can only plunge into it in the literal sense. Scientists around the world are at a loss as to how TrES-4 can even exist at such a density without being sprayed into interstellar space.
Giant gas ball hot up to 1300 ° C and very similar to the Sun. For some time it was even considered a star, but then it was nevertheless proved that TrES-4 is a planet. It orbits its star, GSC02620-00648, 1400 light-years away.
The above facts testify that the endless expanses of the cosmos keep their secrets in silence. Exploring the airless space, scientists are faced with inexplicable and mysterious phenomena, most of the questions still remain unanswered.
Astronomers have been fascinated by Jupiter since the invention of the telescope. They admire swirling clouds, a huge red spot, numerous satellites, rings surrounding the planet. The most impressive feature of Jupiter is its size - this largest planet in the solar system is able to fit several planets inside. The volume of the Earth exceeds 1321 times. On average, from Jupiter, the distance to the planets of the solar system is: to the Earth - 627,644,160 kilometers; to the Sun -749 954 304. Flight time - about 5 years.
How many planets are in the solar system
How many planets are in? Until the end of the 1990s, there were 9 of them. Then astronomers decided to shorten the list by excluding the smallest planet in the solar system - Pluto, since it does not meet the definitions of the International Astronomical Union.
The length of the year depends on the location of the planets in the solar system. The farther the planet is from the sun, the longer the year lasts. Jupiter is considered the fifth object in order of distance from the sun.
There are satellites of the planets of the solar system that are larger than Mercury. Perhaps soon we will hear about new planets in the solar system, because every astronomer seeks to discover his star. There are planets of other solar systems, they are called exoplanets. They were first discovered in 1992, now in the galaxy Milky Way More than 1000 exoplanets have been found.
Is life possible on Jupiter?
Thick, colorful clouds of deadly poisonous gases surround this gigantic planet. Its atmosphere consists of 86% hydrogen and 14% helium. It also contains traces of methane, water vapor and ammonia.
Closer to Jupiter's core, the thin, cold atmosphere becomes thicker and warmer, gradually turning into a thick, dark fog. Around lies an ocean of liquid hydrogen, its depth is approximately 1000 kilometers.
Deep inside, due to strong pressure, hydrogen turns into a liquid, and then into metal, forming a rocky core, a little larger than our planet, but it weighs 20 times more.
What is the weather like on Jupiter?
The average temperature in the clouds above the surface of Jupiter is -112⁰С, under the clouds the temperature is already about -13⁰С. The smaller the distance to the core, the higher the temperature becomes. On this stormy planet, hurricanes and storms never end. Colored and white clouds, often changing shape due to constant storm winds, make it very colorful. Wind speeds often exceed 500 km/h. A large red spot resembling an eye appeared due to a giant storm that has been raging for more than 300 years.
Storms on Jupiter are not related to the sun, they come from radiation generated by the planet itself. Thunderbolts are sometimes visible through the outer layers of the atmosphere. These electrical discharges are 1,000 times more powerful than a typical lightning strike on Earth.
Rings and moons of Jupiter
Jupiter has three that wrap around the planet horizontally, astronomers believe they originated from dust. The rings are almost invisible, you can see them when the planet passes in front of the Sun.
According to a list compiled by astronomers, Jupiter has 63 moons, more than any other planet in the solar system. 4 Galilean satellites are the most massive. They were discovered in 1610 by the great Italian astronomer Galileo.
Armed with powerful binoculars, you can see them in the night sky:
- Ganymede is the largest moon and has a thin oxygen atmosphere;
- Io is a volcanically active satellite, it has an amazingly beautiful coloration of a mixture of black, red and yellow;
- Europa, on the other side of the Earth, is covered in ice and has a huge supply of sea salt. There is a possibility that life exists in the seas of Europe. Europa is the smallest satellite of the Galilean group;
- Callisto has many craters. It is the darkest satellite on the planet.
There are also other, smaller groups of satellites.
Many planets in the solar system are named after gods. The name Jupiter comes from the name of the Roman god of sky and light.
What is unusual about this planet:
- it is one of the five planets visible to the naked eye from Earth, the third brightest object in the sky after Venus and the Moon;
- Jupiter has a very strong magnetic field, 14 times greater than Earth's;
- the spacecraft will not be able to land on the planet, because it does not have a solid surface;
- despite its impressive size, Jupiter rotates around its axis like a top, so a new day here comes in just 9 hours and 55 minutes.
- How much would you weigh on Jupiter? If your weight is 32 kg on Earth, it would be 84 kg here.
- The rapid rotation flattens the planet slightly, giving its body an oblate spheroid shape.
Jupiter has been visited by 8 spacecraft. Thanks to them, reliable information about this giant was obtained. Scientists continue their research and, perhaps, new discoveries related to this amazing planet will soon appear.