Which planet is the heaviest? The largest planet and its satellites

To determine how big a planet is, you need to take into account criteria such as its mass and diameter. The most big planet solar system 300 times more than Earth , and its diameter is eleven times greater than that of the earth. For a list of the largest planets in the Solar System, their names, sizes, photos and what they are known for, read our rating.

Diameter, mass, length of day and orbital radius are given relative to the Earth.

Planet	Diameter	Weight	Orbital radius, a. e.	Orbital period, Earth years	Day	Density, kg/m³	Satellites
	0.382	0.055	0.38	0.241	58.6	5427	0
	0.949	0.815	0.72	0.615	243	5243	0
Earth	1	1	1	1	1	5515	1
	0.53	0.107	1.52	1.88	1.03	3933	2
	11.2	318	5.2	11.86	0.414	1326	69
	9.41	95	9.54	29.46	0.426	687	62
	3.98	14.6	19.22	84.01	0.718	1270	27
	3.81	17.2	30.06	164.79	0.671	1638	14
	0.186	0.0022	39.2	248.09	6.387	1860	5

9. Pluto, diameter ~2370 km

Pluto is the second largest dwarf planet in the solar system after Ceres. Even when it was one of the full-fledged planets, it was far from the largest of them, since its mass is equal to 1/6 of the mass of the Moon. Pluto has a diameter of 2,370 km and is composed of rock and ice. It is not surprising that it is quite cold on its surface - minus 230 ° C

8. Mercury ∼ 4,879 km

A tiny world with a mass almost twenty times less than the mass of Earth, and a diameter 2 ½ less than Earth's. In fact, Mercury is closer in size to the Moon than to the Earth and is currently considered the smallest planet in the solar system. Mercury has a rocky surface dotted with craters. The Messenger spacecraft recently confirmed that deep craters on the shadowy side of Mercury contain icy water.

7. Mars ∼ 6,792 km

Mars is about twice smaller than Earth and has a diameter of 6.792 km. However, its mass is only a tenth of the earth's. This not very large planet in the solar system, the fourth closest to the Sun, has an inclination of its rotation axis of 25.1 degrees. Thanks to this, the seasons change on it, just like on Earth. A day (sol) on Mars is equal to 24 hours and 40 minutes. In the southern hemisphere, summers are hot and winters are cold, but in the northern hemisphere there are no such sharp contrasts, where both summer and winter are mild. We can say that these are ideal conditions for building a greenhouse and growing potatoes.

6. Venus ∼ 12,100 km

In sixth place in the ranking of the largest and smallest planets is heavenly body, named after the goddess of beauty. It is so close to the Sun that it is the first to appear in the evening and the last to disappear in the morning. Therefore, Venus has long been known as the “evening star” and “morning star”. It has a diameter of 12,100 km, almost comparable to the size of the Earth (1000 km less), and 80% of the Earth's mass.

The surface of Venus mainly consists of large plains of volcanic origin, the rest is made up of giant mountains. The atmosphere is composed of carbon dioxide, with thick clouds of sulfur dioxide. This atmosphere has the strongest Greenhouse effect, known in the solar system, and the temperature on Venus is around 460 degrees.

5. Earth ~ 12,742 km

The third planet closest to the Sun. Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has life. It has an axis tilt of 23.4 degrees, its diameter is 12,742 km, and its mass is 5.972 septillion kg.

The age of our planet is very respectable - 4.54 billion years. And most of this time she is accompanied by natural satellite- Moon. It is believed that the Moon was formed when the celestial body big size, namely Mars, impacted the Earth, causing the release of enough material that the Moon could form. The Moon has a stabilizing effect on the tilt of the Earth's axis and is the source of the tides of the oceans.

“It is rather inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is obvious that it is an Ocean” - Arthur C. Clarke.

4. Neptune ∼ 49,000 km

The gas giant planet of the Solar System is the eighth celestial body closest to the Sun. Neptune's diameter is 49,000 km, and its mass is 17 times that of Earth. It has powerful cloud bands (which, along with storms and cyclones, were photographed by Voyager 2). Wind speeds on Neptune reach 600 m/s. Due to its great distance from the Sun, the planet is one of the coldest, with temperatures in the upper atmosphere reaching minus 220 degrees Celsius.

3. Uranium ∼ 50,000 km

On the third line of the list of the largest planets in the solar system is the seventh closest to the Sun, the third largest and fourth heaviest of the worlds. The diameter of Uranus (50,000 km) is four times that of Earth, and its mass is 14 times more mass of our planet.

Uranus has 27 known moons, with sizes ranging from more than 1,500 km to less than 20 km in diameter. The planet's moons are made of ice rocks and other microelements. Uranus itself has a rocky core surrounded by a blanket of water, ammonia and methane. The atmosphere consists of hydrogen, helium and methane with a top layer of clouds.

2. Saturn ∼ 116,400 km

The second largest planet in the solar system is known for its ring system. It was first noticed by Galileo Galilei in 1610. Galileo believed that Saturn was accompanied by two other planets that were on either side of it. In 1655, Christian Huygens, using an improved telescope, was able to see Saturn in sufficient detail to suggest that there were rings around it. They extend from 7,000 km to 120,000 km above the surface of Saturn, which itself has a radius 9 times that of Earth (57,000 km) and a mass 95 times that of Earth.

1. Jupiter ∼ 142,974 km

The first number is the winner of the planetary heavy hit parade, Jupiter, the largest planet, bearing the name of the Roman king of the gods. One of the five planets visible to the naked eye. It is so massive that it would contain the rest of the worlds of the solar system, minus the sun. The total diameter of Jupiter is 142.984 km. Given its size, Jupiter rotates very quickly, making one rotation every 10 hours. At its equator there is a fairly large centrifugal force, due to which the planet has a pronounced hump. That is, the diameter of Jupiter's equator is 9000 km larger than the diameter measured at the poles. As befits a king, Jupiter has many satellites (more than 60), but most of them are quite small (less than 10 km in diameter). Four largest moon, discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei, are named after the favorites of Zeus, the Greek equivalent of Jupiter.

What is known about Jupiter

Before the invention of the telescope, the planets were viewed as objects wandering across the sky. Therefore, the word “planet” is translated from Greek as “wanderer.” Our solar system has 8 known planets, although 9 celestial objects were originally recognized as planets. In the 1990s, Pluto was demoted from true planet status to dwarf planet status. A The largest planet in the solar system is called Jupiter.

The radius of the planet is 69,911 km. That is, all the largest planets in the solar system could fit inside Jupiter (see photo). And if we take only our Earth, then 1300 such planets will fit inside Jupiter’s body.

It is the fifth planet from the Sun. It is named after the Roman god.

Jupiter's atmosphere is made up of gases, mainly helium and hydrogen, which is why it is also called gas giant Solar system. The surface of Jupiter consists of an ocean of liquid hydrogen.

Jupiter has the strongest magnetosphere of all the other planets, 20 thousand times stronger than Earth's magnetosphere.

Most major planet solar system rotates around its axis faster than all its “neighbors”. One full revolution takes just under 10 hours (the Earth takes 24 hours). Because of this rapid rotation, Jupiter is convex at the equator and “flattened” at the poles. The planet is 7 percent wider at the equator than at the poles.

The largest celestial body in the solar system revolves around the Sun once every 11.86 Earth years.

Jupiter broadcasts radio waves so strong that they can be detected from Earth. They come in two forms:

1. strong bursts that occur when Io, the nearest big moons Jupiter, passes through certain regions of the planet's magnetic field;
2. continuous radiation from the surface and high-energy particles of Jupiter in its radiation belts. These radio waves could help scientists explore the oceans on the space giant's satellites.

The most unusual feature of Jupiter

Undoubtedly main feature Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a giant hurricane that has raged for more than 300 years.

• The diameter of the Great Red Spot is three times the diameter of the Earth, and its edge rotates around the center and counterclockwise at a tremendous speed (360 km per hour).
• The color of the storm, which typically ranges from brick red to light brown, may be due to the presence of small amounts of sulfur and phosphorus.
• The spot either increases or decreases over time. A hundred years ago, education was twice as large as it is now and significantly brighter.

There are many other spots on Jupiter, but only in Southern Hemisphere For some reason they exist for a long time.

Rings of Jupiter

Unlike Saturn's rings, which are clearly visible from Earth even through small telescopes, Jupiter's rings are very difficult to see. Their existence became known thanks to data from Voyager 1 (a NASA spacecraft) in 1979, but their origin was a mystery. Data from the Galileo spacecraft, which orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003, later confirmed that these rings were created by meteoroid impacts on small nearby moons of the huge planet itself.

Jupiter's ring system includes:

1. halo - inner layer of small particles;
2. the main ring is brighter than the other two;
3. outer “web” ring.

The main ring is flattened, its thickness is about 30 km, and its width is 6400 km. The halo extends halfway from the main ring down to the Jovian cloud tops and expands as it interacts with magnetic field planets. The third ring is known as the gossamer ring because of its transparency.

Meteorites striking the surface of Jupiter's small inner moons kick up dust, which then enters orbit around Jupiter, forming rings.

Jupiter has 53 confirmed moons orbiting it and another 14 unconfirmed moons.

Jupiter's four largest moons - called the Galilean moons - are Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto. The honor of their discovery belongs to Galileo Galilei, and this was in 1610. They are named in honor of those close to Zeus (whose Roman counterpart is Jupiter).

Volcanoes rage on Io; there is a subglacial ocean on Europa and perhaps there is life in it; Ganymede is the largest of the moons in the solar system, and has its own magnetosphere; and Callisto has the lowest reflectivity of the four Galilean moons. There is a version that the surface of this moon consists of dark, colorless rock.

Video: Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system

We hope that we have given a complete answer to the question of which planet in the solar system is the largest!

Reading time: 8 min.

Space has always attracted man. Every day we can observe our natural satellite, the Moon, in the sky. But, as soon as we arm ourselves with good optics, many other celestial objects will open before us. The largest and most significant of them are planets on which life may once have existed or may someday appear. In this list we have prepared for you a description of the largest planets in our solar system.

Pluto is a dwarf planet in the solar system, which is slightly smaller than the largest dwarf planet, Ceres. Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh. When it was considered a full-fledged planet, it still remained the smallest planet, its mass was equal to 1/6 of the mass of our celestial satellite - the Moon. Pluto has a diameter of 2,370 km and is made entirely of rocks and ice. Pluto's structure probably consists of frozen nitrogen, ice and silicates. Its surface temperature is minus 230 degrees Celsius, the atmosphere is very rarefied and consists of gases (methane nitrogen and carbon monoxide). It is noteworthy that after Pluto was removed from the list of planets, a new expression appeared - “demote” - demote in rank.

Mercury, the first planet from the Sun, has a mass almost 20 times less than the mass of the Earth, and its diameter is two and a half times less than that of our planet. Mercury, even closer to the Moon in size than to the Earth, is today the smallest planet in the solar system. Mercury's structure has many rocks, which are lined with deep craters. American apparatus Messenger, which self-destructed on the surface of Mercury, managed to transmit photographs that confirm that back side The planet, which is always in the shadow, has frozen water. It is curious that Mercury is often closest to Earth, since Venus and Mars, having huge orbits of rotation, move away from our planet to a greater extent.

In size, Mars is almost 2 times smaller than Earth, its diameter is 6.792 kilometers, which is not an unusual indicator. The only striking thing is that its weight is one tenth of the weight of the Earth. The fourth farthest from the Sun, it has an axis tilt of 25.1 degrees. Due to such features of the position in outer space, seasons change on Mars, just as on our planet one season replaces another. Days on Mars are very close to those on Earth, and they are called sol. Sol lasts 24 hours and 40 minutes. In the south, summers are always hot and winters are harsh; in the northern part of the planet there are no such differences - both summers and winters are very mild. Mars is the best planet, which humanity can master in the near future.

Sixth place on the list is occupied by a planet named after the goddess of beauty, Venus. Venus has a couple more names like “Morning Star” and “Evening Star”, since being very close to the Sun, Venus is the first in the sky in the evening and the last one to be seen in the morning. The diameter is 12,100 km (the Earth is only a thousand kilometers larger), and the mass is more than 80% of the Earth’s. What is most visible on the surface of Venus is the plains, which consist of cooled lava from volcanoes, everything else is huge mountain ranges. There is carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and thick clouds of sulfur dioxide hang over the planet. The largest greenhouse effect that exists in the Universe is observed here; the surface temperature of Venus is 460 degrees Celsius.

The cradle of humanity and the third planet farthest from the Sun. Earth is the only planet on which life has been discovered. The diameter of the Earth is 12,742 km, and its mass is 5.972 septillion kilograms. Scientists were also able to determine the age of our planet; it is already about 4.54 billion. All this time, her natural satellite, the Moon, follows her non-stop. It is believed that during its formation the Moon was exposed to the influence of Mars, which influenced the Earth, causing the latter to eject a lot of material to form the Moon. The Moon acts as a stabilizer for the tilt of the Earth's axis, and may be the cause of the ebb and flow of sea tides.

Neptune is one of the largest planets in the solar system, its diameter is 49,000 km, its mass is 17 times that of the Earth. Neptune consists of gases, and if you count it, it is the eighth from the Sun. On Neptune you can observe powerful cloud bands, storms and cyclones. They were captured by the Voyager 2 apparatus, which took pictures outer space. The wind speed on this planet is amazing - about 600 m/s. Due to the fact that Neptune is so far from the Sun, it is one of the coldest planets, only in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere the temperature is minus 220 degrees Celsius.

Third place went to Uranus - the seventh planet from the sun, has many satellites (about 27) and is striking in its size. The diameter of Uranus is 50,000 kilometers, 104 times that of Earth, and it weighs 14 times that of Earth. 27 satellites have sizes from 20 to 1500 kilometers, they are from frozen ice, rock and many other trace elements. Hydrogen, helium and methane are what the atmosphere of Uranus consists of. In its structure, it has a rocky core, which is surrounded by water and ammonia and methane vapor. Until now, the planet is of interest to researchers, and spacecraft are often sent to it.

Galileo Galilei discovered this planet in 1610. Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system, the most recognizable planet due to its rings, which consist of water ice and silicate dust admixtures. Christian Huygens was the first to examine these rings through improved optics in 1655. They spread over the surface of the planet at a distance of 7 to 120 thousand kilometers. Saturn has a radius that is 9 times larger than the Earth - 57,000 km, and is 95 times heavier. Like Uranus, Neptune and Jupiter, Saturn is a gas giant, which consists of hydrogen, methane, ammonia, a trace of helium and heavy elements.

Jupiter rightfully took first place. Jupiter is the largest planet, which bears the name of the Roman king of the gods. This planet is visible in the sky with the naked eye, without any optics. If you eliminated the Sun, Jupiter could contain all the other planets without even noticing it. The diameter of Jupiter is 142.984 km. For its size, Jupiter moves very quickly, completing a full rotation on its axis in just 10 hours. The planet shows a hump that was formed due to the work of centrifugal force, which makes the diameter of Jupiter's equator 9,000 km larger than the diameter measured at its poles. It has more than 60 satellites, but many of them are not very large. Galileo Galilei in 1610 discovered the 4 largest satellites of Jupiter: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa.

Diameter: 139822 km

Jupiter is the largest and heaviest planet in the solar system, which is composed of hydrogen, methane and ammonia. The mass of Jupiter is 2.5 times greater than the mass of all the planets of our solar system combined. Jupiter's storms and lightning extend over an area larger than the entire Earth. The most famous storm (the Great Red Spot) has been observed by astronomers for several centuries. Deep in the atmosphere of Jupiter, due to colossal pressure, gases turn into a liquid state, and the planet’s core consists of metallic hydrogen. Jupiter has a powerful magnetic field, an extensive set of satellites and a ring, although not as noticeable as Saturn's.

Diameter: 116464 km

Saturn is the second largest gas giant. Just like Jupiter consists of a mixture of gases that transform into a liquid state with increasing depth. Of all the planets in the solar system, Saturn has the greatest compression. Its mass is 95 times the mass of the Earth. In the upper layers of Saturn's atmosphere, winds reach speeds of 1800 km/h. This planet is famous for its rings and the largest number of satellites in the solar system. Now 62 satellites are known, the largest of them is Titan, which is larger than Mercury and has its own atmosphere and methane oceans. Also, this planet makes one rotation around the Sun every 29.5 years. Saturn was explored by the Vodyager, Pioneer, and Cassini automatic probes.

Diameter: 50724 km

The third largest and fourth largest gas giant in the Solar System. Due to its great distance from the Sun, Uranus has the coldest atmosphere (−224 °C), at the equator the wind speed reaches 900 km/h. Uranus makes one rotation around the Suns in 84 earthly years. The mass of Uranus is only 14 times the mass of the Earth. Instrumental observations of the atmosphere of Uranus are difficult due to its low brightness; there are no cloud bands and stable formations, but they are recorded seasonal changes. The planet's axis is tilted 98 degrees, and as it rotates in orbit, the planet faces the Sun alternately with northern and south poles. Uranus has 27 moons and small rings.

Diameter: 49224 km

The farthest planet in the solar system. Gas giant, third in mass after Jupiter and Saturn. Neptune's mass is 17 times greater than Earth's. It is not visible to the naked eye, and was discovered thanks to mathematical calculations. Neptune's atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. The planet's core is solid and consists of for the most part from ice and rocks. The planet's atmosphere is raging with the most strong winds at speeds up to 2100 km/h. The Voyager 2 spacecraft photographed powerful cloud bands, storms and large cyclones. He also reliably confirmed the presence of a system of small, hard-to-see rings on Neptune. The planet has 14 satellites. The largest of them is Triton.

Diameter: 12742 km

The third planet from the Sun is the cradle of life and the birthplace of humanity. The Earth has a metallic core and a mineral shell. The planet's surface is 70% covered by ocean. Scientists believe that the Earth appeared 4.5 billion years ago. The atmosphere consists of nitrogen and oxygen. Due to the optimal distance to the Sun and the slight tilt of the rotation axis, there is liquid water, seasonal climate changes occur. Most likely, it was thanks to this that life was able to originate on the planet. The Earth has a powerful magnetic field that protects against solar radiation, and a large satellite - the Moon.

Diameter: 12103 km

The planet is very similar in structure and size to Earth. The same metal core, mineral shell, volcanic activity and surface gravity. But the surface of Venus itself is very different from that of Earth. The atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide and nitrogen with a dense layer of clouds of sulfur and chlorine compounds. The pressure on the surface is 92 times greater than on Earth, the temperature reaches 475 °C. On the surface of Venus, space stations have discovered many volcanoes, mountains, and asteroid craters. Venus does not have its own satellites

Diameter: 6780 km

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. Small, cold and deserted. Mars has a thin atmosphere, 160 times less dense than Earth's. The temperature on the planet's surface varies from −153°C in winter at the poles to +20°C at the equator. Mars has extensive polar caps made of water ice and frozen carbon dioxide. The planet's topography is very diverse - from the highest mountain in the Solar System - Olympus volcano with a height of 27 km - to the Marineris fault with a depth of 10 km. Seasonal climate changes are recorded on Mars, dust storms. This planet has already been visited by spacecraft more than 30 times. Mars has two small satellites - Phobos and Deimos.

Diameter: 4879 km

The planet closest to the Sun. The Mercury year lasts only 88 Earth days. Due to the slow rotation around its axis, the duration sunny day is 176 Earth days. Mercury has virtually no atmosphere. The temperature on the side of the planet facing the Sun reaches 349.9 °C, and at night it drops to −170.2 °C. The surface of Mercury resembles the moon - a rocky, lifeless desert covered with craters, the largest of which is 716 km across. The planet has a large metallic core and a weak magnetic field. Mercury does not have its own satellites.

Diameter: 2306 km

Pluto was previously considered the 9th planet of the solar system. Now classified as a dwarf planet, it is one of the largest and most visible of the many objects in the Kuiper Belt, which lies beyond the orbit of Neptune. Pluto is composed of rocks and ice and is one-fourth the mass of Earth's moon. There is practically no atmosphere. Pluto's surface is a frozen, icy desert covered in craters. More detailed information about it will be obtained only in 2015, when it is reached by the New Horizons spacecraft. Pluto has 5 moons, the largest of them is Charon, and it is only 8 times smaller than Pluto in mass.

Here is a picture showing comparisons of planet sizes:

Space is fraught with many mysteries. With the naked eye, we can only see a tiny fraction of celestial objects, large and small. In addition to the Earth, other large cosmic bodies also revolve around the Sun. Some of them are much larger in size than ours. home planet. What are they, the largest planets in the solar system?

Diameter: 2,326 km

Opens a list of the largest planets in the Solar System. It is the second largest cosmic object after Pluto and the furthest dwarf planet from the Sun. Previously, Eris was called Xena. For some time it claimed to be the tenth planet in the solar system, but in 2006, along with Pluto, it was classified as a dwarf planet. For a long time It was believed that Eris was larger in size than Pluto, but recent studies made by the New Horizons spacecraft have proven that Pluto is still slightly larger than Eris.

The surface of this dwarf planet, like that of Pluto, consists of rocks, ice and methane snow.

Diameter: 2,326 km.

Diameter: 2,326 km

Until recently, it was one of the nine planets of the solar system. In 2006, after much debate, by decision of the International Astronomical Union, it was deprived of its status as an ordinary planet. Pluto is now considered the largest dwarf planet. It is one of the largest Kuiper Belt objects. Composed of ice and rock, Pluto is relatively small. For comparison: its volume is three times less than the volume of the Moon. The surface of this dwarf planet is an icy desert covered with many craters. Pluto has five moons: Kerberos, Styx, Hydra, Charon and Nix.

In 2006, automatic space station New Horizons, which aims to study Pluto and Charon. The device safely reached the planet's orbit and transmitted to Earth the collected data and photographs of Pluto and all its satellites.

Diameter: 2,372 km.

Diameter: 4879 km

It occupies eighth place in the ranking of the largest planets in the solar system. It is interesting because it is closest to the Sun, so the Mercury year lasts only 88 Earth days. At the same time, the length of a day on Mercury is 176 Earth days, and all due to the slow rotation of the planet around its axis.

The proximity to the Sun leads to the fact that on the side of the planet facing the sun the temperature reaches 349.9 °C.

The surface of Mercury is bleak - it is a lifeless desert, covered with craters of all sizes. The planet has no satellites.

Diameter: 4879 km.

Diameter: 6780 km

In 7th place on the list of the largest planets in the solar system is. This is one of the most studied planets by people - spacecraft from Earth have visited it more than 30 times. Mars is very interesting. The largest peak in the solar system is located here - Mount Olympus, whose height reaches 27 km. Mars has changing seasons, just like Earth, polar caps of frozen carbon dioxide and ice. A day here lasts 24 hours 40 minutes. Mars is one of the most suitable planets for colonization in the future.

Satellites of Mars: Deimos and Phobos.

Diameter: 6780 km.

Diameter: 12103 km

Continues the list of the largest planets in the Solar System. Named after the Roman goddess of love, Venus, the second planet from the Sun has several other poetic names: Evening Star and Morning Star. Venus is not much smaller than Earth. Although it belongs to the Earth-like planets, its conditions differ from those of Earth. The atmosphere on the planet consists mainly of carbon dioxide, and its surface is hidden by huge clouds of sulfuric acid. It is assumed that Venus is still experiencing active volcanic activity. The surface temperature is 460 °C.

Diameter: 12103 km.

Diameter: 12742 km

In 5th place on the list of the largest planets in the solar system is. This is one of the most unique planets in the observable universe, on which appeared intelligent life. Most of the planet (about 70%) is covered with water. Due to its location and slight tilt of the rotation axis, the planet was created optimal conditions for the origin of life.

The Earth has one satellite - the Moon.

Diameter: 12742 km.

Diameter: 49224 km

One of the largest and most distant planets from the Sun in the Solar System. This is a huge gas giant, whose mass is 17 times that of Earth. The planet's atmosphere consists of helium and hydrogen. Neptune's core is solid, made of rocks and ice. The planet is interesting because there are constant storms on its surface. incredible strength winds whose speed can reach 2100 km/h. Invisible to the naked eye, Neptune was discovered thanks to mathematical calculations.

Neptune is the third most massive planet in the solar system. The spacecraft visited it only once. It was Voyager 2, which flew close to the planet in 1989. It made it possible to obtain images of the most powerful cyclones and storms raging on the planet.

Neptune is surrounded by the most number of satellites - it has 14.

Diameter: 49224 km.

Diameter: 50724 km

The gas giant is a very interesting research object. It was visited only once by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which transmitted images of Uranus to Earth. In the future, a full-scale study of the planet and its satellites is planned.

Uranus has a ring system and 27 moons ranging in size from 20 to 1500 km.

Diameter: 50724 km.

Diameter: 116464 km

It takes second place in the list of the largest planets in the solar system. Like Uranus and Neptune, it consists of a mixture of various gases that turn into a liquid state at depth. The mass of this gas giant is 95 times the mass of the Earth. Saturn is famous primarily for its rings and huge number of satellites. Today there are 62 of them. Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons, is larger than Mercury. Saturn is one of the most studied giant planets. It was visited by the Pioneer, Voyager and Cassini spacecraft.

Diameter: 116464 km.

Diameter: 139822 km

The gas giant, named after the supreme Roman deity, ranks first on the list of the largest planets in the Solar System. Its atmosphere consists of hydrogen, ammonia and methane. The mass of the giant is 2.5 times greater than the mass of all other planets in the solar system. Enormous storms and storms rage on the surface of Jupiter. One of them, the Great Red Spot, has been observed by scientists for several centuries. Jupiter has about 69 moons. The largest of them are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Diameter: 139822 km.

Our Solar System is one of the components of the Galaxy. Right here Milky Way extends over hundreds of thousands of light years.

The central element of the Solar System is the Sun. Eight planets revolve around it (the ninth planet Pluto was excluded from this list, since its mass and gravitational forces do not allow it to be on the same level as other planets). However, each planet is different from the next. Among them there are small and truly huge, icy and hot, consisting of gas and dense.

The largest planet in the Universe is TrES-4. It was discovered in 2006 and is located in the constellation Hercules. The planet, called TrES-4, orbits a star that is about 1,400 light-years away from planet Earth.

The planet TrES-4 itself is a ball that consists primarily of hydrogen. Its dimensions are 20 times greater than the size of the Earth. Researchers claim that the diameter of the discovered planet is almost 2 times (more precisely 1.7) larger than the diameter of Jupiter (this is the largest planet in the solar system). The temperature of TrES-4 is about 1260 degrees Celsius.

According to scientists, there is no solid surface on the planet. Therefore, you can only immerse yourself in it. It is a mystery how the density of the substance that makes up this celestial body is so low.

Jupiter

The largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, is located at a distance of 778 million kilometers from the Sun. This planet, the fifth in a row, is a gas giant. The composition is very similar to that of the sun. At least its atmosphere is predominantly hydrogen.

However, under the atmosphere, the surface of Jupiter is covered with ocean. Only it does not consist of water, but of rarefied high pressure boiling hydrogen. Jupiter rotates very quickly, so fast that it elongates along its equator. Therefore, unusually strong winds form there. Appearance The planet is interesting because of this feature: in its atmosphere, the clouds lengthen and form varied and colorful ribbons. Vortexes appear in the clouds - atmospheric formations. The largest ones are already more than 300 years old. Among them is the Great Red Spot, which is many times more sizes Earth.

Earth's Big Brother

It is worth noting that the planet’s magnetic field is huge, it occupies 650 million kilometers. This is much larger than Jupiter itself. The field partially extends even beyond the orbit of the planet Saturn. Jupiter currently has 28 satellites. At least that much is open. Looking into the sky from Earth, the farthest one looks smaller than the moon. But the largest satellite is Ganymede. However, astronomers are especially actively interested in Europe. It has a surface in the form of ice, and is also covered with stripes of cracks. Their origin still causes a lot of controversy. Some researchers believe that under balls of ice, where the water is not frozen, there may be primitive life. Few places in the solar system are worthy of such an assumption. Scientists plan to send drilling rigs to this satellite of Jupiter in the future. This is necessary just to study the composition of water.

Jupiter and its moons through a telescope

According to the modern version, the Sun and planets were formed from one gas and dust cloud. Jupiter accounts for 2/3 of the total mass of the planets in the solar system. And this is clearly not enough for thermonuclear reactions to occur in the center of the planet. Jupiter has its own heat source, which comes from energy from the compression and decay of matter. If heating came only from the Sun, then upper layer would have a temperature of about 100K. And judging by the measurements, it is equal to 140K.

It is worth noting that Jupiter's atmosphere consists of 11% helium and 89% hydrogen. This ratio makes it look like chemical composition Sun. Orange color obtained due to compounds of sulfur and phosphorus. They are destructive for people, as they contain acetylene and poisonous ammonia.

Saturn

It is the next largest planet in the solar system. Through the telescope it is clearly visible that Saturn is more flattened than Jupiter. There are stripes on the surface parallel to the equator, but they are less distinct than those of the previous planet. The stripes show numerous and subtle details. And it was from them that the scientist William Herschel was able to determine the period of rotation of the planet. It's only 10 hours and 16 minutes. The equator diameter of Saturn is slightly smaller than Jupiter. However, in weight it is inferior to the big planet three times. In addition, Saturn has a low average density - 0.7 grams per square centimeter. This is because giant planets are made of helium and hydrogen. In the depths of Saturn, the pressure is not the same as on Jupiter. In this case, the surface temperature is close to the temperature at which methane melts.

Saturn has elongated dark stripes or belts along the equator, as well as light zones. These details are not as contrasting as those of Jupiter. And individual spots are not so frequent. Saturn has rings. Through the telescope, “ears” are visible on both sides of the disk. It has been established that the rings of the planet are the remains of a huge circumplanetary cloud that stretches for millions of kilometers. Stars are visible through the rings that revolve around the planet. The internal parts rotate faster than the external parts.

Saturn through a telescope

Saturn has 22 satellites. They have the names of ancient heroes, for example, Mimas, Enceladus, Pandora, Epimetheus, Tethys, Dione, Prometheus. The most interesting of them: Janus - it is the closest to the planet, Titan - the largest (the largest satellite in the Solar system in terms of mass and size).

Film about Saturn

All of the planet's satellites, with the exception of Phoebe, orbit in the forward direction. But Phoebe is moving in orbit in the opposite direction.

Uranus

The seventh planet from the Sun in the solar system, therefore it is poorly lit. It is four times the diameter of the Earth. Some details on Uranus are difficult to distinguish due to their small angular dimensions. Uranus rotates around an axis, lying on its side. Uranus orbits the Sun every 84 years.

The polar day at the poles lasts 42 years, followed by night of the same duration. The composition of the planet is a small amount of methane and hydrogen. By indirect evidence there is helium. The planet's density is greater than that of Jupiter and Saturn.

Journey to the planets: Uranus and Neptune

Uranus has planetary narrow rings. They consist of individual opaque and dark particles. The radius of the orbits is 40-50 thousand kilometers, the width is from 1 to 10 kilometers. The planet has 15 satellites. Some of them are external, some are internal. The most distant and largest are Titania and Oberon. Their diameter is about 1.5 thousand kilometers. The surfaces are pitted with meteorite craters.
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