The most impressive images of the red planet. The best photos of the planets of the solar system

Our home in space is the Solar System, a star system consisting of eight planets and part of the Milky Way galaxy. In the center is a star called the Sun. The solar system is four and a half billion years old. We live on the third planet from the sun. Do you know about other planets in the solar system?! Now we will tell you a little about them.

Mercury- the smallest planet in the solar system. Its radius is 2440 km. The period of revolution around the Sun is 88 Earth days. During this time, Mercury manages to rotate around its own axis only one and a half times. A day on Mercury lasts approximately 59 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury is one of the most unstable: not only the speed of movement and its distance from the Sun, but also the position itself changes there. There are no satellites.

Neptune- the eighth planet of the solar system. It is located quite close to Uranus. The radius of the planet is 24547 km. A year on Neptune is 60,190 days, that is, about 164 Earth years. Has 14 satellites. It has an atmosphere in which the strongest winds have been recorded - up to 260 m/s.
By the way, Neptune was discovered not through observations, but through mathematical calculations.

Uranus- the seventh planet in the solar system. Radius - 25267 km. The coldest planet has a surface temperature of -224 degrees. A year on Uranus is equal to 30,685 Earth days, that is, approximately 84 years. Day - 17 hours. Has 27 satellites.

Saturn- the sixth planet of the solar system. The radius of the planet is 57350 km. It is second in size after Jupiter. A year on Saturn is 10,759 days, which is almost 30 Earth years. A day on Saturn is almost equal to a day on Jupiter - 10.5 Earth hours. It is most similar to the Sun in the composition of chemical elements.
Has 62 satellites.
The main feature of Saturn is its rings. Their origin has not yet been established.

Jupiter- the fifth planet from the Sun. It is the largest planet in the solar system. The radius of Jupiter is 69912 km. This is as much as 19 times larger than the Earth. A year there lasts as many as 4333 Earth days, that is, almost less than 12 years. A day is about 10 Earth hours long.
Jupiter has as many as 67 satellites. The largest of them are Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa. Moreover, Ganymede is 8% larger than Mercury, the smallest planet in our system, and has an atmosphere.

Mars- the fourth planet of the solar system. Its radius is 3390 km, which is almost half the size of the Earth. A year on Mars is 687 Earth days. It has 2 satellites - Phobos and Deimos.
The planet's atmosphere is thin. Water found on some areas of the surface suggests that some kind of primitive life on Mars was once before or even exists now.

Venus- the second planet of the solar system. It is similar in mass and radius to the Earth. There are no satellites.
The atmosphere of Venus consists almost entirely of carbon dioxide. The percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 96%, nitrogen - approximately 4%. Water vapor and oxygen are also present, but in very small quantities. Due to the fact that such an atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect, the temperature on the surface of the planet reaches 475 °C. A day on Venus is equal to 243 Earth days. A year on Venus is 255 days.

Pluto is a dwarf planet on the edges of the solar system, which is the dominant object in a distant system of 6 small cosmic bodies. The radius of the planet is 1195 km. Pluto's orbital period around the Sun is approximately 248 Earth years. A day on Pluto is 152 hours long. The mass of the planet is approximately 0.0025 that of the Earth.
It is noteworthy that Pluto was excluded from the category of planets in 2006 due to the fact that in the Kuiper belt there are objects that are larger or equal in size to Pluto, which is why, even if it is accepted as a full-fledged planet, then in this case it is necessary Add Eris to this category - which is almost the same size as Pluto.

Planets of the Solar System

According to the official position of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the organization that assigns names to astronomical objects, there are only 8 planets.

Pluto was removed from the planet category in 2006. because There are objects in the Kuiper Belt that are larger/equal in size to Pluto. Therefore, even if we take it as a full-fledged celestial body, then it is necessary to add Eris to this category, which has almost the same size as Pluto.

By MAC definition, there are 8 known planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

All planets are divided into two categories depending on their physical characteristics: terrestrial planets and gas giants.

Schematic representation of the location of the planets

Terrestrial planets

Mercury

The smallest planet in the solar system has a radius of only 2440 km. The period of revolution around the Sun, equated to an earthly year for ease of understanding, is 88 days, while Mercury manages to rotate around its own axis only one and a half times. Thus, his day lasts approximately 59 Earth days. For a long time it was believed that this planet always turned the same side to the Sun, since periods of its visibility from Earth were repeated with a frequency approximately equal to four Mercury days. This misconception was dispelled with the advent of the ability to use radar research and conduct continuous observations using space stations. The orbit of Mercury is one of the most unstable; not only the speed of movement and its distance from the Sun change, but also the position itself. Anyone interested can observe this effect.

Mercury in color, image from the MESSENGER spacecraft

Its proximity to the Sun is the reason why Mercury is subject to the largest temperature changes among the planets in our system. The average daytime temperature is about 350 degrees Celsius, and the nighttime temperature is -170 °C. Sodium, oxygen, helium, potassium, hydrogen and argon were detected in the atmosphere. There is a theory that it was previously a satellite of Venus, but so far this remains unproven. It does not have its own satellites.

Venus

The second planet from the Sun, the atmosphere is almost entirely composed of carbon dioxide. It is often called the Morning Star and the Evening Star, because it is the first of the stars to become visible after sunset, just as before dawn it continues to be visible even when all the other stars have disappeared from view. The percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 96%, there is relatively little nitrogen in it - almost 4%, and water vapor and oxygen are present in very small quantities.

Venus in the UV spectrum

Such an atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect; the temperature on the surface is even higher than that of Mercury and reaches 475 °C. Considered the slowest, a Venusian day lasts 243 Earth days, which is almost equal to a year on Venus - 225 Earth days. Many call it Earth's sister because of its mass and radius, the values ​​of which are very close to those of Earth. The radius of Venus is 6052 km (0.85% of Earth's). Like Mercury, there are no satellites.

The third planet from the Sun and the only one in our system where there is liquid water on the surface, without which life on the planet could not have developed. At least life as we know it. The radius of the Earth is 6371 km and, unlike other celestial bodies in our system, more than 70% of its surface is covered with water. The rest of the space is occupied by continents. Another feature of the Earth is the tectonic plates hidden under the planet's mantle. At the same time, they are able to move, albeit at a very low speed, which over time causes changes in the landscape. The speed of the planet moving along it is 29-30 km/sec.

Our planet from space

One revolution around its axis takes almost 24 hours, and a complete passage through the orbit lasts 365 days, which is much longer in comparison with its closest neighboring planets. The Earth's day and year are also accepted as a standard, but this is done only for the convenience of perceiving time periods on other planets. The Earth has one natural satellite - the Moon.

Mars

The fourth planet from the Sun, known for its thin atmosphere. Since 1960, Mars has been actively explored by scientists from several countries, including the USSR and the USA. Not all exploration programs have been successful, but water found at some sites suggests that primitive life exists on Mars, or existed in the past.

The brightness of this planet allows it to be seen from Earth without any instruments. Moreover, once every 15-17 years, during the Confrontation, it becomes the brightest object in the sky, eclipsing even Jupiter and Venus.

The radius is almost half that of Earth and is 3390 km, but the year is much longer - 687 days. He has 2 satellites - Phobos and Deimos .

Visual model of the solar system

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• Sun

  The Sun is a star that is a hot ball of hot gases at the center of our Solar System. Its influence extends far beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto. Without the Sun and its intense energy and heat, there would be no life on Earth. There are billions of stars like our Sun scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

• Mercury

  Sun-scorched Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's satellite the Moon. Like the Moon, Mercury is practically devoid of an atmosphere and cannot smooth out the traces of impact from falling meteorites, so it, like the Moon, is covered with craters. The day side of Mercury gets very hot from the Sun, while on the night side the temperature drops hundreds of degrees below zero. There is ice in the craters of Mercury, which are located at the poles. Mercury completes one revolution around the Sun every 88 days.

• Venus

  Venus is a world of monstrous heat (even more than on Mercury) and volcanic activity. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus is covered by a thick and toxic atmosphere that creates a strong greenhouse effect. This scorched world is hot enough to melt lead. Radar images through the powerful atmosphere revealed volcanoes and deformed mountains. Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the rotation of most planets.

• Earth is an ocean planet. Our home, with its abundance of water and life, makes it unique in our solar system. Other planets, including several moons, also have ice deposits, atmospheres, seasons and even weather, but only on Earth did all these components come together in a way that made life possible.

• Mars

  Although details of the surface of Mars are difficult to see from Earth, observations through a telescope indicate that Mars has seasons and white spots at the poles. For decades, people believed that the bright and dark areas on Mars were patches of vegetation, that Mars might be a suitable place for life, and that water existed in the polar ice caps. When the Mariner 4 spacecraft arrived at Mars in 1965, many scientists were shocked to see photographs of the murky, cratered planet. Mars turned out to be a dead planet. More recent missions, however, have revealed that Mars holds many mysteries that remain to be solved.

• Jupiter

  Jupiter is the most massive planet in our solar system, with four large moons and many small moons. Jupiter forms a kind of miniature solar system. To become a full-fledged star, Jupiter needed to become 80 times more massive.

• Saturn

  Saturn is the farthest of the five planets known before the invention of the telescope. Like Jupiter, Saturn is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Its volume is 755 times greater than that of the Earth. Winds in its atmosphere reach speeds of 500 meters per second. These fast winds, combined with heat rising from the planet's interior, cause the yellow and golden streaks we see in the atmosphere.

• Uranus

  The first planet found using a telescope, Uranus was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel. The seventh planet is so far from the Sun that one revolution around the Sun takes 84 years.

• Neptune

  Distant Neptune rotates almost 4.5 billion kilometers from the Sun. It takes him 165 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. It is invisible to the naked eye due to its vast distance from Earth. Interestingly, its unusual elliptical orbit intersects with the orbit of the dwarf planet Pluto, which is why Pluto is inside the orbit of Neptune for about 20 years out of 248 during which it makes one revolution around the Sun.

• Pluto

  Tiny, cold and incredibly distant, Pluto was discovered in 1930 and was long considered the ninth planet. But after discoveries of Pluto-like worlds that were even further away, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

Planets are giants

There are four gas giants located beyond the orbit of Mars: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. They are located in the outer solar system. They are distinguished by their massiveness and gas composition.

Planets of the solar system, not to scale

Jupiter

The fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in our system. Its radius is 69912 km, it is 19 times larger than the Earth and only 10 times smaller than the Sun. The year on Jupiter is not the longest in the solar system, lasting 4333 Earth days (less than 12 years). His own day has a duration of about 10 Earth hours. The exact composition of the planet's surface has not yet been determined, but it is known that krypton, argon and xenon are present on Jupiter in much larger quantities than on the Sun.

There is an opinion that one of the four gas giants is actually a failed star. This theory is also supported by the largest number of satellites, of which Jupiter has many - as many as 67. To imagine their behavior in the planet’s orbit, you need a fairly accurate and clear model of the solar system. The largest of them are Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa. Moreover, Ganymede is the largest satellite of the planets in the entire solar system, its radius is 2634 km, which is 8% greater than the size of Mercury, the smallest planet in our system. Io has the distinction of being one of only three moons with an atmosphere.

Saturn

The second largest planet and the sixth in the solar system. In comparison with other planets, it is most similar to the Sun in the composition of chemical elements. The radius of the surface is 57,350 km, the year is 10,759 days (almost 30 Earth years). A day here lasts a little longer than on Jupiter - 10.5 Earth hours. In terms of the number of satellites, it is not much behind its neighbor - 62 versus 67. The largest satellite of Saturn is Titan, just like Io, which is distinguished by the presence of an atmosphere. Slightly smaller in size, but no less famous are Enceladus, Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Iapetus and Mimas. It is these satellites that are the objects for the most frequent observation, and therefore we can say that they are the most studied in comparison with the others.

For a long time, the rings on Saturn were considered a unique phenomenon unique to it. Only recently it was established that all gas giants have rings, but in others they are not so clearly visible. Their origin has not yet been established, although there are several hypotheses about how they appeared. In addition, it was recently discovered that Rhea, one of the satellites of the sixth planet, also has some kind of rings.

Interplanetary robotic reconnaissance missions from NASA, the European Space Agency and others are currently collecting information about our solar system. Right now, spacecraft are in orbit around the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and Saturn, while others are flying towards small space objects.
Thanks to the astronauts and all the automatic mechanical scouts in space, we have the opportunity to look at “family” photographs of our Solar System.

This is Pan-STARRS - a non-periodic circumsolar comet. In March 2013, it could be observed with the naked eye, while it was near perihelion. It is named after the Pan-STARRS telescope located on the island of Maui (Hawaii).
This photo of the comet was taken on March 15, 2013 from Stereo Behind, part of one of the most unusual projects to study the Sun. So, one device moves in an orbit located to the Sun a little closer than the Earth’s, the other - a little further. As a result, Stereo Ahead and Stereo Behind send pictures taken from different points at the same time. This allows you to form a three-dimensional picture of observations.

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun in the Solar System. In its physical characteristics, Mercury resembles the Moon. It has no natural satellites, but has a very rarefied atmosphere. The temperature on the surface of Mercury ranges from −180 to +430 °C. The photo was taken from the American automatic interplanetary station Messenger for the study of Mercury.

Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet. Its radius is only 2440 ± 1.0 km, which is less than the radius of Jupiter's moon Ganymede and Saturn's moon Titan. Comparative sizes of the planets (from left to right: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars):

Kertesz Crater on Mercury. It is named after Andre Kertesz, an American photographer of Hungarian origin. The diameter of the crater is 33 km.

This is Venus - the second inner planet of the solar system. Its relative dimensions are shown in the 4th photo. Venus is classified as an Earth-like planet and is sometimes called "Earth's sister" because the two planets are similar in size, gravity, and composition. By cosmic standards, Venus is a young planet, and the surface of Venus is approximately 500 million years old.

In ancient times, Venus is believed to have become so hot that the Earth-like oceans it is thought to have evaporated completely, leaving behind a desert landscape with many slab-like rocks. The atmospheric pressure on the surface of Venus is 92 times greater than on Earth.

Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide walked into outer space from the ISS, November 1, 2012. Contrary to popular belief, space is not completely empty space - it contains a very low density of some particles (mainly hydrogen), as well as electromagnetic radiation. Also, there is still no consensus on what to consider as a factor in the beginning of space, since the atmosphere gradually thins out as it moves away from the earth’s surface.

According to NASA scientists, contrary to popular belief, when entering outer space without a protective suit, a person will not freeze, explode, or instantly lose consciousness, and his blood will not boil. Instead, there will be rapid death from lack of oxygen.

Northern Lights in Alaska, March 17, 2013. 1000–1100 km - the maximum height of the auroras, the last manifestation of the atmosphere visible from the Earth's surface.

A crater lake is a body of water formed when a volcanic crater fills with water. This satellite photo of Quebec shows two circular crater lakes not covered with snow - Pingualuit and Couture. Both craters were formed millions of years ago by the impact of meteorites on the Earth's surface.

Test launch of the Antares rocket, developed by the American company Orbital Sciences Corporation and intended to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, April 21, 2013. We have already talked about this launch in detail.

December 7, 2012 was 40 years since the launch of Apollo 17, the manned spacecraft that carried out the sixth and final landing of men on the Moon as part of the Apollo program. This photo was taken in 1972 from Apollo 17. The Earth can be seen rising above the lunar horizon.

The Curiosity rover is monitored by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft in Martian orbit. This image shows rover tracks on the surface of the Red Planet, January 2, 2013.

Aeolis or Mount Sharp - the central peak of Gale Crater on the planet Mars, September 20, 2012. The main goal of the Curiosity rover's scientific mission is to conduct research in the area at the foot of Mount Sharp.

On February 8, 2013, the American rover Curiosity drilled a hole in Mars (diameter 1.6 cm, depth 6.4 cm) and obtained a soil sample.

Gullies on the Vesta asteroid. It is one of the largest asteroids in the main asteroid belt. Among asteroids it ranks first in mass and second in size after Pallas. Vesta was discovered on March 29, 1807 by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers and, at the suggestion of Karl Gauss, received the name of the ancient Roman goddess of home and hearth, Vesta.

The best photographs of the planets of the solar system, pictures of spacecraft.

Mercury

Taken from NASA's Messenger spacecraft, this is the best image of Mercury ever taken. It was compiled as recently as February 22, 2013.

Venus

Earth

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

If you were born in the specified time period, then you will be interested to know which animal was born in 1986. Zodiac signs will tell you what character traits and other qualities are inherent in a person born in eighty-six.

(average: 4,62 out of 5)

Mysterious nebulae, which are millions of light years away, the birth of new stars and collisions of galaxies. Part 2 of a selection of the best photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope. The first part is located.

This is part Carina Nebula. The total diameter of the nebula is more than 200 light years. Located 8,000 light-years from Earth, the Carina Nebula can be seen in the southern sky with the naked eye. Is one of the brightest areas in the Galaxy:

Hubble's ultra-long-range viewing area (WFC3 camera). Composed of gas and dust:

Another photo Carina Nebula:

By the way, let's get to know the culprit of today's report. This Hubble telescope in space. Placing a telescope in space makes it possible to detect electromagnetic radiation in ranges in which the earth’s atmosphere is opaque; primarily in the infrared range. Due to the absence of atmospheric influence, the resolution of the telescope is 7-10 times greater than that of a similar telescope located on Earth.

The Discovery shuttle, launched on April 24, 1990, launched the telescope into its intended orbit the next day. The total cost of the project, according to estimates in 1999, amounted to 6 billion dollars on the American side and 593 million euros were paid by the European Space Agency.

Globular cluster in the constellation Centaurus. It is located 18,300 light years away. Omega Centauri belongs to our Milky Way galaxy and is its largest globular cluster currently known. It contains several million stars. The age of Omega Centauri is determined to be 12 billion years:

Butterfly Nebula ( NGC 6302) - planetary nebula in the constellation Scorpio. It has one of the most complex structures among the known polar nebulae. Central star of the nebula one of the hottest in the galaxy. The central star was discovered by the Hubble telescope in 2009:

The largest in the solar system. Along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, Jupiter is classified as a gas giant. Jupiter has at least 63 satellites. Mass of Jupiter 2.47 times the total mass of all other planets in the Solar System taken together, 318 times the mass of our Earth and approximately 1,000 times less than the mass of the Sun:

A few more images Carina Nebula:

Part of a galaxy - a dwarf galaxy located at a distance of about 50 kiloparsecs from our Galaxy. This distance is less than twice the diameter of our Galaxy:

And yet the photographs Carina Nebula some of the most beautiful:

Spiral Whirlpool Galaxy. It is located at a distance of about 30 million light years from us in the constellation Canes Venatici. The diameter of the galaxy is about 100 thousand light years:

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an amazing image of a planetary planet. Retina Nebula, which was formed from the remnants of the dying star IC 4406. Like most nebulae, the Retina Nebula is almost perfectly symmetrical, its right half is almost a mirror image of the left. In a few million years, all that will remain of IC 4406 is a slowly cooling white dwarf:

M27 is one of the brightest planetary nebulae in the sky and can be seen with binoculars in the constellation Vulpecula. The light takes about a thousand years to reach us from M27:

It looks like smoke and sparks from fireworks, but it's actually debris from the explosion of a star in a nearby galaxy. Our Sun and the planets of the Solar System were formed from similar debris that appeared after a supernova explosion billions of years ago in the Milky Way galaxy:

In the constellation Virgo at a distance of 28 million light years from Earth. The Sombrero Galaxy gets its name from its protruding central part (bulge) and ridge of dark matter, giving the galaxy the appearance of a sombrero hat:

The exact distance to it is unknown; according to various estimates, it can range from 2 to 9 thousand light years. Width 50 light years. The nebula's name means "divided into three petals":

Helix Nebula NGC 7293 in the constellation Aquarius at a distance of 650 light years from the Sun. One of the closest planetary nebulae and was discovered in 1824:

Located in the constellation Eridanus, at a distance of 61 million light years from Earth. The size of the galaxy itself is 110 thousand light years, which is slightly larger than our galaxy, the Milky Way. NGC 1300 is unlike some spiral galaxies, including our Galaxy, in that it does not have a massive black hole at its core:

Dust clouds in our Milky Way galaxy. Our Milky Way galaxy, also called simply the Galaxy (with a capital letter), is a giant spiral star system in which our solar system is located. The diameter of the Galaxy is about 30 thousand parsecs (about 100,000 light years) with an estimated average thickness of about 1,000 light years. The Milky Way contains, according to the lowest estimate, about 200 billion stars. There appears to be a supermassive black hole at the center of the Galaxy:

On the right, above, these are not fireworks, this is a dwarf galaxy - a satellite of our Milky Way. Located at a distance of about 60 kiloparsecs in the constellation Tucana:

Formed during the collision of four massive galaxies. This is the first time this phenomenon has been visualized using a combination of images. Galaxies are surrounded by hot gas, which is shown in different colors depending on its temperature: reddish-purple is the coldest, blue is the hottest:

It is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System after Jupiter. Today we know that all four gaseous giants have rings, but Saturn's is the most prominent. Saturn's rings are very thin. With a diameter of about 250,000 km, their thickness does not reach even a kilometer. The mass of the planet Saturn is 95 times greater than the mass of our Earth:

In the constellation Dorado. The nebula belongs to the Milky Way's satellite galaxy - the Large Magellanic Cloud:

Measuring 100 thousand light years and located 35 million light years from the Sun:

And a bonus shot. From the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 00 hours 12 minutes 44 seconds Moscow time today, June 8, 2011, the ship was successfully launched "Soyuz TMA-02M". This is the second flight of the ship of the new, “digital” Soyuz-TMA-M series. Nice start: