The largest planet in the universe. The biggest star in the universe

Science

Of course, the oceans are vast and the mountains incredibly high. Moreover, the 7 billion people who call the Earth home is also incredible large number. But, living in this world with a diameter of 12,742 kilometers, it is easy to forget that this is, in essence, a trifle for such a thing as space. When we look into the night sky, we realize that we are just a grain of sand in a vast infinite universe. We invite you to learn about the largest objects in space; the size of some of them is difficult for us to imagine.

1) Jupiter

The largest planet in the solar system (142,984 kilometers in diameter)

Jupiter is the most major planet our star system. Ancient astronomers named this planet in honor of the father of the Roman gods, Jupiter. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. The planet's atmosphere is 84 percent hydrogen and 15 percent helium. Everything else is acetylene, ammonia, ethane, methane, phosphine and water vapor.

Jupiter's mass is 318 times more mass Earth, and the diameter is 11 times larger. The mass of this giant is 70 percent of the mass of all planets solar system. Jupiter's volume is large enough to accommodate 1,300 Earth-like planets. Jupiter has 63 known moons, but most of them are incredibly small and fuzzy.

2) Sun

The largest object in the Solar System (1,391,980 kilometers in diameter)

Our Sun is a yellow dwarf star, the largest object in the star system in which we exist. The Sun contains 99.8 percent of the mass of this entire system, most of the rest of the mass comes from Jupiter. The Sun currently consists of 70 percent hydrogen and 28 percent helium, with the remaining substances making up only 2 percent of its mass.

Over time, hydrogen in the Sun's core turns into helium. Conditions in the Sun's core, which makes up 25 percent of its diameter, are extreme. The temperature is 15.6 million Kelvin and the pressure is 250 billion atmospheres. The sun's energy is achieved through reactions nuclear fusion. Every second, approximately 700,000,000 tons of hydrogen are converted into 695,000,000 tons of helium and 5,000,000 tons of energy in the form of gamma rays.

3) Our Solar System

15*10 12 kilometers in diameter

Our solar system contains only one star, which is central object, and nine major planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, as well as many satellites, millions of rocky asteroids and billions of icy comets.

4) Star VY Canis Majoris

The largest star in the Universe (3 billion kilometers in diameter)

VY Canis Major- the largest of famous star and one of the most bright stars in the sky. This is a red hypergiant, which is located in the constellation Canis Major. The radius of this star greater than radius our Sun is approximately 1800-2200 times, its diameter is approximately 3 billion kilometers.

If this star were placed in our solar system, it would block the orbit of Saturn. Some astronomers believe that VY is actually smaller—about 600 times the size of the Sun—and would therefore only reach the orbit of Mars.

5) Huge deposits of water

Astronomers have discovered the largest and most massive reserves of water ever found in the Universe. The giant cloud, which is about 12 billion years old, contains 140 trillion times more water than all the Earth's oceans combined contain.

A cloud of gaseous water surrounds a supermassive black hole, which is located 12 billion light years from Earth. This discovery shows that water has dominated the universe for almost all of its existence, the researchers said.

6) Extremely large and massive black holes

21 billion solar masses

Supermassive black holes are the largest black holes in the galaxy, with a mass of hundreds or even thousands of millions of solar masses. Most, and perhaps all, galaxies, including the Milky Way, are believed to contain supermassive black holes at their centers.

One such monster, which has a mass 21 million times greater than the mass of the Sun, is an egg-shaped funnel of stars in the galaxy NGC 4889, the brightest galaxy in a sprawling cloud of thousands of galaxies. The hole is located approximately 336 million light years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. This black hole is so huge that it is 12 times larger in diameter than our Solar System.

7) Milky Way

100-120 thousand light years in diameter

Milky Way - crossed spiral galaxy, which contains 200-400 billion stars. Each of these stars has many planets orbiting it.

By some estimates, 10 billion planets are in the habitable zone, orbiting their parent stars, that is, in areas where there are all conditions for the emergence of life similar to earthly life.

8) El Gordo

The largest cluster of galaxies (2*10 15 solar masses)

El Gordo is located more than 7 billion light years from Earth, so what we see today is just its early stages. According to researchers who have studied this galaxy cluster, it is the largest, hottest and emits more radiation than any other known cluster at the same distance or further away.

The central galaxy at the center of El Gordo is incredibly bright and has an unusual blue glow. The study authors suggest that this extreme galaxy is the result of a collision and merger of two galaxies.

By using space telescope Spitzer and optical imaging scientists estimate that 1 percent total mass the clusters make up the stars, and the rest is hot gas that fills outer space between the stars. This ratio of stars to gas is similar to that in other massive clusters.

9) Our Universe

Size – 156 billion light years

Of course, no one could ever name the exact dimensions of the Universe, but, according to some estimates, its diameter is 1.5 * 10 24 kilometers. It’s generally difficult for us to imagine that there is an end somewhere, because the Universe includes incredibly gigantic objects:

Earth diameter: 1.27*10 4 km

Diameter of the Sun: 1.39*10 6 km

Solar system: 2.99*10 10 km or 0.0032 light. l.

Distance from the Sun to the nearest star: 4.5 sv. l.

Milky Way: 1.51*10 18 km or 160,000 light. l.

Local group of galaxies: 3.1 * 10 19 km or 6.5 million light years. l.

Local supercluster: 1.2*10 21 km or 130 million light. l.

10) Multiverse

You can try to imagine not one, but many Universes that exist at the same time. Multiverse (or Multiple Universe) is an admissible accumulation of many possible Universes, including our own, which together contain everything that exists or can exist: the integrity of space, time, material substance and energy, as well physical laws and the constants that describe it all.

However, the existence of other Universes besides ours has not been proven, so it is very likely that our Universe is one of a kind.

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. In the depths of Jupiter's atmosphere, due to colossal pressure, gases transform into 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 has been explored automatic devices"Vodyager", "Pioneer", "Cassini".

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, wind speeds reach 900 km/h. Uranus completes one rotation around the Sun in 84 Earth years. The mass of Uranus is only 14 times the mass of the Earth. Instrumental observations of the atmosphere of Uranus are hampered by its low brightness, there are no cloud bands and sustainable formations, but are registered seasonal changes. The planet's axis is tilted 98 degrees, and as it rotates in orbit, the planet faces the Sun alternately with its north and south poles. Uranus has 27 moons and small rings.

Diameter: 49224 km

The most distant planet 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 mostly 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. Thanks to optimal distance to the Sun and a slight tilt of the rotation axis on the surface of the planet 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 solar radiation, And large satellite- 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 dense layer 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 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 ice caps, consisting 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, and dust storms occur. 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 earthly 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 he has the status dwarf planet, and it is one of the largest and most visible of the many objects in the Kuiper Belt, which is located beyond the orbit of Neptune. Pluto consists of rocks and ice, with a mass four times less 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 reaches spacecraft"New Horizons". 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:

The term "Universe" refers to a space that has no boundaries and is filled with galaxies, pulsars, quasars, black holes and matter. Galaxies, in turn, consist of a cluster of stars and star systems.

For example, the Milky Way includes 200 billion stars, among which the Sun is far from the largest and brightest. And our solar system, which includes the Earth and other planets, is certainly not the only one in the Universe. The largest and smallest planets of the Solar System and the Universe as a whole will be discussed below.

The largest planet in the solar system

Jupiter is a planet located in 5th place in terms of distance from the Sun and is recognized as the largest in the Solar System. The radius of the planet is 69,911 km.

• Jupiter is a "shield" for the Earth, blocking the path of comets and other celestial bodies due to its gravity.
• The temperature of Jupiter's core is 20,000 °C.
• There are no solid places on the surface of Jupiter; instead, a boiling hydrogen ocean rages.
• The mass of Jupiter is 2.5 times greater than the total mass of the other planets of the Solar System and amounts to 1.8986*10²⁷ kg.

• Jupiter has the largest number satellites in the solar system - 63 objects. And on Europa (a satellite of Jupiter) there is supposedly water under ice deposits.
• The Great Red Spot is an atmospheric vortex on Jupiter that has not subsided for 300 years. Its size is gradually decreasing, but even 100 years ago the volume of the vortex was compared with the volume of the Earth.
• A day on Jupiter is only 10 Earth hours, and a year is 12 Earth years.

The smallest planet in the solar system

Not so long ago, this title was transferred to the planet Mercury from Pluto, which was previously included in the Solar System as a planet, but since August 2006 it is not considered one.

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. Its radius is 2,439.7 km.

• Mercury – the only planet, which has no natural satellites.
• A day on Mercury is equivalent to 176 Earth days.
• The first mention of Mercury was recorded 3,000 years ago.

• The temperature range on Mercury is impressive: at night the temperature reaches -167°C, during the day – up to +480°C.
• Reserves of water ice have been discovered at the bottom of Mercury's deep craters.
• Clouds form at the poles of Mercury.
• The mass of Mercury is 3.3*10²³ kg.

The largest stars in the Universe

Betelgeuse. One of the brightest stars in the sky and one of the largest in the Universe (red hypergiant). Another common name for the object is Alpha Orionis. As its second name suggests, Betelgeuse is located in the constellation Orion. The size of the star is 1180 solar radii (the radius of the Sun is 690,000 km).

Scientists believe that over the next millennium, Betelgeuse will regenerate into supernova, since it ages quickly, although it was formed not so long ago - several million years ago. Considering that the distance from Earth is only 640 light years, our descendants will witness one of the greatest spectacles in the Universe.

RW Cepheus. A star in the constellation Cepheus, also recognized as a red hypergiant. True, scientists are still debating about its size. Some argue that the radius RW of Cepheus is equal to 1260 radii of the Sun, others believe that it should be equated to 1650 radii. The stellar object is 11,500 light years away from Earth.

KW Sagittarius. A red supergiant located in the constellation Sagittarius. The distance to the Sun is 10,000 light years. As for the size, the radius of the supergiant is equal to 1460 solar radii.

KY Swan. A star belonging to the constellation Cygnus and distant from Earth at a distance of 5,000 light years. Since today scientists have not yet received a clear image of the object, debate about its size is still ongoing. Most believe that the radius of KY Cygnus is 1420 solar radii. Alternative version- 2850 radii.

V354 Cephei. Red supergiant and variable star of the Milky Way galaxy. The radius of V354 Cepheus is 1520 times that of the Sun. The stellar object is located relatively close to Earth - only 9,000 light years away.

WOH G64. Red hypergiant, located in the constellation Doradus, which, in turn, belongs to dwarf galaxy Large Magellanic Cloud. Star WOH G64 at 1540 times bigger than the sun and 40 times heavier.

V838 Unicorn. A red variable star belonging to the constellation Monoceros. The distance from the star to Earth is equal to 20,000 light years, so the calculations made on the size of V838 Monoceros are only approximate. Today it is generally accepted that the size of the object exceeds the size of the Sun by 1170-1970 times.

Mu Cephei. Also known as Herschel's Garnet Star. It is a red supergiant located in the constellation Cepheus (Milky Way galaxy). In addition to its size (Mu Cephei is 1650 times larger than the Sun), the star is notable for its brightness. It is more than 38,000 times brighter than the sun, representing one of the most bright luminaries Milky Way.

VV Cephei A. A red hypergiant that belongs to the constellation Cepheus and is 2,400 light years away from Earth. The size of VV Cepheus A is 1800 times the size of the Sun. As for the mass, it exceeds the solar mass by 100 times. It has been scientifically proven that component A is physically variable star, which pulsates every 150 days

VY Canis Majoris. The most big star in the Universe is located in the constellation Canis Major and is a red hypergiant. The distance from the star to Earth is equal to 5,000 light years. The radius of VY Canis Majoris was determined in 2005; it is 2,000 solar radii. And the mass exceeds the solar mass by 40 times.

Magnetic planets

The magnetic field cannot be observed visually, but its presence or absence is recorded with a high degree of accuracy by modern instruments. The earth is a huge magnet. Thanks to this, our planet is protected from cosmic radiation generated solar wind– highly charged particles “shot” by the Sun.

The Earth's protective magnetosphere deflects the approaching flows of these particles and directs them around its axis. In the absence of a magnetic field, cosmic radiation will destroy the atmosphere on Earth. Scientists suggest that this is exactly what happened on Mars.

There is no magnetic field on Mars, but magnetic poles, reminiscent of the magnetosphere at the bottom of the Earth's oceans. The magnetic poles of Mars are so strong that they extend hundreds of kilometers into the atmosphere. In addition, they interact with cosmic radiation and even create auroras recorded by scientists.

However, the absence of a magnetosphere is a consequence of the absence on Mars liquid water. And in order for a person to move safely on the surface of the planet, it is necessary to develop personal protection, a personal “magnetic field” for everyone.

3. Mercury's magnetic field. Mercury, like the Earth, is protected by a magnetosphere. This discovery was made in 1974. The planet also has north and south magnetic poles. The South Pole is exposed to much more radiation than the North Pole.

A new phenomenon has also been discovered on Mercury - magnetic tornadoes. They are twisted beams originating in a magnetic field and moving into interplanetary space. Mercury's magnetic tornadoes are capable of covering an area 800 km wide and up to a third of the radius of the planet.

4. Magnetosphere of Venus. Venus, which is often compared to the Earth and even considered its double, also has magnetic field, however, extremely weak, 10,000 times weaker than earthly. Scientists have not yet established the reasons for this.

5. Magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter's magnetosphere is 20,000 times stronger than Earth's and is considered the largest in the solar system. Electrically charged particles surrounding the planet periodically interact with other planets and objects, causing damage to their protective shells.

Saturn's magnetic field is notable only for the fact that its axis coincides 100% with the axis of rotation, which is not observed for other planets.

6. Magnetic field of Uranus and Neptune. The magnetospheres of Uranus and Neptune differ from the other planets in that they have 2 northern and 2 south poles. However, the nature of the emergence and interaction of fields with interplanetary space is not completely clear.

The largest planet in the Universe

TrES-4 is recognized as the No. 1 planet in the Universe by its size. It was discovered only in 2006. TrES-4 is a planet in the Hercules constellation, its distance from Earth is 1,400 light years.

The giant planet is 1.7 times larger than Jupiter (Jupiter's radius is 69,911 km), and its temperature reaches 1260°C. Scientists are convinced that there is no TrES-4 on the planet hard surface, and the main component of the planet is hydrogen.

The smallest planet in the Universe

In 2013, scientists discovered a planet recognized as the smallest in the Universe - Kepler-37b. This planet is one of three planets orbiting the star Kepler-37.

Its exact dimensions have not yet been established, but in terms of dimensions Kepler-37b is comparable to the Moon, whose radius is 1737.1 km. Presumably, the planet Kepler-37b consists of rock.

Giant satellites and the smallest satellites in space

The largest satellite in the Universe today is considered to be Ganymede, a satellite of Jupiter. Its diameter is 5270 km. Ganymede mostly consists of ice and silicates, the core of the satellite is liquid, scientists even suggest the presence of water in it. Ganymede also forms its own magnetosphere and a thin atmosphere in which oxygen is found.

The smallest satellite in the Universe is considered to be S/2010 J 2. It is noteworthy that this is again a satellite of Jupiter. The diameter of S/2010 J 2 is 2 km. Its discovery occurred in 2010, and today the detailed characteristics of the satellite are only being studied using modern instruments.

Universe in equally known and unknown to humanity, since this space is extremely changeable. And although today people’s knowledge is hundreds of times greater than the knowledge of our predecessors, scientists say that all the greatest discoveries of the Universe are yet to come.

Our Universe is truly huge. Pulsars, planets, stars, black holes and hundreds of other objects of incomprehensible size that are found in the Universe.

And today we would like to talk about the 10 biggest things. In this list, we've put together a collection of some of the largest objects in space, including nebulae, pulsars, galaxies, planets, stars, and more.

Without further delay, here is a list of the ten biggest things in the universe.

The most big planet in the Universe - this 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.

To date the most big star is UY Scutum in the constellation Scutum at a distance of about 9,500 light-years from us. This is one of the brightest stars - it is 340 thousand times brighter than our Sun. Its diameter is 2.4 billion km, which is 1700 times larger than our star, with a weight of only 30 times the mass of the sun. It’s a pity that it is constantly losing mass; it is also called the fastest burning star. This may be why some scientists consider NML Cygnus the largest star, and others consider VY Canis Majoris.

Black holes are not measured in kilometers, key indicator is their mass. The largest black hole is in the galaxy NGC 1277, which is not the largest. However, the hole in the galaxy NGC 1277 has 17 billion solar masses, which is 17% of the total mass of the galaxy. By comparison, our Milky Way's black hole has a mass of 0.1% of the galaxy's total mass.

7. Largest galaxy

The mega-monster among the currently known galaxies is IC1101. The distance to Earth is about 1 billion light years. Its diameter is about 6 million light years and holds about 100 trillion. stars; for comparison, the diameter of the Milky Way is 100 thousand light years. Compared to Milky Way IC 1101 is more than 50 times larger and 2000 times more massive.

Lyman-alpha rays (drops, clouds) represent amorphous bodies resembling amoebas or jellyfish in shape, consisting of a huge concentration of hydrogen. These blots are the initial and very short stage of generation new galaxy. The largest of them, LAB-1, is more than 200 million light years wide and is located in the constellation Aquarius.

In the photo on the left, LAB-1 is recorded by instruments, on the right is an assumption of what it might look like up close.

A radio galaxy is a type of galaxy that has much greater radio emission compared to other galaxies.

Galaxies, as a rule, are located in clusters (clusters), which have a gravitational connection and expand with space and time. What is located in those places where there are no galaxies? Nothing! Regions of the Universe in which there is only “nothing” and is emptiness. The largest of them is the emptiness of Bootes. It is located in close proximity to the constellation Bootes and has a diameter of about 250 million light years. Distance to Earth approximately 1 billion light years

The largest supercluster of galaxies is the Shapley supercluster. Shapley is located in the constellation Centaurus and appears as a bright clump in the distribution of galaxies. This is the largest array of objects connected by gravity. Its length is 650 million light years.

Most large group quasars (a quasar is a bright, energetic galaxy) is Huge-LQG, also called U1.27. This structure consists of 73 quasars and has a diameter of 4 billion light years. However, the Great GRB Wall, which has a diameter of 10 billion light years, also claims primacy - the number of quasars is unknown. Availability of such large groups quasars in the Universe contradict Einstein’s Cosmological Principle, so their research is doubly interesting for scientists.

If astronomers have disputes about other objects in the Universe, then in this case almost all of them are unanimous in the opinion that the largest object in the Universe is the Cosmic Web. Endless clusters of galaxies surrounded by black matter form “nodes” and, with the help of gases, “threads”, which in appearance are very reminiscent of a three-dimensional web. Scientists believe that the cosmic web entangles the entire Universe and connects all objects in space.

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

Central element Solar system - the Sun. Eight planets revolve around it (the ninth planet Pluto was excluded from this list because it has mass and gravitational forces are not allowed 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.

According to scientists, there is no solid surface on the planet. Therefore, you can only immerse yourself in it. It’s a mystery how the density of the substance this is made of 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.

Earth's Big Brother

Jupiter and its moons through a telescope

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 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 diameter at the equator of Saturn is slightly smaller than Jupiter. However, in terms of mass 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 through a telescope

Film about Saturn

Uranus

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

Journey to the planets: Uranus and Neptune