In the unexplored expanses of space, there are many mysterious astronomical objects - including planets so large that, in comparison with them, the largest planets of the solar system seem to be grains of sand in endless space. Jupiter is the largest planet in our galaxy, the Milky Way.

Planet Jupiter as seen from space (computer simulation based on real photographs of Jupiter taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft)

In ancient Roman mythology, Jupiter was the god of the sky, the father of all gods. The planet, named after the ancient god, can also be considered the “father” of all other planets: the radius of Jupiter is more than 11 times greater than the radius of the Earth and is equal to 71.4 thousand kilometers.

The mass of Jupiter is 1.8986 * 10 27 kg, the planet is almost 318 times heavier than the Earth. The size of the planet is so large that it changes the orbit and direction of movement of small space objects - Jupiter can, for example, send comets or a stream of asteroids into the inner part of the solar system.

The Great Red Spot, a giant anticyclone hurricane, has been observed on the surface of Jupiter for over 350 years. The size of a hurricane is larger than the size of the entire Earth! Photograph of a hurricane taken by space Hubble telescope.

But Jupiter cannot be called the largest planet in space - at a distance of about a thousand light-years from Earth, in the distant galaxy of Scorpio, there is an exoplanet WASP-17b, the radius of which is almost twice that of Jupiter. Information about which are the largest planets in space is constantly updated - not so long ago, in 2009, WASP-12b was considered the largest planet, the radius of which is 1.83 Jupiter radii.

In the photo: on the left - Jupiter, on the right - WASP-17b, the largest planet known today

In second place in the list of the largest planets in the solar system is Saturn, whose size is 945% of the size of the planet Earth, and the radius is 58,232 km.

In this the rarest photo, taken on July 19, 2013, the Cassini spacecraft (NASA) simultaneously "captured" the rings of Saturn, our planet Earth and the Moon.

The duration of a day on Saturn is 10.7 hours, and one year according to the time of the planet is 29 Earth years (it is during this period that Saturn makes a complete revolution around the Sun).

One of the first "live" photographs of Saturn and its moon, Titan, taken on September 1, 1979 by the Pioneer 11 spacecraft.

The planet Saturn is a gas giant, it does not have a solid surface, and the atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. Life on this planet, of course, cannot exist.

Storm at the north pole of Saturn (photo from the Cassini spacecraft (NASA))

Saturn is known not so much for being one of the largest planets in the solar system, but for having a unique system of seven rings. For the first time, these rings were noted by Galileo Galilei, observing the planet through a telescope in the 17th century.

The rings of Saturn (photo taken by the Cassini spacecraft on March 4, 2013). The bright white dot in the photo is the planet Venus.

The planet Uranus closes the three largest planets in the solar system, whose radius is 25,362 kilometers, and the dimensions are 400% of the size of the Earth.

The sharpest and most detailed "live" photo of Uranus taken by the Keck II telescope in Hawaii.

The only spacecraft ever to orbit Uranus is Voyager 2, launched into space in August 1977. NASA's satellite network is still receiving information from the spacecraft, which has been in space for 37 years and several months.

Photograph of Uranus taken by Voyager 2, which reached the planet in January 1986

A day on Uranus lasts approximately 17 hours, and the planet makes a full revolution around the Sun in 84 Earth years - that is how much one year lasts according to Uranus time. Uranus is an ice giant with an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium (with a small admixture of methane).

The "layered" atmosphere of Uranus, formed by a mixture of gases. The photo was taken by the Hubble telescope with infrared filters.

There are 27 moons in the Uranus system, which are named after the heroes of the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

Uranus and its largest moons (photo from the Voyager 2 spacecraft)

The photo below shows the planets of the solar system compared in size. From left to right, from top to bottom are the planets from largest to smallest: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury.

The photo below shows eight planets and a dwarf planet in the solar system at an approximate scale. Pluto is a dwarf planet at the far right. At the left end is the Sun. From left to right are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

I would like to believe that every student who studies astronomy knows that
Jupiter - overall cosmic body and the largest planet in the solar system. A magnificent giant who played an important role in the formation of the Earth and constantly protects it from flying meteorites.

Discovery of Jupiter and its study

The official opening of the space giant took place back in 1610. Jupiter was discovered by the then respected astronomer from Italy, Galileo Galilei. Watching the giant with a telescope, he also discovered its four large satellites.
In 1955, with the beginning of the use of radio telescopes, a strong radio signal was discovered in the form of broad bands, emanating from the matter of a huge planet.
This means that the largest planet in the solar system has electrical activity. Despite modern technologies, which made it possible to study Jupiter in more detail, there are still a lot of mysteries inexplicable to mankind on it.

When dimensions strike with their power

In addition to its size, Jupiter surprises astronomers with its mass, which is the sum of the masses of all known planets in the solar system. If we compare our planet with this giant, then the first will be a pea, and the second in the form of a soccer ball. The speed of this giant, which is equal to 45,300 km / h, is also striking. Ten hours go in reverse around its axis, and twelve years are spent on orbiting. This is pretty fast, given that this planet is the largest in the solar system and is located five times farther from the flaming ball than our Earth.

What is a giant

The largest planet in the solar system has:

• core (according to astrologers, it is of a rocky appearance or even icy, but given fact nothing confirmed)
• three types of hydrogen - metallic, liquid and gaseous,
• clouds.

The mass of Jupiter is 2.47 times the mass of the rest of the planets in the solar system

When the gravity of the planet was studied, astronomers set about a detailed "examination" of its core. There were reports that it weighs as much as 10 and is approximately 14% of the mass of the giant itself. But the convection currents inherent in this planet and the hot hydrogen contained in it, rather reduced the parameters of the core. This inner space and outer atmosphere created what we now call Jupiter. In addition to hydrogen, it contains such chemical elements: phosphine, sulfur, oxygen, ethane, neon, carbon, benzene, ammonia, silicon and methane. The areas of the giant close to the core have high pressure and temperature.

Jupiter phenomenon keeping astronomers on their toes

The answer to the question of which is the largest planet in the solar system is no longer in doubt. Let's turn to. The most mysterious sign of the planet has long been the Great Red Spot on its surface. Other space "inhabitants" of the solar system do not contain such bright and strong formations as Jupiter. Some scientists attribute the role of a swift atmospheric storm to this phenomenon. For the last three hundred years, the formation, moving around the planet, strictly adheres to its latitude, but changes its longitude. Sometimes the spot is halved or grows to an impressive size, which is its characteristic feature.

Numerous faithful companions of the giant

After reading, there is no doubt about which planet is the largest planet in the solar system, but it still lives next to it, being its satellites. Galileo Galilei discovered four of them and named them: Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa. The next four satellites have a diameter of less than 200 km and belong to the Amalthea group. These are Thebe, Amalthea, Adracea and Metis. The remaining irregular moons are inferior to the first eight in size and have eccentric orbital routes. They are also divided into families with the same type of size, composition and orbit of movements.

Jupiter's younger brother

It is the second largest planet after this giant. Of all the "residents" of the solar system, it is distinguished by the presence of noticeable impressive rings. Similar phenomena exist on other giants of the universe, but they do not have such a large size, ice particles, metal impurities and dust. Therefore, they are not so noticeable to us. The composition of Saturn is almost identical to that of Jupiter: hydrogen, ammonia, helium, methane and other impurities. The presence of strong winds does not give this planet the opportunity to have stable neoplasms, similar to those of Jupiter.

Facts to know

To the student’s question: “Which planet is the largest in the solar system?”, The teacher will undoubtedly answer that it is Jupiter. But besides this fact, good teacher will introduce students to the features related to this space giant.

For example:

• near the southern and northern poles of the planet there is an aurora, which is more intense than ours, both in duration and in brightness;
• there are gas giants larger than Jupiter, there are already more than 300 of them;
• the giant we examined received its name from the ancient Romans in honor of its main deity.

Let's summarize the important

The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. Its discovery took place at the beginning of the 17th century. The planet was not only great in size, but also huge in weight. Its main components were hydrogen and other impurities. The Great Red Spot of Jupiter is its attraction, not fully understood and therefore no less mysterious. This giant is not bored in space, because his faithful brother Saturn and 67 more moons are nearby.

To date, scientists know only one large solar system in which our planet is located. It was formed 4.6 billion years ago. Star clouds of matter began to thicken in the Galaxy. Because of this, a large amount of thermal energy gradually began to be generated. With the formation of high temperature and density, nuclear reactions began to form, which provoked the formation of various gases and helium. These streams provoked the formation of a star, which we now call the Sun. The process of its creation took about several tens of millions of years.

Due to the high temperature, stellar dust accumulated in dense compounds, forming separate planets with its structure. Since the formation of all the planets and satellites of the solar system, no special changes have been observed.

Heliocentric theory of world building

In the second century AD, a scientist from Alexandria put forward a hypothesis about the location of our planet. It was from her that all scientists repelled, until the end of the fifteenth century. According to his theory, our planet was in the very center of the universe, and all other planets, including the Sun, could only rotate around its axis. But only thanks to the painstaking work of Nicolaus Copernicus, this hypothesis suffered a crushing failure. His observations were published only after his death, so the astronomer did not wait for world recognition. His observations were able to prove the fact that it is the Sun that is the center of the system, and all other planets can revolve around it along a given trajectory.

Number of planets in the solar system

Everyone knows that at the moment, there are eight planets in the solar system. But until recently, it was believed that Pluto, which was discovered in early 1930, was also part of the solar system. But after long observations and research, it turned out that the planet farthest from the Sun does not rotate at all along a given trajectory. She is constantly in one position and does not move at all. Only with the onset of 2006, at a meeting of the International Assembly in Prague, was it possible to prove that the dwarf planet is not part of the solar system at all.

The principle of the largest solar system

It is worth noting that the solar system is part of the Milky Way, which is located in our Galaxy. It is located on its outskirts, and is located at a distance equal to thirty thousand light years from its central point. The solar system includes the Sun itself, as well as numerous planets, satellites and asteroids, which constantly move along a given trajectory.

Planet placement

All planets are divided into two different types. These are the inner and outer planets. The first type includes four planets that are closest to the surface of the Sun. This:

Mercury;

Their sizes in relation to other planets are not so great, and the surface is covered with a stone hard crust.

The second type includes the giant planets:

These are the planets that are mainly composed of accumulations of various gases. They are located almost in the same plane. WITH North Pole, you can clearly see that the planets move around the Sun, in a direction that is opposite to the clockwise movement.

But be that as it may, in the universe there are constantly unexplored sections of space that can hide huge secrets. Perhaps in a few decades, scientists will be able to get to the most intimate corners.

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, are made up of clusters 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 the 5th largest planet 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.
• Jupiter's core temperature 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 the total mass of the other planets in the solar system and is 1.8986 * 10²⁷ kg.

• Jupiter has the largest number of satellites in the solar system - 63 objects. And on Europa (a moon of Jupiter) there is supposedly water under the ice deposits.
• The Great Red Spot is an atmospheric vortex on Jupiter that has not subsided for 300 years. Its dimensions are gradually decreasing, but even 100 years ago, the volumes of the vortex were 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 passed to the planet Mercury from Pluto, which was previously included in the solar system as a planet, but since August 2006 it has not been considered as such.

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

• Mercury is the only planet that does not have 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 figure reaches -167°C, during the day - up to +480°C.
• At the bottom of the deep craters of Mercury, reserves of water ice have been discovered.
• 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 of 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 be reborn into a supernova, as it is rapidly aging, although it was formed not so long ago - several million years ago. Given that the distance from the Earth to it is only 640 light years, our descendants will observe one of the greatest spectacles in the universe.

RW Cephei. A star in the constellation Cepheus, also recognized as a red hypergiant. True, scientists are still arguing about its size. Some argue that the RW radius of Cepheus is equal to 1260 radii of the Sun, others believe that it is worth equating 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, disputes about its size are still ongoing. Most consider the radius of KY Cygnus to be 1420 solar radii. Alternative version - 2850 radii.

V354 Cephei. A red supergiant and variable star in the Milky Way galaxy. The radius of V354 Cephei is 1520 times greater than the sun. The stellar object is located relatively close to Earth - only 9,000 light years away.

WOH G64. A red hypergiant located in the constellation Dorado, which, in turn, belongs to the dwarf galaxy Large Magellanic Cloud. Star WOH G64 1540 times more sun and 40 times heavier.

V838 Unicorn. A red variable star belonging to the constellation Monoceros. The distance from the star to the Earth is equal to 20,000 light years, so the calculations made for the size of V838 Unicorn 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 pomegranate star. It is a red supergiant located in the constellation Cepheus (the Milky Way galaxy). In addition to its size (Mu Cephei is 1650 times larger than the Sun), the star is notable for its brightness. She is more than 38,000 times brighter than the sun, representing one of the brightest luminaries Milky Way.

VV Cepheus A. A red hypergiant belonging to the constellation Cepheus and distant from Earth at 2,400 light years. 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. Component A has been scientifically proven to be a physically variable star that pulsates every 150 days

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

magnet planets

Visually, the magnetic field cannot be observed, 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 by the solar wind - highly charged particles "shot" by the Sun.

The protective magnetosphere of the Earth deflects the approaching flows of these particles and directs them around the 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 it has been found magnetic poles, resembling 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 the auroras recorded by scientists.

However, the absence of a magnetosphere is a consequence of the absence of liquid water on Mars. And in order for a person to be able to move safely on the surface of the planet, it is required to develop individual protection, a personal "magnetic field" for everyone.

3. Magnetic field of Mercury. Mercury, like the Earth, is protected by the 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.

Discovered on Mercury and a new phenomenon - magnetic tornadoes. They are twisted beams originating in a magnetic field and passing 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 twin, also has magnetic field, however, extremely weak, 10,000 times weaker than the earth. 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. The electrically charged particles surrounding the planet periodically interact with other planets and objects, damaging their protective shells.

The magnetic field of Saturn is remarkable only in that its axis coincides 100% with the axis of rotation, which is not observed in other planets.

6. Magnetic field of Uranus and Neptune. The magnetospheres of Uranus and Neptune differ from the rest of the planets in that they have 2 north and 2 south poles. However, the nature of the origin 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 in terms of its size. It was only discovered in 2006. TrES-4 is a planet in the constellation Hercules, the distance from it to Earth is 1,400 light years.

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

The smallest planet in the universe

In 2013, scientists discovered the world's smallest planet, Kepler-37b. This planet is one of three planets orbiting the star Kepler-37.

It has not yet been possible to establish its exact dimensions, however, in terms of dimensions, Kepler-37b is comparable to the Moon, whose radius is 1737.1 km. Presumably, the planet Kepler-37b is composed of rock.

Giant satellites and the smallest satellites in space

The largest moon in the universe today is Ganymede, a moon 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 the thinnest atmosphere in which oxygen is found.

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

The universe is equally known and unknown to mankind, since this space is extremely variable. And although today the knowledge of people 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.

- then you will certainly be very interested.

Today we will find out what is the largest planet in the solar system. But let's start with the basic concepts.

The largest planets in the solar system

In relation to other celestial bodies, it belongs to the category of "minor planets" of the solar system. We are talking about the largest space objects.

Right now you will know the most Interesting Facts about the unique features of the planets of the solar system, which you probably have not heard of before.

planet classification

First of all, you should understand what types of planets are divided into. The solar system is divided into two parts by the main asteroid belt:

• To the first belong , and ;
• The second group includes , and ;
• At the very end is the Kuiper Belt.

first four celestial bodies astronomers have labeled "terrestrial planets".

In addition to their location in outer space, they are similar to each other in the presence of a core, metals and silicon, as well as a mantle and crust. Land in this list is in first place in terms of volume.

Astronomers call the second four planets "Gas giants". They significantly exceed the dimensions of the planets of the terrestrial group. The uniqueness of the largest planets lies in the fact that they are rich in the presence of various gases: hydrogen, methane, ammonia and helium.

Is Pluto a planet or not?

In 2006, scientists decided that Pluto should be classified as dwarf planets, including it in the Kuiper belt. According to astronomers, Pluto does not meet any of the conditions by which it is customary to determine full-fledged planets.

The main argument is that Pluto lacks the mass to clear its orbit of other objects. As a result of these scientific studies in the solar system, instead of the traditional 9 planets, there was one less.

The largest planet in the solar system

The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter, which belongs to the category of gas giants. According to astronomers, he has repeatedly protected our Earth from meteorites.

Planet Jupiter

Since we found out that Jupiter has the status of "The largest planet", let's look at some interesting facts about him.

Striking dimensions

Jupiter is 1300 times larger than Earth. To make it easier to understand, the following comparison should be made: if the Earth could be reduced to the size of a pea, then Jupiter in relation to it would have the size of a basketball.

Comparative sizes of Jupiter and Earth

Also amazing is the speed of rotation of this giant planet. Jupiter makes 1 revolution around its axis in 10 hours at a speed of 13.07 km/s.

In order for the largest planet to manage to pass once in its orbit, 12 Earth years must pass. However, this is quite a bit, considering that Jupiter is 5 times farther from the Sun than our Earth.

ephemeral surface

Did you know that no one will ever be able to set foot on the surface of Jupiter? And all because the atmosphere itself big planet consists of helium and hydrogen in proportions of 1:9.

In fact, it flows into hydrogen. talking plain language, as such, there is simply no distinction between the atmosphere and the surface of this giant. The boundaries of Jupiter are very blurry and abstract, and are determined only by the difference in pressure.

Clouds and spots

Looking at images of Jupiter, it is easy to notice specific striped patterns on them. In fact, these are clouds: light zones alternate with red-brown belts.

Between them pass strong wind currents, which are called jets. They can move in completely different directions.

The main feature of Jupiter

Another unique feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot (GRS). It is the largest atmospheric vortex in the solar system.

Such formations in terms of brightness and persistence have not been found on any other planet. Interestingly, the BKP can move around Jupiter, changing only the longitude. Latitude has remained unchanged for more than 350 years.

In addition, at times the spot either increases or decreases. But in general, the trend is decreasing.

According to the latest data from researchers: The Great Red Spot is a huge anticyclone that makes 1 revolution in 6 days.

The second largest planet in the solar system

The second largest among the planets is Saturn. He is very easy to recognize in photographs due to his remarkable rings.

By the way, all gas giants have exactly such rings, they are just not so noticeable. In their composition, along with heavy elements and space dust, ice particles are present.

Saturn also contains methane, helium, hydrogen and ammonia, and continuous winds rage on the surface.

Ice giants

Following Saturn in descending magnitude are Uranus and Neptune. Scientists classify these planets as ice giants, due to the absence of metallic hydrogen in them, and a huge amount of ice.

The uniqueness of Uranus lies in the tilt of its axis. This planet literally lies on its side, which is why Sun rays alternately illuminate only its poles.

Strong winds constantly rage on Neptune. It also contains characteristic education much like the Great Red Spot. Astronomers have named this area the Great Dark Spot (also known as GDS-89).

So, now you know that the largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. However, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are also giant planets and have their own unique features.

Speaking frankly, it still has very modest knowledge about what is happening in our solar system, not to mention the universe as a whole.

One thing is for sure: there will be many interesting discoveries in the future.