The planet Mars, like another close neighbor Earth, Venus, since antiquity has been subjected to the closest study of astronomers. Visible to the naked eye, since ancient times it has been shrouded in mystery, legends and conjectures. And today we know far from everything about the Red Planet, however, many of the information obtained over centuries of observation and study dispelled some myths, helped a person to understand many of the processes taking place on this planet. space object. The temperature on Mars, the composition of its atmosphere, the features of orbital movement after improvement technical methods research and the beginning of the space age managed to move from the category of assumptions to the rank of indisputable facts. Nevertheless, much of the data about both such a close and such a distant neighbor has yet to be explained.

Fourth

Mars is located one and a half times farther from the Sun than our planet (the distance is estimated at 228 million km). According to this parameter, he takes the fourth place. Beyond the orbit of the Red Planet lies the main asteroid belt and the "possession" of Jupiter. It flies around our star in about 687 days. At the same time, the orbit of Mars is strongly elongated: its perihelion is located at a distance of 206.7, and aphelion - 249.2 million km. A day lasts here only almost 40 minutes longer than on Earth: 24 hours and 37 minutes.

little brother

Mars belongs to the terrestrial planets. The main substances that make up its structure are metals and silicon. Among similar objects in its dimensions, it is only ahead of Mercury. The diameter of the Red Planet is 6786 kilometers, which is about half that of the Earth. However, in terms of mass, Mars is 10 times inferior to our space home. The area of ​​the entire surface of the planet slightly exceeds the area of ​​the earth's continents combined, without taking into account the expanses of the oceans. The density here is also lower - it is only 3.93 kg / m 3.

The search for life

Despite the obvious difference between Mars and Earth, for a long time it was considered a real candidate for the title of a habitable planet. Before the start of the space age, scientists who observed the reddish surface of this cosmic body through a telescope, periodically found signs of life, which soon, however, found a more prosaic explanation.

Over time, the conditions under which even the simplest organisms could appear outside the Earth were clearly defined. These include certain temperature parameters and the presence of water. Many explorations of the Red Planet have been aimed at discovering whether a suitable climate has developed there, and, if possible, to find traces of life.

Temperature on Mars

The Red Planet is an inhospitable world. A significant distance from the Sun noticeably affects the climatic conditions of this cosmic body. The temperature on Mars in Celsius varies on average from -155º to +20º. It is much colder here than on Earth, since the Sun, located one and a half times further away, warms the surface half as weakly. These not the most favorable conditions are exacerbated by a rarefied atmosphere, which transmits radiation well, which is known to be detrimental to all living things.

Such facts reduce to a minimum the chances of finding traces of existing or once extinct organisms on Mars. However, the point in this issue has not yet been set.

Determining Factors

The temperature on Mars, like on Earth, depends on the position of the planet relative to the star. Its maximum indicator (20-33º) is observed during the day near the equator. The minimum values ​​(up to -155º) are reached near the South Pole. Significant temperature fluctuations are characteristic of the entire territory of the planet.

These differences affect both the climatic features of Mars and its appearance. The main detail of its surface, noticeable even from the Earth, is the polar caps. As a result of significant heating in summer and cooling in winter, they undergo tangible changes: either they decrease until they almost completely disappear, then they increase again.

Is there water on Mars?

When summer comes in one of the hemispheres, the corresponding polar cap begins to decrease in size. Due to the orientation of the planet's axis, as it approaches the perihelion point, the southern half turns towards the Sun. As a result, the summer here is somewhat hotter, and the polar cap disappears almost completely. In the north, this effect is not observed.

Changes in the size of the polar caps led scientists to the idea that they are composed of not quite ordinary ice. The data collected to date allow us to assume that a significant role in their formation is played by carbon dioxide, which contains a large amount of the atmosphere of Mars. In the cold season, the temperature here reaches a point at which it usually turns into the so-called dry ice. It is he who begins to melt with the advent of summer. Water, according to scientists, is also present on the planet and makes up that part of the polar caps that remains unchanged even with an increase in temperature (heating is insufficient for its disappearance).

At the same time, the planet Mars cannot boast of having the main source of life in a liquid state. Hope for its discovery for a long time instilled areas of relief, very reminiscent of riverbeds. It is still not completely clear what could have led to their formation if there was never liquid water on the Red Planet. The atmosphere of Mars testifies in favor of the "dry" past. Its pressure is so insignificant that the boiling point of water falls at temperatures unusually low for the Earth, that is, it can exist here only in a gaseous state. Theoretically, Mars could have had a denser atmosphere in the past, but then it would have left traces of it in the form of heavy inert gases. However, they have not been found so far.

Winds and storms

The temperature on Mars, more precisely, its differences, leads to the rapid movement of air masses in the hemisphere where winter has come. The resulting winds reach 170 m/s. On Earth, such phenomena would be accompanied by showers, but the Red Planet does not have sufficient water reserves for this. Dust storms arise here, so massive that sometimes they cover the entire planet. The rest of the time there is almost always clear weather (water is also needed to form a significant amount of clouds) and very clear air.

Despite the relatively small size of Mars and its uninhabitability, scientists have high hopes for it. Here in the future it is planned to place bases for the extraction of minerals and the implementation of various scientific activity. It is still difficult to say how real such projects are, but the continuous development of technology testifies in favor of the fact that soon humanity will be able to embody the most daring ideas.

It will be no secret to anyone that the Earth is the only habitable planet in our solar system. All planets, except the Earth, are distinguished by the absence of a breathable atmosphere, and many of them are also too hot or vice versa - frozen worlds.

The planets of our solar system with respect to scale, in the lower left part of the picture - the orbits of the planets / NASA image

A "habitable zone" exists in every star system having a planet, it is a certain conditional area, in which the existence of water in the liquid phase is possible on the planets. In this connection, on such planets or their satellites, conditions arise that are suitable for the appearance of life similar to the earth.

So, hot and cold worlds in our solar system! What exactly do we know about the temperatures of their surfaces and what actually affects these temperatures?

Photo of Mercury obtained from the American automatic interplanetary station Messenger / photo NASA

Of the eight planets in the Solar System, Mercury is the closest to the Sun, so we would expect it to be the hottest on our list. However, since it has no atmosphere and rotates around its axis very slowly, the temperature on its surface fluctuates over fairly wide ranges.

Slow rotation around the axis leads to the fact that the side of Mercury facing the Sun heats up to 427 ° C. Meanwhile, on opposite side, temperatures drop to -173°C, so Mercury's average temperature would be 67°C.

Venus is an incredibly hot and hostile world, due to a combination of its dense atmosphere and proximity to the Sun / NASA image / JPL

Venus, the second closest planet to the Sun, also boasts high surface temperatures of up to 470°C. Such a temperature on the surface of Venus is due to the greenhouse effect, slow rotation around the axis, as well as proximity to the Sun. Due to the dense atmosphere, daily temperature fluctuations are insignificant, despite being on the very border of the habitable zone, life on Venus in our understanding is impossible.

Greenhouse gases and the density of Venus's atmosphere have created the strongest greenhouse effect, much of the sun's heat is retained by the planet's atmosphere, and the surface is a barren and molten landscape. On the surface of Venus there are thousands of ancient volcanoes that erupted lava in the past, hundreds of craters, the planet's crust is very thin, it is weakened by high temperatures and does little to prevent lava eruptions outward. An extremely inhospitable place by any measure!

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is still the only inhabited planet known to us. average temperature Earth's surface is 7.2 °C and it varies depending on a number of factors. A significant influence on the temperatures of the northern and southern hemispheres of the planet has an axial tilt, which means that at certain times of the year one of the hemispheres receives more light from the Sun, while the other hemisphere, on the contrary, less.

But despite all this, there are also extreme places on Earth, for example, in Antarctica, a record low temperature of -91.2 ° C was recorded, and in Death Valley, located in the Mojave Desert region, USA, a positive temperature of 56.7 °C

The thin atmosphere of Mars, visible on the horizon, is too weak to keep the planet warm / NASA image

The average temperature on the surface of Mars is -55 ° C, but temperature fluctuations also occur on the Red Planet. At the equator, temperatures reach 20 °C, while at the poles the thermometer drops to -153 °C. But on average, Mars is much colder than Earth, due to its thin atmosphere that can't hold heat from the Sun, and because it's on the outer edge of the habitable zone.

Jupiter is a gas giant and the largest planet in the solar system / photo NASA / JPL / University

Jupiter is a gas giant and the largest planet in the solar system. It doesn't have a surface and so we can't measure its temperature, but measurements taken in Jupiter's upper atmosphere showed a temperature of around -145°C, as we get closer to the planet's center we see an increase in temperature due to atmospheric pressure.

At a point where Jupiter's atmospheric pressure is ten times greater than on Earth, the temperature reaches 21 ° C, which we consider comfortable, and in the core of the planet the temperature reaches up to 35,700 ° C - hotter than at the surface of the Sun.

Saturn and its rings, photo transmitted by the Cassini spacecraft / NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute / Gordan Ugarkovic

Saturn is the second largest planet after Jupiter, a cold gas giant, with an average temperature of -178 ° C. Due to the tilt of Saturn's axis, the southern and northern hemispheres heat up differently, resulting in seasonal temperature fluctuations and powerful winds on the planet. Like Jupiter, the temperature in the upper atmosphere of Saturn is quite low, but closer to the center of the planet, the temperature rises. It is assumed that in the core of the planet the temperature reaches 11,700 °C.

Image of Uranus obtained from the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986 / photo NASA / JPL / Voyager

Uranus - unlike the gas giants of Jupiter and Saturn, which consist mainly of hydrogen and helium, there is no metallic hydrogen in the bowels of Uranus, as well as Neptune similar to it, but ice is present in large quantities, in high-temperature modifications, which is why these two the planets were singled out in a separate class - "Ice giants". The temperature of Uranus at a pressure of 0.1 bar is -224 °C, which makes it the most cold planet Solar system, Uranus is even colder than Neptune, which is further away from the Sun.

Image of Neptune obtained from the Voyager 2 spacecraft / photo NASA / JPL / Voyager

The temperature of Neptune's upper atmosphere drops to -218 ° C, the planet is the second coldest place in our solar system. But like all gas giants, Neptune has a hot core, the temperature of which is about 7000 ° C. The weather on the planet is destructive, storms and winds reach supersonic speeds, most of the winds on Neptune blow in the direction opposite to the rotation of the planet, the general wind pattern shows, that at high latitudes the direction of the winds coincides with the rotation of the planet, and at low latitudes it is opposite to it.

To sum it up, our solar system goes from extreme to extreme, from extreme cold to unbearably hot, and in general there are only a few places that are sufficiently habitable to support life. And of all places, Earth is the only planet most suitable for sustaining permanent life.

The largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, has very severe weather in its atmosphere. Lightning in its atmosphere is much stronger than on Earth, and the wind speed is just crazy - about 600 km / h. This giant also has 67 satellites. Jupiter has its small system, in which a huge number of satellites rotate. But as far as temperatures on Jupiter, here it also confirms its reputation as an extreme planet.

The temperature on this planet is quite extreme. It can range from bitter cold in the upper atmosphere to hellish heat near the planet's core. Since it is a gas giant and does not have a solid surface, it is presumed that the temperature increases as the temperature data point descends towards the core. Very difficult to accurately measure temperature on Jupiter because of his great pressure. The apparatus, which was sent deep into the planet to the surface of Jupiter to collect data, was destroyed by the pressure of the planet. This device managed to take some readings on the planet, including the temperature.

The temperature in the upper atmosphere is approximately -140ºC. During the descent of this apparatus, the pressure and temperature of the planet increased. Having descended to a distance where the pressure of Jupiter is several times higher than the pressure on Earth, the device recorded a temperature acceptable for a person of about 20º C. But at such a temperature, the pressure of the planet is extreme and a person could not be here anyway. is huge and a person will not be able to get used to its gravity and pressure.

Jupiter is hotter than the Sun.

Descending lower and lower, the temperature increased, as did the pressure. But the device was destroyed by pressure and it could not transmit further data. The temperature on Jupiter has not been fully understood, but given the rate of increase in temperature as the spacecraft descends, further values ​​can be calculated.

The device was destroyed by the planet, but scientists did not stop there and continued to study temperatures. As stated, Jupiter's core temperature exceeds the surface temperature of the sun. The core temperature of the planet is approximately 36,000ºC.

Jupiter, a large red spot just below the center.

Jupiter, like all giants, consists mainly of a mixture of gases. The gas giant is 2.5 times more massive than all the planets combined, or 317 times the size of Earth. There are many others interesting facts about the planet and we will try to tell them.

Jupiter from a distance of 600 million km. from the earth. Below you can see the trace of the fall of the asteroid.

As you know, Jupiter is the largest in the solar system, and it has 79 moons. Several space probes visited the planet, which studied it from a flyby trajectory. And the Galileo spacecraft, having entered its orbit, studied it for several years. The most recent was the New Horizons probe. After the flyby of the planet, the probe received additional acceleration and headed towards its final goal - Pluto.

Jupiter has rings. They are not as big and beautiful as those of Saturn, because they are thinner and weaker. The Great Red Spot is a giant storm that has been raging for over three hundred years! Despite the fact that the planet Jupiter is truly huge in size, it did not have enough mass to become a full-fledged star.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of the planet is huge, its chemical composition is 90% hydrogen and 10% helium. Unlike Earth, Jupiter is a gas giant and does not have a clear boundary between the atmosphere and the rest of the planet. If you could go down to the center of the planet, then the density and temperature of hydrogen and helium would begin to change. Scientists distinguish layers based on these features. Layers of the atmosphere in descending order from the core: troposphere, stratosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.

Animation of the rotation of the atmosphere of Jupiter assembled from 58 frames

Jupiter does not have a solid surface, so for some conditional "surface" scientists determine the lower boundary of its atmosphere at the point where the pressure is 1 bar. The temperature of the atmosphere at this point, like that of the Earth, decreases with height until it reaches a minimum. The tropopause defines the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere - it is about 50 km above the conditional "surface" of the planet.

Stratosphere

The stratosphere rises to a height of 320 km and the pressure continues to decrease while the temperature rises. This altitude marks the boundary between the stratosphere and the thermosphere. The temperature of the thermosphere rises to 1000 K at an altitude of 1000 km.

All clouds and storms that we can see are located in the lower part of the troposphere and are formed from ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and water. In fact, the visible relief of the surface forms the lower cloud layer. The top layer of clouds contains ammonia ice. The lower clouds are composed of ammonium hydrosulfide. Water forms clouds located below the dense layers of clouds. The atmosphere gradually and smoothly passes into the ocean, which flows into metallic hydrogen.

The planet's atmosphere is the largest in the solar system and consists mainly of hydrogen and helium.

Compound

Jupiter contains small amounts of compounds such as methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and water. This mixture chemical compounds and elements, contributes to the formation of colorful clouds that we can observe in telescopes. It is impossible to say unequivocally what color Jupiter is, but approximately it is red-white with stripes.

Clouds of ammonia, which are visible in the atmosphere of the planet, form a set of parallel bands. Dark bands are called belts and alternate with light bands, which are known as zones. These zones are thought to be composed of ammonia. It is not yet known what causes the dark color of the stripes.

big red spot

You may have noticed that there are various ovals and circles in its atmosphere, the largest of which is the Great Red Spot. These are whirlwinds and storms that rage in a highly unstable atmosphere. The vortex can be cyclonic or anticyclonic. Cyclonic eddies usually have centers where the pressure is lower than outside. Anticyclonics are those that have centers of higher pressure than outside the vortex.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) is an atmospheric storm that has been raging in the Southern Hemisphere for 400 years. Many believe that Giovanni Cassini first observed it in the late 1600s, but scientists doubt that it formed at that time.

About 100 years ago, this storm was over 40,000 km across. It is currently being reduced in size. At the current rate of contraction, it could become circular by 2040. Scientists doubt this will happen because the influence of neighboring jet streams could completely change the picture. It is not yet known how long the change in its size will last.

What is BKP?

The Great Red Spot is an anticyclonic storm, and since we have observed it, it has maintained its shape for several centuries. It is so huge that it can be observed even from terrestrial telescopes. Scientists have yet to figure out what causes its reddish color.

Little Red Spot

Another large red spot was found in 2000 and has been growing steadily ever since. Like the Great Red Spot, it is also anticyclonic. Due to its resemblance to the BKP, this red spot (which is worn by legal name Oval) is often referred to as the "Little Red Spot" or "Little Red Spot".

Unlike eddies, which persist for a long time, storms are more short-lived. Many of them can exist for several months, but, on average, they last for 4 days. The occurrence of storms in the atmosphere culminates every 15-17 years. Storms are accompanied by lightning, just like on Earth.

BKP rotation

The BKP rotates counterclockwise and makes a complete revolution every six earth days. The spot rotation period has decreased. Some believe that this is the result of its compression. Winds at the very edge of the storm reach speeds of 432 km/h. The spot is large enough to swallow up three Earths. Infrared data show that the BKP is colder and at a higher altitude than most other clouds. The edges of the storm rise about 8 km above the surrounding cloud tops. Its position shifts east and west quite often. The spot has crossed the planet's belts at least 10 times since the early 19th century. And the speed of its drift has changed dramatically over the years, it was associated with the southern equatorial belt.

BKP color

BKP image of Voyager

It is not known exactly what causes the color of the Great Red Spot. The most popular theory supported by laboratory experiments is that color can be caused by complex organic molecules, for example, red phosphorus or sulfur compounds. BKP varies greatly in color from almost brick red to light red and white. The red central region is 4 degrees warmer than environment, this is considered proof that environmental factors influence the color.

As you can see, the red spot is a rather mysterious object, it is the subject of a large future study. Scientists hope that they will be able to better understand our giant neighbor, because the planet Jupiter and the Great Red Spot are some of the greatest mysteries of our solar system.

Why Jupiter is not a star

It lacks the mass and heat needed to start fusing hydrogen atoms into helium, so it cannot become a star. Scientists have calculated that Jupiter must increase its current mass by about 80 times in order to ignite thermonuclear fusion. But nevertheless, the planet releases heat due to gravitational contraction. This reduction in volume ultimately heats up the planet.

Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism

This generation of heat in excess of what it absorbs from the Sun is called the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism. This mechanism takes place when the planet's surface cools, which causes a pressure drop and the body shrinks. Compression (reduction) heats up the core. Scientists have calculated that Jupiter radiates more energy than it receives from the Sun. Saturn shows the same mechanism of its heating, but not so much. Brown dwarf stars also show the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism. The mechanism was originally proposed by Kelvin and Helmholtz to explain the energy of the Sun. One consequence of this law is that the Sun must have an energy source that allows it to shine for more than a few million years. At that time, nuclear reactions were not known, so the source of solar energy was considered to be gravitational contraction. This was until the 1930s, when Hans Bethe proved that the sun's energy comes from nuclear fusion and lasts for billions of years.

A related question that is often asked is whether Jupiter can acquire enough mass in the near future to become a star. All the planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids in the solar system cannot give it the required amount of mass, even if it consumes everything in the solar system except the sun. Thus, he will never become a star.

Let's hope that the JUNO (Juno) mission, which will arrive at the planet by 2016, will provide specific information about the planet on most issues of interest to scientists.

Weight on Jupiter

If you're worried about your weight, keep in mind that Jupiter has a much larger mass than the Earth and its gravity is much stronger. By the way, on the planet Jupiter, gravity is 2.528 times more intense than on Earth. This means that if you weigh 100 kg on Earth, then your weight on the gas giant would be 252.8 kg.

Because its gravity is so intense, it has quite a few moons, as many as 67 moons to be precise, and their number can change at any moment.

Rotation

Atmospheric rotation animation made from Voyager images

Our gas giant is the fastest rotating planet of all in the solar system, it makes one rotation around its axis every 9.9 hours. Unlike the inner planets of the Earth group, Jupiter is a ball composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Unlike Mars or Mercury, it doesn't have a surface that can be tracked to measure rotational speed, and it doesn't have any craters or mountains that come into view after a certain amount of time.

Influence of rotation on the size of the planet

Rapid rotation results in a difference between the equatorial and polar radii. Instead of looking like a sphere, due to the rapid rotation, the planet looks like a squashed ball. The bulge of the equator is visible even in small amateur telescopes.

The polar radius of the planet is 66,800 km, and the equatorial one is 71,500 km. In other words, the equatorial radius of the planet is 4700 km larger than the polar one.

Rotation characteristics

Despite the fact that the planet is a ball of gas, it rotates differentially. That is, the rotation takes different amount time depending on where you are. The rotation at its poles takes 5 minutes longer than at the equator. Therefore, the often cited rotation period of 9.9 hours is, in fact, the average sum for the entire planet.

Rotation Reference Systems

Scientists actually use three different systems to calculate the planet's rotation. The first system for a latitude of 10 degrees north and south of the equator is a rotation of 9 hours and 50 minutes. The second, for latitudes north and south of this region, where the rotation speed is 9 hours 55 minutes. These indicators are measured for a specific storm that is in view. The third system measures the rate of rotation of the magnetosphere and is generally considered the official rate of rotation.

Planet gravity and comet

In the 1990s, Jupiter's gravity tore apart the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and its fragments fell to the planet. This was the first time that we had the opportunity to observe the collision of two extraterrestrial bodies in the solar system. Why did Jupiter pull Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 towards it, you ask?

The comet had the imprudence to fly in close proximity to the giant, and its powerful gravity pulled it towards itself due to the fact that Jupiter is the most massive in the solar system. The planet captured the comet about 20-30 years before the impact, and it has been orbiting the giant ever since. In 1992, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 entered the Roche limit and was torn apart by the planet's tidal forces. The comet looked like a string of pearls when its fragments crashed into the planet's cloud layer on July 16-22, 1994. Fragments up to 2 km in size each entered the atmosphere at a speed of 60 km/s. This collision allowed astronomers to make several new discoveries about the planet.

What did the collision with the planet give

Astronomers, thanks to the collision, discovered several chemicals in the atmosphere that were not known before the impact. Diatomic sulfur and carbon disulfide were the most interesting. This was only the second time that diatomic sulfur had been detected on celestial bodies. It was then that ammonia and hydrogen sulfide were first discovered on the gas giant. Images from Voyager 1 showed the giant in a whole new light, as data from Pioneer 10 and 11 were not so informative, and all subsequent missions were built on the basis of data received by the Voyagers.

Collision of an asteroid with a planet

Short description

The influence of Jupiter on all the planets is manifested in one form or another. It is strong enough to tear apart asteroids and hold 79 satellites. Some scientists believe that such a large planet could destroy many celestial objects in the past, and also prevented the formation of other planets.

Jupiter requires more careful study than scientists can afford, and it interests astronomers for many reasons. Its satellites are the main gem for explorers. The planet has 79 satellites, which is actually 40% of all satellites in our solar system. Some of these moons are larger than some dwarf planets and contain subterranean oceans.

Structure

Internal structure

Jupiter has a core that contains some rock and metallic hydrogen that takes on this unusual shape under tremendous pressure.

Recent data indicate that the giant contains a dense core, which is believed to be surrounded by a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen and helium, and the outer layer is dominated by molecular hydrogen. Gravitational measurements indicate a core mass between 12 and 45 Earth masses. This means that the core of the planet is about 3-15% of the total mass of the planet.

Formation of a giant

IN early history Jupiter must have formed entirely of rock and ice with enough mass to trap most of the gases in the early solar nebula. Therefore, its composition completely repeats the mixture of gases of the protosolar nebula.

Current theory believes that the core layer of dense metallic hydrogen extends over 78 percent of the planet's radius. Just above the layer of metallic hydrogen extends an inner atmosphere of hydrogen. In it, hydrogen is at a temperature where there is no clear liquid and gas phases; in fact, it is in the supercritical state of a liquid. The temperature and pressure steadily increases as you approach the core. In the region where hydrogen becomes metallic, the temperature is considered to be 10,000 K and the pressure is 200 GPa. The maximum temperature at the core boundary is estimated at 36,000 K with a corresponding pressure of 3000 to 4500 GPa.

Temperature

Its temperature, considering how far it is from the Sun, is much lower than on Earth.

The outer edges of Jupiter's atmosphere are much colder than the central region. The temperature in the atmosphere is -145 degrees Celsius, and the intense atmospheric pressure contributes to an increase in temperature as you descend. Having plunged several hundred kilometers deep into the planet, hydrogen becomes its main component, it is hot enough to turn into a liquid (because the pressure is high). Temperatures at this point are believed to be over 9,700 C. A layer of dense metallic hydrogen extends up to 78% of the planet's radius. Near the very center of the planet, scientists believe that the temperature can reach 35,500 C. Between the cold clouds and the molten lower sections is an inner atmosphere of hydrogen. In the inner atmosphere, the temperature of hydrogen is such that there is no boundary between the liquid and gas phases.

The planet's molten interior heats the rest of the planet through convection, so the giant emits more heat than it receives from the sun. Storms and strong winds mix cold air and warm air just like on Earth. The Galileo spacecraft observed winds speeding in excess of 600 km per hour. One of the differences from Earth is that there are jet streams on the planet that control storms and winds, they are driven by the planet's own heat.

Is there life on the planet?

As you can see from the data above, the physical conditions on Jupiter are quite harsh. Some are wondering if the planet Jupiter is habitable, is there life there? But we will disappoint you: without a solid surface, the presence of huge pressure, the simplest atmosphere, radiation and low temperature, life on the planet is impossible. The subglacial oceans of its satellites are another matter, but this is a topic for another article. In fact, the planet cannot support life or contribute to its origin, according to modern views on this issue.

Distance to Sun and Earth

The distance to the Sun at perihelion (nearest point) is 741 million km, or 4.95 astronomical units (AU). At aphelion (the most distant point) - 817 million km, or 5.46 a.u. It follows from this that the semi-major axis is 778 million km, or 5.2 AU. with an eccentricity of 0.048. Remember that one astronomical unit (AU) is equal to the average distance from the Earth to the Sun.

Orbital period

The planet needs 11.86 Earth years (4331 days) to complete one revolution around the Sun. The planet rushes along its orbit at a speed of 13 km/s. Its orbit is slightly inclined (about 6.09°) compared to the plane of the ecliptic (the solar equator). Despite the fact that Jupiter is located quite far from the Sun, it is the only celestial body that has a common center of mass with the Sun, which is outside the radius of the Sun. The gas giant has a slight axial tilt of 3.13 degrees, which means the planet has no discernible change in seasons.

Jupiter and Earth

When Jupiter and Earth are closest to each other, they are separated by 628.74 million kilometers of outer space. At the most distant point from each other, they are separated by 928.08 million km. In astronomical units, these distances range from 4.2 to 6.2 AU.

All planets move in elliptical orbits, when the planet is closer to the Sun, this part of the orbit is called perihelion. When next - aphelion. The difference between perihelion and aphelion determines how eccentric the orbit is. Jupiter and Earth have two of the least eccentric orbits in our solar system.

Some scientists believe that Jupiter's gravity creates tidal effects that could cause an increase in sunspots. If Jupiter approached the Earth for a couple of hundred million kilometers, then the Earth would have had a hard time under the influence of the powerful gravity of the giant. It is easy to understand how it can cause tidal effects, given that its mass is 318 times that of the Earth. Fortunately, Jupiter is at a respectful distance from us, without causing inconvenience and at the same time protecting us from comets, attracting them to itself.

Position in the sky and observation

In fact, the gas giant is the third brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. If you want to know where the planet Jupiter is in the sky, then most often it is closer to the zenith. In order not to confuse it with Venus, keep in mind that it does not move further than 48 degrees from the Sun, so it does not rise very high.

Mars and Jupiter are also two enough bright object, especially at opposition, but Mars gives off a reddish tint, so it's hard to confuse them. They can both be in opposition (closest to Earth), so either go by color or use binoculars. Saturn, despite the similarity of the structure, is quite different in brightness due to the large distance, so it is difficult to confuse them. With a small telescope at your disposal, Jupiter will appear to you in all its glory. When observing it, 4 small dots (Galilean satellites) that surround the planet immediately catch the eye. Jupiter in a telescope looks like a striped ball, and even in a small instrument its oval shape is visible.

Being in the sky

Using a computer, it is not at all difficult to find it; the common Stellarium program is suitable for these purposes. If you do not know what kind of object you are observing, then knowing the cardinal directions, your location and time, the Stellarium program will give you an answer.

When observing it, we have an amazing opportunity to see such unusual phenomena as the passage of the shadows of satellites across the disk of the planet or the eclipse of a satellite by a planet, in general, look into the sky more often, there are many interesting and successful searches for Jupiter! To make it easier to navigate astronomical events, use .

A magnetic field

The Earth's magnetic field is created by its core and dynamo effect. Jupiter has a truly enormous magnetic field. Scientists are sure that it has a rock / metal core and thanks to this the planet has magnetic field, which is 14 times stronger than that of the Earth and contains 20,000 times more energy. Astronomers believe that the magnetic field is generated by metallic hydrogen near the center of the planet. This magnetic field traps ionized solar wind particles and accelerates them to almost the speed of light.

Magnetic field voltage

The gas giant's magnetic field is the most powerful in our solar system. It varies from 4.2 gauss (a unit of magnetic induction equals one ten-thousandth of a tesla) at the equator to 14 gauss at the poles. The magnetosphere extends seven million kilometers towards the Sun and towards the edge of Saturn's orbit.

Form

The planet's magnetic field is shaped like a doughnut (toroid) and contains the vast equivalents of the Van Allen belts on Earth. These belts are a trap for high-energy charged particles (mainly protons and electrons). The rotation of the field corresponds to the rotation of the planet and is approximately equal to 10 hours. Some of Jupiter's moons interact with the magnetic field, in particular the moon Io.

It has several active volcanoes on the surface that are spewing gas and volcanic particles into space. These particles eventually diffuse into the rest of the space surrounding the planet and become the main source of charged particles trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field.

The radiation belts of the planet are a torus of energetic charged particles (plasma). They are held in place by a magnetic field. Most of the particles that form the belts come from the solar wind and cosmic rays. The belts are located in the inner region of the magnetosphere. There are several different belts containing electrons and protons. Besides, in radiation belts contain smaller amounts of other nuclei, as well as alpha particles. The belts pose a danger to spacecraft, which must protect their sensitive components with adequate shielding if they travel through the radiation belts. Around Jupiter, the radiation belts are very strong and a spacecraft that flies through them needs additional special protection to save sensitive electronics.

Polar lights on the planet

X-ray

The planet's magnetic field creates some of the most spectacular and active auroras in the solar system.

On Earth, auroras are caused by charged particles ejected from solar storms. Some are created in the same way, but he has another way to get aurora. The planet's rapid rotation, intense magnetic field, and abundant source of particles from Io's active volcanic moon create a huge reservoir of electrons and ions.

Patera Tupana volcano on Io

These charged particles, captured by the magnetic field, are constantly accelerated and enter the atmosphere above the polar regions, where they collide with gases. As a result of such collisions, auroras are obtained, which we cannot observe on Earth.

Jupiter's magnetic fields are believed to interact with almost every body in the solar system.

How is the length of the day calculated?

Scientists have calculated the length of the day from the speed of the planet's rotation. And the earliest attempts were to watch storms. Scientists found a suitable storm and measured its speed of rotation around the planet to get an idea of ​​the length of the day. The problem was that Jupiter's storms change at a very fast pace, making them inaccurate sources of the planet's rotation. After the radio emission from the planet was detected, scientists calculated the planet's rotation period and its speed. While the planet rotates at different speeds in different parts, the speed of rotation of the magnetosphere remains the same and is used as the official speed of the planet.

Origin of the planet's name

The planet has been known since ancient times and was named after a Roman god. At that time, the planet had many names and throughout the history of the Roman Empire, it was given most attention. The Romans named the planet after their king of the gods, Jupiter, who was also the god of the sky and thunder.

In Roman mythology

In the Roman pantheon, Jupiter was the god of the sky and was the central god in the Capitoline triad along with Juno and Minerva. He remained the main official deity of Rome throughout the republican and imperial eras, until the pagan system was replaced by Christianity. He personified divine power and high positions in Rome, the internal organization for external relations: his image in the republican and imperial palace meant a lot. The Roman consuls swore allegiance to Jupiter. To thank him for his help and enlist his constant support, they prayed to the statue of a bull with gilded horns.

How planets are named

A picture of the Cassini apparatus (on the left is the shadow from the Europa satellite)

This is a common practice when planets, moons and many others celestial bodies, are assigned names from Greek and Roman mythology, and are also assigned a specific astronomical symbol. Some examples: Neptune is the god of the sea, Mars is the god of war, Mercury is the messenger, Saturn is the God of Time and the father of Jupiter, Uranus is the father of Saturn, Venus is the goddess of love and the earth, and the earth is only a planet, this goes against the Greco-Roman tradition. We hope that the origin of the name of the planet Jupiter will no longer cause you questions.

Opening

Were you curious to know who discovered the planet? Unfortunately, there is no reliable way to find out how and by whom it was discovered. It is one of the 5 planets visible to the naked eye. If you go outside and see bright star in the sky, this is probably him. its brightness is greater than any star, only Venus is brighter than it. Thus, ancient people have known about it for several thousand years and there is no way to know when the first man noticed this planet.

Maybe a better question to ask is when did we realize that Jupiter is a planet? In ancient times, astronomers thought that the Earth was the center of the universe. It was a geocentric model of the world. The sun, moon, planets and even stars all revolved around the earth. But there was one thing that was difficult to explain this strange movement of the planets. They moved in one direction and then stopped and moved back, the so-called retrograde movement. Astronomers have created more and more complex models to explain these strange movements.

Copernicus and the heliocentric model of the world

In the 1500s, Nicolaus Copernicus developed his heliocentric model of the solar system, where the Sun became the center and the planets, including the Earth, revolved around it. This beautifully explained the strange movements of the planets in the sky.

The first person to actually see Jupiter was Galileo, and he did it with the first ever telescope. Even with his imperfect telescope, he was able to see the bands on the planet and the 4 large Galilean moons that were named after him.

Subsequently, using large telescopes, astronomers were able to see more information about Jupiter's clouds and learn more about its moons. But scientists really studied it with the beginning of the space age. NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft was the first probe to fly past Jupiter in 1973. He passed at a distance of 34,000 km from the clouds.

Weight

Its mass is 1.9 x 10 * 27 kg. It is difficult to fully understand how big this number is. The mass of the planet is 318 times the mass of the Earth. It is 2.5 times more massive than all the other planets in our solar system combined.

The mass of the planet is not sufficient for sustainable nuclear fusion. Fusion requires high temperatures and intense gravitational compression. There is a large amount of hydrogen on the planet, but the planet is too cold and not massive enough for a sustained fusion reaction. Scientists have calculated that it needs 80 times the mass to ignite fusion.

Characteristic

The volume of the planet is 1.43128 10 * 15 km3. That's enough to fit 1,321 Earth-sized objects inside the planet, and there's still some room left.

The surface area is 6.21796 x 10 x 10 x 2. And just for comparison, that's 122 times more area the surface of the earth.

Surface

Infrared image of Jupiter taken with the VLT telescope

If the spacecraft descended under the clouds of the planet, then it would see a cloud layer consisting of ammonia crystals, with impurities of ammonium hydrosulfide. These clouds are located in the tropopause and are divided by color into zones and dark belts. In the atmosphere of the giant, the wind is raging at a speed of over 360 km / h. The entire atmosphere is constantly bombarded by excited particles of the magnetosphere and the substance that erupts from volcanoes on the satellite of Io. Lightning is observed in the atmosphere. Just a few kilometers below the nominal surface of the planet, any spacecraft will be crushed by monstrous pressure.

The cloud layer extends 50 km in depth, and contains a thin layer of water clouds under a layer of ammonia. This assumption is based on lightning flashes. Lightning is caused by the different polarity of water, which makes it possible to create the static electricity needed to form lightning. Lightning can be a thousand times more powerful than our Earth ones.

Planet age

The exact age of the planet is difficult to determine, because we do not know exactly how Jupiter was formed. We don't have any breed samples for chemical analysis, or rather, they do not exist at all, because The planets are made entirely of gases. When did the planet originate? There is an opinion among scientists that Jupiter, like all planets, formed in the solar nebula about 4.6 billion years ago.

The theory claims that Big Bang occurred about 13.7 billion years ago. Scientists believe that our solar system was formed when a cloud of gas and dust in space was formed in a supernova explosion. After the supernova explosion, a wave formed in space, which created pressure in clouds of gas and dust. The contraction caused the cloud to contract, and the more it contracted, the more gravity accelerated this process. The cloud swirled, and a hotter and denser core grew in its center.

How did it form

Mosaic consisting of 27 pictures

As a result of accretion, the particles began to stick together and form clumps. Some clumps were bigger than others as less massive particles stuck to them, forming planets, moons, and other objects in our solar system. By studying meteorites from the early stages of the solar system, scientists have found that they are about 4.6 billion years old.

It is believed that the gas giants were the first to form and had the opportunity to grow large number hydrogen and helium. These gases existed in the solar nebula for the first few million years before being consumed. This means that gas giants may be slightly older than Earth. So how many billion years ago Jupiter arose has yet to be clarified.

Color

Numerous images of Jupiter show that it reflects many shades of white, red, orange, brown and yellow. Jupiter's color changes with storms and winds in the planet's atmosphere.

The color of the planet is very diverse, it is created by various chemicals reflecting the light of the sun. Most atmospheric clouds are composed of ammonia crystals, with admixtures of water ice and ammonium hydrosulfide. Powerful storms on the planet are formed due to convection in the atmosphere. This allows storms to lift substances such as phosphorus, sulfur, and hydrocarbons from deep layers, resulting in the white, brown, and red patches we see in the atmosphere.

Scientists use the color of the planet to understand how the atmosphere works. Future missions, such as Juno, plan to bring a deeper understanding of the processes in the giant's gaseous envelope. Future missions are also set to study the interaction of Io's volcanoes with water ice on Europa.

Radiation

Cosmic radiation is one of the most big problems for research probes studying many planets. So far, Jupiter is the biggest threat to any ship within 300,000 km of the planet.

Jupiter is surrounded by intense radiation belts that will easily destroy all onboard electronics if the ship is not properly protected. Electrons accelerated almost to the speed of light surround it from all sides. The Earth has similar radiation belts called the Van Allen belts.

The giant's magnetic field is 20,000 times stronger than Earth's. The Galileo spacecraft has been measuring radio wave activity inside Jupiter's magnetosphere for eight years. According to him, short radio waves may be responsible for the excitation of electrons in the radiation belts. The planet's short-wavelength radio emission results from the interaction of volcanoes on Io's moon, combined with the planet's rapid rotation. Volcanic gases are ionized and leave the satellite under the action of centrifugal force. This material forms an internal flow of particles that excite radio waves in the planet's magnetosphere.

1. The planet is very massive

The mass of Jupiter is 318 times the mass of the Earth. And it is 2.5 times the mass of all the other planets in the solar system combined.

2. Jupiter will never become a star

Astronomers call Jupiter a failed star, but this is not entirely appropriate. It's like a skyscraper failed from your house. Stars generate their energy by fusing hydrogen atoms. Their enormous pressure at the center creates heat and the hydrogen atoms fuse together to create helium while releasing heat. Jupiter would need more than 80 times its current mass to ignite fusion.

3. Jupiter is the fastest rotating planet in the solar system

Despite all its size and weight, it rotates very quickly. The planet takes only about 10 hours to make a complete rotation around its axis. Because of this, its shape is slightly convex at the equator.

The radius of the planet Jupiter at the equator of more than 4600 km is further from the center than at the poles. This rapid rotation also helps generate a powerful magnetic field.

4. Clouds on Jupiter are only 50 km thick.

All those beautiful clouds and storms you see on Jupiter are only about 50 km thick. They are made of ammonia crystals divided into two levels. The darker ones are thought to be made up of compounds that have risen from deeper layers and then change color on the Sun. Beneath these clouds extends an ocean of hydrogen and helium, all the way to the layer of metallic hydrogen.

Big red spot. Image composite RBG + IR and UV. Amateur edited by Mike Malaska.

The Great Red Spot is one of its most famous features of the planet. And it seems to have been in existence for 350-400 years. It was first identified by Giovanni Cassini, who noted it as early as 1665. One hundred years ago, the Great Red Spot was 40,000 km across, but is now halved.

6. The planet has rings

The rings around Jupiter were the third to be discovered in the solar system, after being discovered around Saturn (of course) and Uranus.

An image of Jupiter's ring taken by the New Horizons probe

Jupiter's rings are faint, and are probably made up of matter ejected from its moons when they collided with meteorites and comets.

7 Jupiter's Magnetic Field Is 14 Times Stronger Than Earth's

Astronomers believe that the magnetic field is created by the movement of metallic hydrogen deep inside the planet. This magnetic field traps ionized solar wind particles and accelerates them to almost the speed of light. These particles create dangerous belts of radiation around Jupiter that could damage spacecraft.

8. Jupiter has 67 moons

As of 2014, Jupiter has a total of 67 moons. Almost all of them are less than 10 kilometers in diameter and were discovered only after 1975, when the first spacecraft arrived to the planet.

One of its satellites, Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system and is 5262 km across.

9. Jupiter has been visited by 7 different spaceships from earth

Images of Jupiter taken by six spacecraft (no photo from Willis, due to the fact that there were no cameras)

Jupiter was first visited by NASA's Pioneer 10 probe in December 1973 and then by Pioneer 11 in December 1974. After the Voyager 1 and 2 probes in 1979. They were followed by a long break until the Ulysses spacecraft arrived in February 1992. After the interplanetary station Cassini made a flyby in 2000, on its way to Saturn. And finally, the New Horizons probe flew past the giant in 2007. The next visit is scheduled for 2016, the planet will be explored by the Juno spacecraft.

Gallery of drawings dedicated to the journey of Voyager

10. You can see Jupiter with your own eyes.

Jupiter is the third brightest object in Earth's night sky, after Venus and the Moon. Chances are you've seen a gas giant in the sky but had no idea it was Jupiter. Keep in mind that if you see a very bright star high in the sky, it's most likely Jupiter. In essence, these facts about Jupiter are for children, but for most of us, who have completely forgotten school course astronomy, this information about the planet will be very useful.

Journey to the Planet Jupiter popular science film

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In space, you can find many bizarre places with abnormally high or low temperatures. Or meet the biggest meteorite, asteroid, the most massive comet, the highest mountain, the biggest canyon and much, much more. About space records solar system this article will be discussed.

Planet with the highest surface temperature

Planet Venus

The highest temperature that was recorded on the planets of the solar system - 464 ° C on the planet Venus. Due to the very dense atmosphere, it retains the heat of the sun even at night, the temperature practically does not change day or night. A slightly lower temperature was recorded on the planet Mercury - 430 ° C.

The lowest recorded body surface temperature

Neptune's satellite - Triton

It would seem that the farther from the Sun the colder, but the minimum temperature that was recorded on the surface of the body has the largest satellite of the planet Neptune - Triton- -235°C. This temperature was determined by Voyager 2, which flew near Triton in 1989.

largest planet

Planet Jupiter

The largest planet in the solar system - Jupiter. Its diameter is almost 11 times larger than our planet, and its mass is about 317 times larger than the Earth's. This is the one that contains more matter than all the other planets, their satellites, comets and asteroids combined.

The largest satellite of the planet

Jupiter's moon Ganymede

As expected, the largest planet has the largest satellite - Ganymede. Its diameter is 5262 kilometers. This more planet Mercury. If it did not revolve around Jupiter, but around the Sun, then it would refer to objects of a planetary type.

The highest mountain

The highest mountain - Olympus

Mount Olympus on Mars is the highest mountain in the solar system. It has a height of just over 27 kilometers and a base with a diameter of 550 kilometers. This is truly the highest natural creation. For comparison: on Earth, Mount Everest rises only 8.8 kilometers above sea level. After Mount Olympus, the second highest altitude in the solar system is occupied by the Venusian Maxwell Mountains, which have a maximum height of 11 kilometers.

The biggest canyon

The largest canyon - Mariner

Another record belongs to the planet Mars - this is largest canyon in the solar system, which is located in the Mariner valleys. It has a maximum width of 600 kilometers, a depth of 7 kilometers and extends for 3800 kilometers. For a better comparison, imagine if this canyon were in Europe, it would stretch from Paris to the Urals!

The largest crater

largest lunar crater- Aitken

Our natural satellite of the Earth, the Moon, has one solar system record - it is the largest crater- Aitken, which is located at the South Pole of the Moon. Its diameter is 2500 kilometers. Very old impact crater. Until 1960, astronomers doubted the existence of this crater at all. In 1994, the Clementine spacecraft performed detailed mapping of the lunar surface, and it turned out that this crater lies about 10 kilometers below the surrounding plateau.

The largest meteorite

The largest meteorite - Goba

The largest meteorite found on Earth weighs just over 65 tons. This iron meteorite was found in Namibia in 1920 and is still there today. Its length is 3 meters. Initially, it was somewhat large, but time does not spare anyone.

largest meteor shower

Largest meteor shower - Leonids

As written in various documentary sources, on November 13, 1833, a meteor shower poured over the Earth. In an hour, there were up to 200 thousand meteors (I don’t know how it was considered). Many at the time thought it was the end of the world. Astronomers have realized that meteors come to us from space, and are not a product of earth's atmosphere like rain - so it was considered up to this point.

comet closest to earth

Comet Lexell

In 1770, Lexell's comet approached the Earth at a distance of approximately 2.2 million kilometers. This comet is named after Andrey Leksel, an observer astronomer who specialized in comets and calculated its orbit. Since that time, the comet has never been seen again. It is believed that due to the approach to Jupiter, its trajectory shifted and it flew out of the solar system.

These records are rich in our solar system. If you have something to add to the article or other interesting records that were not mentioned in this article, be sure to write and share in the comments. I will add them to this article.

In the next article I will tell. Let me introduce you to more ambitious space records. Do not miss.