The largest planet in our solar system. Astronomy lesson: what is the largest planet

Currently, planets that are much larger than Earth have been discovered outside our solar system. They are called exoplanets. Our top 10 largest planets in the Universe will provide you with basic information about these giants.

10 KIC 10905746 b

It was discovered in 2011 by amateur astronomers as part of the Planet Hunters project. Located in the star system KIC 10905746, in the constellation Draco. A year on this planet lasts only 10 days. Exoplanet data such as mass and temperature are still unknown. But the radius of KIC 10905746 b is equal to 0.23 of the radius of Jupiter (this is 16443.2 km).

9 Kepler-64AB b

An exoplanet was discovered as part of the Planet Hunters (Zooniverse) project. It is located in the constellation Cygnus and orbits two stars Kepler-64AB at once, making full turn orbit around them in 138.5 days. It is 5000 sv distant from the Sun. years. It belongs to the “gas giant” type and has a radius equal to 6.18 Earth radii (this is 34416.7 km).

8 KIC 6185331 b

The exoplanet was discovered in 2011 as part of the Planet Hunters program. Located in the star system KIC 6185331, in the constellation Draco. The planet orbits quite close to its parent star, so it is classified as a “gas giant” type. Its year consists of 50 Earth days. The radius of the planet is equal to 0.72 of the radius of Jupiter (this is 51474.2 km).

7 HD 189733A b

The exoplanet was discovered by the Spitzer Space Telescope. This bright blue hot Jupiter planet is located in the star system HD 189733A, in the constellation Vulpecula. An exoplanet always faces its parent star with only one side. Its close proximity to its star heats the planet up to 930 degrees Celsius on the bright side and up to 425 on the dark side. The radius of the planet is 1.138 times the radius of Jupiter (this is 81357.9 km).

6 TrES-2 b

The exoplanet TrES-2 b was discovered in 2006 as part of the Transatlantic Exoplanet Survey program. It is located in the star system GSC 03549-02811A, in the constellation Draco. This exoplanet belongs to the gas giant type and is the blackest planet, since it reflects less than 1% of the light falling on it from outside. The temperature of the exoplanet reaches 980 degrees Celsius. The radius of the planet is equal to 1.272 radii of Jupiter (this is 90937.8 km).

5 HD 209458 b (Osiris)

The exoplanet was discovered in the star system HD 209458, in the constellation Pegasus. It is located at a distance of 153 light from the Sun. years and is a comet planet, since the radiation of the parent star blows away a strong flow of gases from it. It belongs to the “hot Jupiter” type - its temperature reaches an average of 860 degrees Celsius. The radius of the planet is equal to 1.35 of the radius of Jupiter (this is 96514.2 km).

4 TrES-4A b

The exoplanet was discovered in 2006 as part of the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet (TrES) project. It is located in the star system TrES-4A, in the constellation Hercules. Due to its high temperature (over 1500 degrees Celsius), the planet is classified as a “hot Jupiter” type. The close location of the exoplanet to the parent star causes high heating of the planet. As a result, it is enveloped in a cloud of gas and dust. The exoplanet's atmosphere evaporates and forms " comet tail" The radius of this planet is equal to 1.706 times the radius of Jupiter (this is 121965.4 km).

3 WASP-12b

The exoplanet was discovered in April 2008 as part of the SuperWASP exoplanet search project. It is located in the star system WASP-12, in the constellation Auriga. It is considered one of the hottest planets - its temperature reaches 1500 degrees Celsius. A year here lasts 1 Earth day. WASP-12 b has its own satellite - WASP-12 b 1. The exoplanet has a radius equal to 1.83 radii of Jupiter (this is 130830.4 km).

2 WASP-17b

The exoplanet was discovered in August 2009 as part of the SuperWASP project thanks to the South African Astronomical Observatory. Located in the star system WASP-17, in the constellation Scorpio. Its orbit is classified as retrograde, that is, the planet's orbit around its parent star occurs in the direction opposite to the rotation of the star. The radius of the exoplanet is 1.99 times the radius of Jupiter (this is 142269.1 km).

1 HAT-P-32 b

This largest exoplanet was discovered in June 2011 using the HATNet robotic telescopes. Located in the star system HAT-P-32, in the constellation Andromeda. The friability and low density of the planet, as well as the heating temperature (approximately 1615 degrees Celsius), give it the “hot Jupiter” type. The radius of the exoplanet is 2.037 times the radius of Jupiter (this is 145629.2 km).

There are more than 100 billion exoplanets in the Universe. True, on this moment Scientists have discovered only a small part of them. But many probes have been sent into space and continue to explore space for the presence of new planets and star systems.

a > > The largest planet in the solar system

The largest planet in solar system- Jupiter. Read the description, Interesting Facts And Scientific research for the most massive planet around the Sun with photo.

Most big planet solar system is of course Jupiter. It is not only the largest, but also the most massive planet orbiting the Sun.

Jupiter fascinated observers 400 years ago, when it was visible in the first telescopes. It's a beautiful gas giant with swirling clouds, a mysterious sunspot, a family of moons, and lots of features.

What's most impressive is the scale. In terms of mass, volume and area, the planet is the largest planet in the solar system. The ancients knew about its existence, so Jupiter was noted in many cultures. Below is a comparison of the sizes of Jupiter, Earth and Moon.

Size, mass and volume of the largest planet in the solar system

Mass – 1.8981 x 10 27 kg, volume – 1.43128 x 10 15 km 3, surface area – 6.1419 x 10 10 km 2, and the average circumference reaches 4.39264 x 10 5 km. So that you understand, the diameter of the planet is 11 times larger than Earth and 2.5 times more massive than all solar planets.

Jupiter is a gas giant, so its density is 1.326 g/cm 3 (less than ¼ of Earth's). The low density is a clue to researchers that the object is composed of gases, but debate still continues about the composition of the core of the largest planet.

Composition of the largest planet in the solar system

It is the largest of the gas giants, divided into an outer atmospheric layer and an inner space. The atmosphere is filled with hydrogen (88-92%) and helium (8-12%). Chemical composition Jupiter's atmosphere is shown in the figure.

Traces of methane, water vapor, silicon, ammonia and benzene are also noticeable. Hydrogen sulfide, carbon, neon, ethane, oxygen, sulfur and phosphine can be found in small quantities.

The interior of Jupiter contains dense materials, so it consists of hydrogen (71%), helium (24%) and other elements (5%). The core is a dense mixture of metallic hydrogen in liquid state with helium and an outer layer of molecular hydrogen. It is believed that the core may be rocky, but there is no exact data.

The question of the presence of a core was raised in 1997, when gravity was figured out. Information hinted that it could reach 12-45 Earth masses and cover 4-14% of Jupiter's mass. The presence of a core is also supported by planetary models, which say planets required a rocky or icy core. But convection currents, as well as hot liquid hydrogen, could reduce the parameters of the core.

The closer to the core, the higher the temperature and pressure. It is believed that we will record 67°C and 10 bar at the surface, at phase transition– 9700°C and 200 GPa, and near the core – 35700°C and 3000-4500 GPa.

Moons of the largest planet in the solar system

We now know that there is a family of 67 moons near the planet Jupiter. Four of them are the largest and are called Galilean because they were discovered by Galileo Galilei: Io (continuous active volcanoes), Europa (massive subsurface ocean), Ganymede (the largest moon in the system) and Callisto ( underground ocean and old surface materials).

There is also the Amalthea group, where there are 4 satellites with a diameter of less than 200 km. They are 200,000 km distant and have an orbital inclination of 0.5 degrees. These are Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea and Thebe.

There also remain a whole bunch of irregular moons that are smaller in size and have more eccentric orbital routes. They are divided into families that converge in size, composition and orbit.

Interesting facts about the largest planet in the solar system

Let's find out more interesting facts about Jupiter. Near the northern and south poles The largest planet in the solar system experiences auroras. But here they are much more intense and practically do not stop. This is influenced by a powerful magnetic field and incoming material from Io's volcanoes.

There is a dense atmosphere where the wind accelerates to 620 km/h. In just a few hours, powerful storms form. The most popular is the Great Red Spot, observed since the 1600s.

With the discovery of exoplanets, we realized that planets are capable of larger sizes than our gas giant. Kepler has already found more than 300 super-Jupiters. Among the examples, it is worth recalling PSR B1620-26 b, considered the oldest planet (12.7 billion years). In addition, there is HD 80606 b with the most eccentric orbit.

The interesting thing is that in theory there are planets that are 15 times larger than Jupiter. When deuterium is fused, they become brown dwarfs. Jupiter received the name from the Romans in honor of the supreme deity.

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

Comparative table of planet characteristics

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

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

9. Pluto, diameter ~2370 km

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

8. Mercury ∼ 4,879 km

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

7. Mars ∼ 6,792 km

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

6. Venus ∼ 12,100 km

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

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

5. Earth ~ 12,742 km

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

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

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

4. Neptune ∼ 49,000 km

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

3. Uranium ∼ 50,000 km

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

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

2. Saturn ∼ 116,400 km

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

1. Jupiter ∼ 142,974 km

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

What is known about Jupiter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The most unusual feature of Jupiter

Undoubtedly, the main feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot - a giant hurricane that has raged for more than 300 years.

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

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

Rings of Jupiter

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

Jupiter's ring system includes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video: Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system

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

The planet Jupiter was first seen 400 years ago. Then the first telescopes were just appearing, and through them it was possible to see this planet. The planet Jupiter captivates with its volume and scale. It is the largest planet in the Solar System in terms of volume, mass, and area.

By the way, there are planets that are 15 times larger than Jupiter, but this is only in theory. The planet was named Jupiter by the Romans, in honor of the supreme deity.

The largest planet in the solar system: interesting facts about Jupiter

It is one of the largest gas giants. Divided into internal space and atmospheric layer. The air is filled with 90% hydrogen and 10% helium. The planet also contains methane, silicon and ammonia. Carbon, oxygen, neon, and phosphine are present in small quantities.

The interior of the planet contains dense materials. A mixture of liquid hydrogen with helium and an outer layer of molecular hydrogen is called the core. It's not clear yet, but some believe the core may be rocky.

The question of the core was raised 20 years ago. It was assumed that it could reach from 12 to 45 Earth masses and cover from 4 to 14% of the mass of Jupiter. The closer you are to the core, the higher the temperature and pressure become. Near the core, the temperature reaches 35,700 degrees and about 4000 GPa, on the surface itself 67 degrees and 10 BAR.

There is a family of 67 moons near Jupiter. Galileo Galilei discovered 4 of the largest ones in the distant past. This:

• Io (active volcanoes);
• Europa (subsurface ocean);
• Ganymede (the largest moon);
• Callisto (underground ocean).

Auroras are observed near the north and south poles.

The largest planet in the solar system: top 8 planets

• Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. But it is closest to the Sun. There is no change of season on this planet, because the axis of rotation is perpendicular to the rotation of the Sun. It is somewhat similar to the moon, the surface is rocky, covered with craters, such as on the Moon. Like the Moon, Mercury has no atmosphere. This planet occupies 8th place;
• Mars – unlike Mercury, Mars is located in 4th place from the Sun. It is also rocky like Mercury. This planet has been visited many times by terrestrial spacecraft. By the way, Mars rovers are currently working there. The average temperature on Mars is -153 degrees. This planet occupies 7th place;
• Venus is also called “sister of the Earth”. It is closer to the Sun than the Earth, but this is not very important. The average temperature is +470 degrees. Used instead of oxygen carbon dioxide. This planet occupies 6th place;
• Earth is located 3rd from the Sun. The only planet where life is in full swing. 70% of the planet is covered in water. This planet occupies 5th place;
• Neptune is the most distant of all the major planets. Neptune is 17 times heavier than Earth and has a larger diameter. In 1846, astronomers identified this planet, and then looked at it through a telescope. This planet occupies 4th place;
• Uranus is the 3rd planet of all the major ones. The average temperature is -220 degrees. She is named after ancient Greek god, and not Roman like most others. There are 27 satellites in its orbit. This planet occupies 3rd place;
• Saturn - this planet is also one of the largest. Saturn has the most a large number of satellites, about 62. This planet ranks 2nd;
• Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Gas giant. The average temperature is about -140 degrees. Jupiter has many satellites that can be seen with any binoculars, the most popular being Europa, Io, Ganymede and Callisto.

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