The most famous planets of the universe. The largest planets in the universe

Diameter: 139822 km

Jupiter is the largest and heaviest planet in the solar system, which is composed of hydrogen, methane and ammonia. The mass of Jupiter is 2.5 times greater than the mass of all the planets of our solar system combined. Jupiter's storms and lightning extend over an area larger than the entire Earth. The most famous storm (the Great Red Spot) has been observed by astronomers for several centuries. Deep in the atmosphere of Jupiter, due to colossal pressure, gases turn into a liquid state, and the planet’s core consists of metallic hydrogen. Jupiter has a powerful magnetic field, an extensive set of satellites and a ring, although not as noticeable as Saturn's.

Diameter: 116464 km

Saturn is the second largest gas giant. Just like Jupiter consists of a mixture of gases that transform into a liquid state with increasing depth. Of all the planets solar system, Saturn has the greatest compression. Its mass is 95 times the mass of the Earth. In the upper layers of Saturn's atmosphere, winds reach speeds of 1800 km/h. This planet is famous for its rings and the largest number of satellites in the solar system. Now 62 satellites are known, the largest of them is Titan, which is larger than Mercury and has its own atmosphere and methane oceans. Also, this planet makes one rotation around the Sun every 29.5 years. Saturn was explored by the Vodyager, Pioneer, and Cassini automatic probes.

Diameter: 50724 km

The third largest and fourth largest gas giant in the Solar System. Due to its great distance from the Sun, Uranus has the coldest atmosphere (−224 °C), at the equator the wind speed reaches 900 km/h. Uranus completes one rotation around the Sun in 84 Earth years. The mass of Uranus is only 14 times the mass of the Earth. Instrumental observations of the atmosphere of Uranus are hampered by its low brightness; there are no cloud bands or stable formations, but seasonal changes are recorded. The planet's axis is tilted 98 degrees, and as it rotates in orbit, the planet faces the Sun alternately with its north and south poles. Uranus has 27 moons and small rings.

Diameter: 49224 km

The farthest planet in the solar system. Gas giant, third in mass after Jupiter and Saturn. Neptune's mass is 17 times greater than Earth's. It is not visible to the naked eye, and was discovered thanks to mathematical calculations. Neptune's atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. The planet's core is solid, consisting mostly of ice and rocks. The planet's atmosphere is raging with the most strong winds at speeds up to 2100 km/h. The Voyager 2 spacecraft photographed powerful cloud bands, storms and large cyclones. He also reliably confirmed the presence of a system of small, hard-to-see rings on Neptune. The planet has 14 satellites. The largest of them is Triton.

Diameter: 12742 km

The third planet from the Sun is the cradle of life and the birthplace of humanity. The Earth has a metallic core and a mineral shell. The planet's surface is 70% covered by ocean. Scientists believe that the Earth appeared 4.5 billion years ago. The atmosphere consists of nitrogen and oxygen. Due to the optimal distance to the Sun and the slight tilt of the rotation axis, there is liquid water on the surface of the planet, and seasonal climate changes occur. Most likely, it was thanks to this that life was able to originate on the planet. The Earth has a powerful magnetic field that protects against solar radiation, and a large satellite - the Moon.

Diameter: 12103 km

The planet is very similar in structure and size to Earth. The same metal core, mineral shell, volcanic activity and gravity on the surface. But the surface of Venus itself is very different from that of Earth. The atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide and nitrogen with dense layer clouds of sulfur and chlorine compounds. The pressure on the surface is 92 times greater than on Earth, the temperature reaches 475 °C. On the surface of Venus space stations discovered many volcanoes, mountains, and asteroid craters. Venus does not have its own satellites

Diameter: 6780 km

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. Small, cold and deserted. Mars has a thin atmosphere, 160 times less dense than Earth's. The temperature on the planet's surface varies from −153°C in winter at the poles to +20°C at the equator. Mars has extensive polar caps made of water ice and frozen carbon dioxide. The planet's topography is very diverse - from the highest mountain in the Solar System - Olympus volcano with a height of 27 km - to the Marineris fault with a depth of 10 km. Seasonal climate changes are recorded on Mars, dust storms. This planet has already been visited by spacecraft more than 30 times. Mars has two small satellites - Phobos and Deimos.

Diameter: 4879 km

The planet closest to the Sun. The Mercury year lasts only 88 earthly days. Due to the slow rotation around its axis, the duration sunny day is 176 Earth days. Mercury has virtually no atmosphere. The temperature on the side of the planet facing the Sun reaches 349.9 °C, and at night it drops to −170.2 °C. The surface of Mercury resembles the moon - a rocky, lifeless desert covered with craters, the largest of which is 716 km across. The planet has a large metallic core and a weak magnetic field. Mercury does not have its own satellites.

Diameter: 2306 km

Pluto was previously considered the 9th planet of the solar system. Now classified as a dwarf planet, it is one of the largest and most visible of the many objects in the Kuiper Belt, which lies beyond the orbit of Neptune. Pluto is composed of rocks and ice and is one-fourth the mass of Earth's moon. There is practically no atmosphere. Pluto's surface is a frozen, icy desert covered in craters. More detailed information about it will be obtained only in 2015, when it is reached by the New Horizons spacecraft. Pluto has 5 moons, the largest of them is Charon, and it is only 8 times smaller than Pluto in mass.

Here is a picture showing comparisons of planet sizes:

> The 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.

The largest planet in the 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 a 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 at the surface we will note 67°C and 10 bar, in the 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 ( largest satellite in the system) and Callisto (subterranean 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.

– then you will undoubtedly be very interested.

Today we will find out which planet in the solar system is the largest. 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 learn the most interesting facts about the unique features of the planets of the solar system, which you probably have not heard about before.

Classification of planets

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:

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

Astronomers designated the first four celestial bodies as "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. Earth is in first place in this list in terms of volume.

Astronomers call the second four planets "Gas giants". They are significantly larger in size than terrestrial planets. 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 define full-fledged planets.

The main argument is that Pluto does not have enough mass to clear its orbit of other objects. As a result of these scientific researches, instead of the traditional 9 planets in the solar system, there is 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' research, it has repeatedly protected our Earth from meteorites.

Planet Jupiter

Since we have found out that Jupiter has the status of “The Largest Planet,” let’s look at some interesting facts about it.

Amazing dimensions

Jupiter is 1300 times the volume more than Earth. To make this 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 be the size of a basketball.

The speed of rotation of this giant planet is also amazing. 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 pass through its orbit once, 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 of the largest planet consists of helium and hydrogen in proportions of 1:9.

Essentially, it flows into hydrogen. Speaking in simple 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 pressure differences.

Clouds and spots

Looking at photographs of Jupiter, it is not difficult to notice specific striped patterns on them. In fact, these are clouds: light zones alternate with red-brown belts.

Strong wind currents pass between them, 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). This is the biggest atmospheric vortex in the Solar System.

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

In addition, at times the spot either increases or decreases. But overall the trend is downward.

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

The second largest planet in the solar system

The second largest planet is Saturn. It is very easy to recognize in photographs due to its distinctive rings.

By the way, all gas giants have exactly such rings, they are just not so noticeable. They contain, along with heavy elements and cosmic dust, ice particles.

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

Frost giants

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

What makes Uranus unique is the tilt of its axis. This planet literally lies on its side, which is why the sun's rays alternately illuminate only its poles.

Strong winds constantly rage on Neptune. It also exhibits a distinctive formation, much like the Great Red Spot. Astronomers 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 characteristics.

To be honest, we still have very modest knowledge of 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.

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

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

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

The largest planet in the Universe is TrES-4. It was discovered in 2006 and is located in the constellation Hercules. The planet, called TrES-4, orbits a star that is about 1,400 light-years away from planet Earth.

The planet TrES-4 itself is a ball that consists primarily of hydrogen. Its dimensions are 20 times greater than the size of the Earth. Researchers claim that the diameter of the discovered planet is almost 2 times (more precisely 1.7) larger than the diameter of Jupiter (this is the largest planet in the solar system). The temperature of TrES-4 is about 1260 degrees Celsius.

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

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

7. Largest galaxy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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 twice smaller than 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. You could say 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 is predominantly composed of great plains of volcanic origin, the rest from 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 hovers 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 the celestial body big size, namely Mars, impacted the Earth, causing the release of enough material 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 largest planets The solar system is the seventh closest to the Sun, the third largest and the fourth heaviest of the worlds. The diameter of Uranus (50,000 km) is four times that of Earth, and its mass is 14 times more mass 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 top layer 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 a fairly 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). Four largest moons discovered in 1610 year Galileo Galileo, 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 status. A The largest planet in the solar system is called Jupiter.

The radius of the planet is 69,911 km. That is, all the most major planets 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 main feature Jupiter's Great Red Spot is 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 moons. 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!