The cosmos consists of many galaxies, some of which are so large that against their background our galaxy with the romantic name "Milky Way" seems miniature and tiny.
Galaxies, in turn, are composed of a large number of stars around which planets revolve. It is interesting that the name of these space objects in translation from the ancient Greek language means "wanderer".
Consider these space wanderers and find out what is the largest planet in the universe.
Let's start with the planets of OUR Solar System
Jupiter
Mass: 317.8 Earth
We start the rating from the eighth planet of the solar system, which is much larger in diameter and mass than its sisters, orbiting with it.
Named after the Roman name for the Thunder God, Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Its diameter is many times greater than the diameter of our Earth, and equal to 139,822 kilometers. With this indicator, Jupiter is the largest planet, and, along with others of similar composition, is classified as a gas giant.
In the photo: the comparative dimensions of Jupiter and the Earth
Jupiter, which has a strong magnetosphere, has many satellites of different sizes. Today, the planet has 69 satellites, but due to the great distance from Earth, many of Jupiter’s moons can still go unnoticed.
The density of the planet is low, but the atmosphere of Jupiter, like the atmosphere of the Earth, consists of several layers that differ in composition and temperature.
Saturn
Mass: 95 Earth
One of the most beautiful planets of the Universe, as well as Jupiter, belongs to the large planets of our solar system. First of all, he is famous for his gas rings, which can be seen even with a small telescope.
In the photo: the comparative dimensions of Saturn and the Earth
The main component of Saturn’s atmosphere is hydrogen, but helium and ammonia are also present. In the upper atmosphere of the planet, violent winds rage, the speed of which reaches 1,800 kilometers per hour.
He is also rich in satellites orbiting him. There are 62 of them, and 12 of them have opened spacecraft. In the solar system, only Jupiter has more satellites.
Interesting fact: A huge mystery for scientists is the storm raging at the pole of Saturn. From space, it looks like a huge regular hexagon.
Neptune
Mass: 17.15 Earth
Neptune with a diameter of approximately 49,224 kilometers is classified as a giant gas planet, and its orbit is farthest from the Sun.
In the photo: the comparative dimensions of Neptune and the Earth
Consisting of hard rock and ice, it is the heaviest planet in the solar system, 17 times the weight of the earth. Stations heading to the far reaches of our galaxy have recorded the strongest winds on the planet, the speed of which reaches 600 meters per second.
Of the interesting, we note that at first astronomers calculated its orbit, and at the end of the 19th century it was possible to examine it with a telescope.
Uranus
Mass: 14.53 Earth
Comparing volumes, Uranus is located in third place in the solar system, and its diameter is 50,724 kilometers. But due to the low density, by weight it is firmly established in fourth place on the list.
But here what Uranus leads, is that it is the coldest among all that revolve around the Sun. Its temperature is -225 degrees Celsius.
He also has small rings, but they are less noticeable than his space orbit neighbor. In addition, this is the only planet that received its beautiful name in honor of the deity of Ancient Greece, and not Rome.
Earth
Weight: 59.72610²³kg.
But astronomers answered the question which planet of the earth’s group is the largest in the early Middle Ages, having studied the parameters and characteristics of the Earth, Venus, Mars and Mercury.
The undisputed leadership in this group belongs to the Earth, which is very well located in the belt of life (Goldilocks zone). A little closer to the Sun and the water will become steam, a little further, and the water freezes, making life impossible. The mass of the Earth, as scientists have calculated, is equal to 0.00315 the mass of Jupiter.
Earth is the only known planet in the universe today on which there is life. Many billions of years ago, oceans formed on the surface of the planet, in the depths of which, according to scientists, life was born.
Venus
Venus is the sister of the Earth, since during the periods of their initial formation these planets were very similar. Venus got its name in honor of the ancient Roman goddess of love and beauty. Two neighbors in orbits and in structure are similar. But in the atmosphere of Venus, carbon dioxide instead of oxygen, and the clouds are made up of toxic compounds.
Comparative sizes of the planets Earth and Venus
The first researchers observing the planet even saw clouds, and believed that it constantly rains.
On Venus, constant volcanic activity is observed, so that on its surface it is quite hot and not restless, because the temperature is 475 ° C. Moreover, the temperature difference on the surface of the planet is minimal and is only a few degrees. This is due to the greenhouse effect.
Mars
In the photo: the comparative dimensions of Mars and the Earth
The red planet was named after the god of war, and on its rocky surface it is similar to Earth. But Mars is dry and lifeless, although hypotheses and theories have been put forward that it inhabits.
The temperature of a planet with a diameter of 6,780 kilometers varies in different periods from −150 to +20 degrees Celsius. There are no toxic gases on Mars, and the atmosphere is filled with carbon dioxide with small impurities of other substances.
Due to the absence of a magnetic field, its surface is constantly exposed to solar radiation. Mars has its own record indicators, because it is on its surface that there are two of the largest craters in the solar system.
In the photo: Snow-covered Mars
In December 2017, NASA published amazing photos of the snowy surface of Mars. It turns out to be such a low temperature at the poles of the planet that the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars becomes solid and will fall to the surface in the form of snow.
Mercury
And the last planet closest to the Sun has the smallest diameter equal to 4879 kilometers. It resembles a natural satellite of the earth, since on it, like on the moon, there are many craters, and the surface itself is rocky.
On Mercury it’s quite hot, on the side facing the Sun, the temperature reaches +425 degrees, but at night it drops to −175.
Recent studies have shown that large ice formations sprinkled with ash and dust can be concentrated at the poles. It has become possible, so at the poles there are places where the sun's rays do not fall.
Well, now the fun part! Let's talk about the largest exoplanets known to mankind.
Every year, astronomers discover a large number of new exoplanets, new stars and worlds. Therefore, information about these distant objects is constantly changing. But try to collect all the available data about known planets at the beginning of 2018.
Wasp-17 b
Mass: 0.49 Jupiter
This huge planet revolves around the star WASP-17, which is located in the constellation Scorpio and is 1307 light-years distant from us.
The mass of WASP-17 b is approximately half the mass of Jupiter, but its radius is 2 times larger than the radius of Jupiter. This indicates a small density of the planet, which is approximately equal to 10% of the density of water.
An amazing fact: this is the first exoplanet that rotates in the opposite direction from the rotation of its star.
To date, WASP-17 b is the largest planet in terms of volume, known to people.
51 Pegasus b
Mass: 0.45 mass of Jupiter
According to the latest data, this is a gas giant that rotates around a mother star similar to our Sun. It is located at a distance of slightly more than 50 light years from us.
51 Pegasus b makes a complete revolution around the parent star in just over 4 days. This is due to the proximity of the planet to the star, the radius of its orbit is 6 times smaller than the radius of Mercury and 19 times smaller than the radius of the Earth’s orbit. Due to such proximity to the star, the temperature on the surface of the planet must be very high.
With a mass of about 0.45 times that of Jupiter, 51 Pegasus b is 1.9 times larger than the largest planet in our solar system.
HAT-P-33 b
Mass: 0.76 Jupiter
This planet was found for 1367 sv. years from us at the star HAT-P-33, located in the constellation Gemini.
The mass of the planet is about 0.76 masses of Jupiter, but its volume is 80% more. The planet is very close to its star, it is about 20 times closer to it than the Earth to the Sun. The surface temperature of HAT-P-33 b probably reaches 1800ºC. The planet makes a complete revolution around the star in 83.4 hours.
TrES-4 A b
Mass: 0.92 Jupiter
The exoplanet of the double star system of the constellation Hercules, discovered in 2006, has long been considered the largest of the known planets.
The star around which the planet revolves is 1,600 light-years from Earth. TrES-4 A b has a diameter that is 1.7 times the diameter of Jupiter.
During the research, scientists found that its density is very low, and it has virtually no solid surface, and the temperature exceeds 1200 degrees Celsius.
Due to the low density and proximity to the parent star, the hot gas giant constantly loses its atmosphere and is probably very similar to a huge comet, because it has a tail carried away from the star by the solar wind.
Wasp-12 b
Mass: 1.39 Jupiter
In 870 light years from us is an amazing planet that is striking in its characteristics.
In its dimensions, WASP-12 b is 1.72 times larger than Jupiter, and its mass is 1.39 times greater than the mass of Jupiter. But this is not what makes her unique.
The planet is very close to its parent star WASP-12, very similar to the Sun. The distance between the planet and the star is more than 18 times smaller than between the Sun and Jupiter. They are so close that they can exchange matter. A huge trail of matter stretches behind the planet, which is captured by the gravity of the parent star. Most likely, in the next 10 million years this hot huge planet will collapse.
Interesting fact:
WASP-12 b has a satellite, which is 1/3 of the mass of the planet, so it is the largest satellite of the known. It is 6 times larger than planet Earth. TheBiggest.ru has a very fascinating article on the largest planetary moons.
1RXS J160929.1-210524 b
Mass: 8.5 Jupiter masses
This planet has attracted particular interest from the scientific community. When it was discovered, they were surprised that its mass exceeds the mass of Jupiter by almost 8.5 times. It is located at a distance of 330 astronomical units from the star (1 AU is the average distance from the Sun to the Earth).
In an object of this mass, thermonuclear reactions can begin, making the object a star, but apparently in the case of 1RXS J160929.1-210524 b there was not enough mass to make a star out of a planet, and instead of a system of 2 stars, the world recognized a Star with an interesting planetary system.
Kepler-12 b
Mass: 0.43 Jupiter
This is another gas giant that revolves around its star at a very close distance (0.05 AU). It, like many similar planets, has a very high surface temperature (1481 ° K) and swells from the pressure of the solar wind.
Its mass and radius are 0.431 and 1.7 of the mass and radius of Jupiter, respectively.
Beta Painter b
Mass: 6 masses of Jupiter
We conclude our article with a planet with the beautiful name Beta Painter b. It is located in the constellation of the Painter in 63 St. years from us. The planet’s orbit is 9 AU, which is almost 2 times the radius of the orbit of Jupiter and is comparable to the orbit of Saturn.
The mass of this giant is 7 times the mass of Jupiter, and its radius is 1.65 times the radius of Jupiter.
Completion
In fact. the planets that we want to talk about are still very, very many. If you liked this article and you want to continue, write about it in the comments, and we will write something.
Not so long ago, TheBiggest.ru already wrote about the biggest stars in the universe. You can sit down, this is a very entertaining article.
And below are some more interesting facts about the planets.
Interesting facts about the planets
- Jupiter acts as a kind of shield, protecting the Earth from comets and other space objects that fall into our system. It simply attracts them due to its strong gravity.
- Jupiter and the fastest in circulation around its axis. If we consider the earthly parameters, this happens in 12 hours.
- Our Earth is the only one that was not named in honor of the ancient Greek or Roman deity.
- The volcano Olympus, located on the surface of Mars, is the largest of the so far studied similar objects in space. Its peak is removed at a distance of 27 kilometers from the reddish surface of Mars.
- Due to the fact that the orbit of Mercury is located almost perpendicular to the plane of rotation of our luminary, logically, there should not be a change of seasons. But the planet’s orbit is too long. Due to this, the planet is approaching the Sun to a distance of 46 million km, then it is moving away from it to 70 million km. It is the removal of the planet from the Sun that forms the seasons on Mercury.
- On Earth, the seasons depend on the inclination of the axis of the planet, and not on the remoteness of the planet from the Sun. It turns out that in winter the Earth is at a closer distance to the Sun than in summer.
In conclusion, we note that our Galaxy, like its neighboring, smaller ones, is a satellite of a large Galaxy. But at the same time, the process of absorption by the Milky Way of the Gnome-Sagittarius Galaxy, which has been our satellite for millions of years, is now taking place.
Many of the presented planets have been known to Mankind since ancient times, and from the first moment of discovery they have been objects of worship, religious beliefs, harmoniously entering the mythology, legends and religions of many peoples of the world.