The seemingly inconspicuous UY Shield

Modern astrophysics, in terms of stars, seems to be reliving its infancy. Star observations provide more questions than answers. Therefore, when asking which star is the largest in the Universe, you need to be immediately prepared for answering questions. Are you asking about the largest star known to science, or about what limits science limits a star? As is usually the case, in both cases you will not get a clear answer. The most likely candidate for the biggest star quite equally shares the palm with its “neighbors.” How much smaller it may be than the real “king of the star” also remains open.

Comparison of the sizes of the Sun and the star UY Scuti. The Sun is an almost invisible pixel to the left of UY Scutum.

With some reservations, the supergiant UY Scuti can be called the largest star observed today. Why “with reservation” will be stated below. UY Scuti is 9,500 light-years away from us and is observed as a faint variable star, visible in a small telescope. According to astronomers, its radius exceeds 1,700 solar radii, and during the pulsation period this size can increase to as much as 2,000.

It turns out that if such a star were placed in the place of the Sun, the current orbits of a terrestrial planet would be in the depths of a supergiant, and the boundaries of its photosphere would at times abut the orbit. If we imagine our Earth as a grain of buckwheat, and the Sun as a watermelon, then the diameter of the UY Shield will be comparable to the height of the Ostankino TV tower.

To fly around such a star at the speed of light it will take as much as 7-8 hours. Let us remember that the light emitted by the Sun reaches our planet in just 8 minutes. If you fly at the same speed as it makes one revolution around the Earth in an hour and a half, then the flight around UY Scuti will last about 36 years. Now let’s imagine these scales, taking into account that the ISS flies 20 times faster than a bullet and tens of times faster than passenger airliners.

Mass and luminosity of UY Scuti

It is worth noting that such a monstrous size of the UY Shield is completely incomparable with its other parameters. This star is “only” 7-10 times more massive than the Sun. It turns out that the average density of this supergiant is almost a million times lower than the density of the air around us! For comparison, the density of the Sun is one and a half times higher than the density of water, and a grain of matter even “weighs” millions of tons. Roughly speaking, the averaged matter of such a star is similar in density to a layer of atmosphere located at an altitude of about one hundred kilometers above sea level. This layer, also called the Karman line, is the conventional boundary between the earth's atmosphere and space. It turns out that the density of the UY Shield is only slightly short of the vacuum of space!

Also UY Scutum is not the brightest. With its own luminosity of 340,000 solar, it is tens of times dimmer than the brightest stars. A good example is the star R136, which, being the most massive star known today (265 solar masses), is almost nine million times brighter than the Sun. Moreover, the star is only 36 times larger than the Sun. It turns out that R136 is 25 times brighter and about the same number of times more massive than UY Scuti, despite the fact that it is 50 times smaller than the giant.

Physical parameters of UY Shield

Overall, UY Scuti is a pulsating variable red supergiant of spectral class M4Ia. That is, on the Hertzsprung-Russell spectrum-luminosity diagram, UY Scuti is located in the upper right corner.

At the moment, the star is approaching the final stages of its evolution. Like all supergiants, it began actively burning helium and some other heavier elements. According to current models, in a matter of millions of years, UY Scuti will successively transform into a yellow supergiant, then into a bright blue variable or Wolf-Rayet star. The final stages of its evolution will be a supernova explosion, during which the star will shed its shell, most likely leaving behind a neutron star.

Already now, UY Scuti is showing its activity in the form of semi-regular variability with an approximate pulsation period of 740 days. Considering that the star can change its radius from 1700 to 2000 solar radii, the speed of its expansion and contraction is comparable to the speed of spaceships! Its mass loss is at an impressive rate of 58 million solar masses per year (or 19 Earth masses per year). This is almost one and a half Earth masses per month. Thus, being on the main sequence millions of years ago, UY Scuti could have had a mass of 25 to 40 solar masses.

Giants among the stars

Returning to the disclaimer stated above, we note that the primacy of UY Scuti as the largest known star cannot be called unambiguous. The fact is that astronomers still cannot determine the distance to most stars with a sufficient degree of accuracy, and therefore estimate their sizes. In addition, large stars are usually very unstable (remember the pulsation of UY Scuti). Likewise, they have a rather blurry structure. They may have a fairly extensive atmosphere, opaque shells of gas and dust, disks, or a large companion star (for example, VV Cephei, see below). It is impossible to say exactly where the boundary of such stars lies. After all, the established concept of the boundary of stars as the radius of their photosphere is already extremely arbitrary.

Therefore, this number can include about a dozen stars, which include NML Cygnus, VV Cephei A, VY Canis Majoris, WOH G64 and some others. All these stars are located in the vicinity of our galaxy (including its satellites) and are in many ways similar to each other. All of them are red supergiants or hypergiants (see below for the difference between super and hyper). Each of them will turn into a supernova in a few millions, or even thousands of years. They are also similar in size, lying in the range of 1400-2000 solar.

Each of these stars has its own peculiarity. So in UY Scutum this feature is the previously mentioned variability. WOH G64 has a toroidal gas-dust envelope. Extremely interesting is the double eclipsing variable star VV Cephei. It is a close system of two stars, consisting of the red hypergiant VV Cephei A and the blue main sequence star VV Cephei B. The centra of these stars are located from each other at some 17-34 . Considering that the radius of VV Cepheus B can reach 9 AU. (1900 solar radii), the stars are located at “arm’s length” from each other. Their tandem is so close that whole pieces of the hypergiant flow at enormous speeds onto the “little neighbor”, which is almost 200 times smaller than it.

Looking for a leader

Under such conditions, estimating the size of stars is already problematic. How can we talk about the size of a star if its atmosphere flows into another star, or smoothly turns into a disk of gas and dust? This is despite the fact that the star itself consists of very rarefied gas.

Moreover, all the largest stars are extremely unstable and short-lived. Such stars can live for a few millions, or even hundreds of thousands of years. Therefore, when observing a giant star in another galaxy, you can be sure that a neutron star is now pulsating in its place or a black hole is bending space, surrounded by the remnants of a supernova explosion. Even if such a star is thousands of light years away from us, one cannot be completely sure that it still exists or remains the same giant.

Let us add to this the imperfection of modern methods for determining the distance to stars and a number of unspecified problems. It turns out that even among a dozen known largest stars, it is impossible to identify a specific leader and arrange them in order of increasing size. In this case, UY Shield was cited as the most likely candidate to lead the Big Ten. This does not mean at all that his leadership is undeniable and that, for example, NML Cygnus or VY Canis Majoris cannot be greater than her. Therefore, different sources may answer the question about the largest known star in different ways. This speaks less of their incompetence than of the fact that science cannot give unambiguous answers even to such direct questions.

Largest in the Universe

If science does not undertake to single out the largest among the discovered stars, how can we talk about which star is the largest in the Universe? Scientists estimate that the number of stars, even within the observable Universe, is ten times greater than the number of grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. Of course, even the most powerful modern telescopes can see an unimaginably smaller portion of them. It will not help in the search for a “stellar leader” that the largest stars can stand out for their luminosity. Whatever their brightness, it will fade when observing distant galaxies. Moreover, as noted earlier, the brightest stars are not the largest (for example, R136).

Let us also remember that when observing a large star in a distant galaxy, we will actually see its “ghost”. Therefore, it is not easy to find the largest star in the Universe; searching for it will simply be pointless.

Hypergiants

If the largest star is practically impossible to find, maybe it’s worth developing it theoretically? That is, to find a certain limit after which the existence of a star can no longer be a star. However, even here modern science faces a problem. The modern theoretical model of evolution and physics of stars does not explain much of what actually exists and is observed in telescopes. An example of this is hypergiants.

Astronomers have repeatedly had to raise the bar for the limit of stellar mass. This limit was first introduced in 1924 by the English astrophysicist Arthur Eddington. Having obtained a cubic dependence of the luminosity of stars on their mass. Eddington realized that a star cannot accumulate mass indefinitely. The brightness increases faster than the mass, and this will sooner or later lead to a violation of hydrostatic equilibrium. The light pressure of increasing brightness will literally blow away the outer layers of the star. The limit calculated by Eddington was 65 solar masses. Subsequently, astrophysicists refined his calculations by adding unaccounted components and using powerful computers. So the current theoretical limit for the mass of stars is 150 solar masses. Now remember that R136a1 has a mass of 265 solar masses, which is almost twice the theoretical limit!

R136a1 is the most massive star currently known. In addition to it, several other stars have significant masses, the number of which in our galaxy can be counted on one hand. Such stars were called hypergiants. Note that R136a1 is significantly smaller than stars that, it would seem, should be lower in class - for example, the supergiant UY Scuti. This is because it is not the largest stars that are called hypergiants, but the most massive ones. For such stars, a separate class was created on the spectrum-luminosity diagram (O), located above the class of supergiants (Ia). The exact initial mass of a hypergiant has not been established, but, as a rule, their mass exceeds 100 solar masses. None of the Big Ten's biggest stars measure up to those limits.

Theoretical dead end

Modern science cannot explain the nature of the existence of stars whose mass exceeds 150 solar masses. This raises the question of how one can determine the theoretical limit on the size of stars if the radius of a star, unlike mass, is itself a vague concept.

Let us take into account the fact that it is not known exactly what the stars of the first generation were like, and what they will be like during the further evolution of the Universe. Changes in the composition and metallicity of stars can lead to radical changes in their structure. Astrophysicists have yet to comprehend the surprises that further observations and theoretical research will present to them. It is quite possible that UY Scuti may turn out to be a real crumb against the background of a hypothetical “king star” that shines somewhere or will shine in the farthest corners of our Universe.

My sister was lucky - she was given a real telescope for her birthday. Of course, it doesn’t increase it too much, but is that really that important? I myself looked at the starry sky for about forty minutes without stopping. And I even recognized one of the small round spots, which, in fact, is the largest planet in the Solar System.

Which planet is the largest in the Solar System?

The largest planet is Jupiter. It is more than 11 times larger than our Earth.

Jupiter also has many more satellites than our planet. You and I can only boast of having one and only one Moon.

At Jupiter at the moment we have counted as much 69 satellites- more than any other planet in the solar system. Of course, I won’t list them all. But I’ll still name the most famous:

• Callisto.
• Ganymede.
• Europe.

This magnificent four of Jupiter's moons discovered by Galileo, and did it whole 407 years ago.

Why is it difficult to fly to Jupiter?

The first reason is that it is located quite far from earth. Distance varies from 588.5 to 968.6 million km. Why such a large spread? The fact is that the planets, revolving around the Sun, cyclically approach and then move away from each other. So in order to fly faster, you need to guess the moment when the planets will be well located relative to each other.

The second problem is landing. The space probes that are sent to explore this cosmic behemoth can't Fine sit on its gas surface. All they have to do is immerse themselves in the atmosphere - and enormous pressure planets flatten the probe into a cake.

Yes and radiation near Jupiter also greatly interferes with the operation of spacecraft, often leading to severe malfunctions or even large losses of collected data.

However, despite such enormous difficulties, Jupiter and its moons are being carefully studied. Some of moon gas giant attracts special attention - there, presumably, there is an ocean, which means she could life begins to arise. It is unlikely that it will be intelligent, but even the very fact of its discovery will make humanity understand that we are not alone in space.

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When I was little, I stubbornly believed that the largest planet in the solar system was the large red and yellow ball at its center. Only later, when I entered school, did the teachers explain to me that this “planet” is the main star of our system - the Sun. This news made me continue to search for the largest planet in the solar system.

The planet is a giant

If you put planets in order of increasing mass, then the list will look like this:

• Mercury - 3.3·10^20 kilograms;
• Mars - 6.4·10^20 kilograms;
• Venus - 4.9·10^21 kilograms;
• Earth-6.0·10^21 kilograms;
• Uranium - 8.7·10^22 kilograms;
• Neptune - 1.0·10^23 kilograms;
• Saturn - 5.7·10^23 kilograms;
• Jupiter - 1.9·10^24 kilograms.

As you can see , The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter.Diameter of this planet at the thickest part, at the equator, 11 thousand times larger than the diameter of the Earth. Of course, this size is much smaller than the diameter of the Sun, approximately 10 diameters of Jupiter will be equal to the diameter of the Sun. Proportional to its size, the mass of Jupiter is very large. If you put all the planets of the Solar System and their satellites on a scale (of course, “cosmically” huge) and compare their weight with the weight of Jupiter, then Jupiter will easily outweigh it all. Only if increase the weight of the planets and their satellites by 2.5 times, the scales will balance.

The reason for Jupiter's huge size

This planet formed in the early period of the solar system's development, like Saturn, during this period more materials (gases) were free to create planets, therefore the size of the planets of that period is simply huge. High temperature + large amounts of gas made the planet Jupiter so large. The remaining planets have much less gas left, so they look inconspicuous. Also about gases, Jupiter's atmosphere is very dense, so it is difficult to give an accurate estimate of its size. All that humanity can observe now are the clouds of Jupiter and nothing more.

Someone bigger

In our solar system, Jupiter is definitely a giant, but there are other systems where the gas giants are closer to the star than Jupiter is to the Sun, so the temperature of these giants is higher, and therefore their size exceeds the size of Jupiter. WITHThe largest planet known to mankind is TRES-4.

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A couple of years ago, my son returned from school with the question: “How many planets are there in the solar system?” Recently it turned out that Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Like, it's too small. It must be said that the debate on this issue continues to this day. Fortunately, there is no doubt about the most major planet in the solar system.

The largest planet in the solar system

Jupiter is often called a gas giant. It is the fifth planet from the Sun. Its diameter is about 143 thousand kilometers. Thus Jupiter is almost 11 times larger than Earth. Jupiter is so large that its mass is two and a half times greater than the combined mass of all the other planets in our galaxy. It is one of the few planets that can be seen without a telescope. That is why people in ancient times knew about the existence of this giant cosmic object, just like about the Sun, Moon and Venus. Pointing a small telescope towards Jupiter, we will see an impenetrable layer of clouds 4 thousand kilometers thick and among them a characteristic feature is a large red spot. First time I saw him in 1665 French astronomer Giovanni Cassini. Its size is comparable to the diameter of planet Earth. The active movement of gases in the atmosphere of Jupiter occurs under the influence of winds whose speed reaches 600 kilometers per hour.

Diamond in the center of Jupiter

Scientists believe that under a thick layer of rapidly moving clouds, at a depth of about 40 thousand kilometers, the planet's core is stationary. Nothing is known about its chemical and physical parameters. There is a hypothesis that, under enormous pressure and temperature, the core could have formed either in the form of fossilized hydrogen with the properties of a metal, or in the form of coal with all the properties of diamond. Can anyone imagine diamond is three times larger than Earth?

Rings and moons of Jupiter

Jupiter also has rings, similar to Saturn. Despite the fact that the total width of the rings is about 6 thousand kilometers, few people know about them. In addition to all of the above, the fact that Jupiter has 67 moons. The largest of them are:

• Europe;
• Ganymede;
• Callisto.

Solar System Vacuum Cleaner

The presence of a large number of satellites is due to the fact that Jupiter creates very strong gravitational field. Therefore, this planetary ball can be called a vacuum cleaner of the Solar system. Numerous asteroids and comets are sucked into Jupiter's atmosphere. Thus, these space objects no longer pose a threat to planet Earth and humanity.

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Giant of the Solar System

Everyone knows that largest planet - Jupiter. Due to the fact that it can be observed almost all night, the planet has been known since ancient times. "Mulu Babbar"- that’s what representatives of the ancient culture of Mesopotamia called it, which translated means "star-sun". A significant breakthrough in the study of this planet occurred only in the middle of the 17th century.. He became the first celestial body to have satellites discovered, and this discovery was made by the great Galileo. This is truly a giant among planets, but is it a planet??

Planet or star

Some scientists at the beginning of the last century believed that the giant radiates own light, and some of its characteristics like the sun:

• consists of hydrogen;
• emits x-rays;
• emits radio waves;

• has a gigantic magnetic field.

Observant astronomers immediately noticed that all of the above characterizes the stars, and not planets. That’s why the question arose: maybe it’s not a planet, but a star? Jupiter has a slight nuclear energy emitter, however, science says the opposite: the planet should not have anything like this. Indeed, the planets are only reflect rays and energy, while the stars themselves generate both. And what’s most interesting is that the outgoing energy significantly exceeds that transmitted to the planet Sun.

Another important point is the huge energy generation rate, which indicates that the planet is essentially "warming up". Observations made it possible to establish that, due to its gigantic mass, the planet absorbs particles "Solar Wind". As the number of captured particles increases, the mass of the planet itself increases, which is one of the main conditions for transformation into a star.

Scientists have calculated that in about 2 billion years Jupiter will catch up with the mass of the Sun, which will cause the emergence double solar system.

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In April of this year I observed one very bright object, lighting in my city is practically absent at night, so I was able to get a good look largest object in the solar system after the luminary itself - Jupiter. And it is not at all surprising that it was so clearly visible to the naked eye, because this planet superior our mass Earth a little more than 300 once. Accordingly, when she is at the point of opposition, the light reflected by her eclipses even Sirius.

The largest planet in the solar system - Jupiter and its origin

Jupiter located at a sufficient distance from the Sun to make it difficult for humanity to study it, and the atmosphere there is unfriendly, after all gas giant, after all. Showers of ammonia are hardly conducive to a comfortable immersion in the environment of any terrestrial device, especially since there is also no solid surface. No, it is quite possible that somewhere very deep there is core, but there is no hydrocarbon life there. The planet was formed due to large-scale phenomena, a series of chemical reactions and, probably, gravitational collapse, which marked the beginning of our system. Structurally Jupiter consists of:

1. Multilayer atmosphere.
2. Metallic hydrogen.
3. The core, presumably stone.

Of course, it is not possible to obtain accurate data due to the characteristics of the celestial body, but cosmic devices, sent to direct closeness, allowed us to record more or less specific information at least about outer layer of the atmosphere.

Jupiter rotates around your axes just for 10 earth hours, which makes it in this regard not only the most massive, but also fast planet of the solar system. However, the orbit is so large that one a revolution around the Sun lasts 12 years. Due to its size, Jupiter has extremely powerful gravity, yes, approaching comet over a distance of 15 thousand kilometers was torn into many pieces. Plus, the planet has record number of satellites- about 70 objects.

Healthy

Who is the largest in the solar system?

Largest planet in the solar system is gas giant -Jupiter. Jupiter known to ancient people as supreme deity of ancient Rome. What’s interesting is that she was God’s wife Juno. Namely, this is the name of the spacecraft that was sent to explore the planet. What amazes us about this gas giant:

• To fill all volume of Jupiter, need to 1300 planets Earth.
• If there were stocks hydrogen And helium was in 80 times more,Jupiter would become a star.
• Jupiter has a small copy of the solar system- 4 months and 67 small satellites.

And also, as it turned out, Jupiter shrinks by 2 cm every year. Scientists have discovered that after its “birth” the giant was much larger and hotter. And it was formed much earlier than Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These four were formed from substances that gas planets were thrown into space.

The mystery of the planet - the big red spot

Jupiter has amazing coloring. And all thanks to the winds that blow up 650 kilometers per hour. And here from the sky in the form of rain fall diamonds. Besides this wealth, on Jupiter constantly raging hurricane, the diameter of which is 3 times the size of the Earth. From space it looks like giant red spot. It either increases or decreases, and its color still remains a mystery for scientists.

The giant's powerful magnetic field

Magnetic field this "god of the planets" exceeds the earth's by 20 thousand times. Electrically charged particles of this field are constantly at war with other planets, constantly attacking them. A Jupiter radiation may cause damage even good protected spacecraft. Jupiter also has three rings, although they are not as bright as Saturn's.

And also Jupiter like a real supreme god, protects planets from comets and asteroids. Its gravitational field affects asteroids and changes their orbits. Thanks to this, we are still alive.

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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 in the 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 studied by the automatic probes Vodyager, Pioneer, and Cassini.

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, wind speeds reach 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 experiences the strongest winds at speeds of up to 2,100 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 from 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 a dense layer of 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 have 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, and dust storms occur. 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 Earth days. Due to its slow rotation around its axis, the duration of a solar 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:

Back at school we were introduced to the solar system. Its center is the Sun, around which the planets revolve. Previously, it was believed that there were nine planets and the Sun, but recently Pluto was excluded from this series, since its mass and gravitational field do not correspond to the others. Each planet is individual and not at all similar to the others. They all have different sizes, temperatures, and physical states.

We all know the answer to the question, what is the name of the largest planet in the solar system since school. The record holder is Jupiter. It is named after the Thunder God. It surpasses other planets not only in size, but also in mass value. Of course, Jupiter is not the largest planet in the universe, but it is definitely in the solar system.

The history of acquaintance with this planet began about four hundred years ago, when telescopes were invented. A gas giant framed by large clouds, mysterious circular spots, satellites - these are just some of the features.

It is not only the largest planet in our system, but also the heaviest orbiting the Sun.

The scale of the planet is impressive. If we take the ratio of mass values, area and volume of an object, we can conclude that Jupiter becomes the first in the list. It has been identified since ancient times and has been celebrated by many cultures.

If we talk about the size of the planet, they are gigantic:

• weight 1.8891 x 1072 kg, volume – 1.43218 x 1051 km³;
• surface area – 6.1491 x 1010 km²;
• the approximate circumference reaches 4.39624 x 105 km;

As a result, for comparison, imagine the planet Earth, and now increase its scale by 2.5 times and realize which is the largest planet in the solar system.

Interesting to know! The giant, consisting of gas and dust, has a density of up to 1.326 g/cm³, the lowest density.

It is worth noting that the controversy surrounding the composition of the core of this large planet does not stop.

Jupiter is located at a huge distance of 778 million kilometers from the Sun, this is 5th place. In terms of its state of aggregation, it is a gas giant, similar to the solar composition. The atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen.

But a remarkable feature is that under the atmospheric layer the planet is shrouded in ocean. Not to be confused with the earth's ocean of water, where the water contains rarefied boiling hydrogen under high pressure. The rapid rotation around its axis creates an elongation along Jupiter's equator, and winds of great strength are formed.

This is what forms the unusually beautiful appearance of Jupiter: elongated clouds in the atmosphere form colorful ribbons of varying lengths and widths. Also, vortices appear in the clouds - formations of the atmosphere. Some of these formations are already about three hundred years old, and they reach enormous sizes. For example, there is a formation called the Great Red Spot, which is several times larger than the size of our Earth.

Magnetic field

Scientists have determined that Jupiter's magnetic field is so large, it is approximately 650 million kilometers. This exceeds the size of the planet itself and even falls into the orbits of neighboring planets, such as Saturn.

This is interesting! The magnetic field attracts an impressive number of satellites to the planet, currently there are 28 of them.

The largest of them is Ganymede. This satellite is popular among scientists. A large number of contradictory statements entail even greater scientific interest in Ganymede. Its surface resembles ice, which is covered with stripes of cracks, the origin of which remains undisclosed.

There are several points of view that contradict each other and no one can give a definite answer:

• the theory that under blocks of ice there are areas of unfrozen water in which primitive life can develop;
• the satellite is lifeless and unsuitable for the development of simple microorganisms.

This is very rare, since only rare places in our solar system can be considered suitable for life. In the near future, it is planned to send expeditions with drilling rigs to resolve these disputes. It is necessary to study the composition of the water, which will allow us to talk about the suitability of this place for life.

The theory says that the Sun and all the planets were formed during an explosion in the universe from a cloud of gas and dust. So, about two-thirds of the solar system came to Jupiter from this dust and gas cloud, but this is not enough for the formation of a core in the center of the planet.

Heated by the Sun, the surface has a temperature of 100º; heat from its own heat source is added to this indicator - 40º. Jupiter's atmospheric layer contains helium (11%) and hydrogen (89%). This composition is close to the composition of the Sun. Sulfur and phosphorus, present in excess on the surface, give a chemical reaction that results in an orange color. For humans, such a surface is harmful due to acetylene and ammonia.

Satellite view

Research

If you look into a telescope, you can see three rings that surround the planet. They are not as beautiful as the rings of Saturn and are not so noticeable. In 1979, using the Voyager 1 spacecraft, scientists proved their existence. The largest and most distinctive feature are the vortices located below the equator. Their enormous size amazes observers and looks like a large red spot. They opened in 1664 and are still active today.

Natural phenomena are no strangers to Jupiter:

• aurora;
• storms;
• lightning;
• strong winds.

Research has been going on for centuries and is incomplete today. There is still a lot of discovery and research to be done. It is even possible to discover life on this object in the solar system. But at the moment, science insists that this is unlikely. Ammonia and acetylene are of little use for the development of living organisms and the chances are negligible.

Useful video: the largest planet in the solar system

Satellites

On our Earth, we can sometimes admire the polar lights and other delights of the planet. And on the giant of the solar system it happens more often and on a larger scale. A magical light show is not uncommon on this part.

This is possible due to several factors:

• radiation is more intense than on Earth;
• extensive magnetic field;
• a large amount of materials of volcanic origin (Io volcano).

Unlike Earth, Jupiter has approximately 63 moons and many satellites:

• Ganymede is the winner among satellites in size.
• Io is the largest and most active volcano in our solar system.
• Callisto. Scientists suggest that there is an underground ocean on it that stores particles of ancient material;

The stormy atmosphere of this giant amazes with its activity. The wind reaches more than six hundred kilometers per hour. Just a couple of hours, and the storm grows to enormous sizes - up to several thousand kilometers in diameter. Storm vortices are constantly in motion, contracting and expanding, but at least 20 thousand kilometers in diameter. This phenomenon can be captured independently through an average telescope.

Useful video: the moons of Jupiter

Neighbors in the solar system

As far as you can understand, Jupiter is a rather curious planet and everything that happens on it is fascinating. But speaking about the planets of the solar system, it is worth mentioning the close “brothers”. In second place in terms of size is Saturn. Everyone knows her for her huge rings. In principle, all gas objects have such gas formations. But these rings make Saturn more noticeable and recognizable due to its impressive size.

The composition of the rings is varied:

• ice particles;
• admixture of heavy elements;
• dust.

Saturn itself is almost similar in chemical composition to Jupiter:

• hydrogen;
• methane compounds;
• impurities of various types;
• poisonous ammonia.

But due to stronger storm winds on Saturn, there is no possibility of stable formations.

Neighboring planets

Next comes Uranus, followed by Neptune. They are scientifically identified as a separate group of ice giants. Metallic hydrogen compounds have not been found in the depths of these planets, as on their larger counterparts. A distinctive feature of Uranus is its characteristic axis tilt. The sun illuminates not so much the equator as its poles: now the South, now the North.

Neptune is the planet of the strongest winds. Its surface has been compared to that of the Great Red Spot - called the "Great Dark Spot".

Saturn, then Uranus and Neptune are unique planets that arouse interest with their characteristic features and fascinating processes. But no matter how huge they are, including Jupiter, they are negligible compared to the entire expanse of the solar system. It is simply impossible to explore all corners; there are still a huge number of scientific discoveries, improvements to existing theories and explanations.

Useful video: the mysterious world of the Jupiter system

Conclusion

So, we have completely confirmed the answer to the question, what is the name of the largest planet in the solar system, and there is no doubt left that it is Jupiter.

The solar system in which we live is just a small element of our galaxy, and the galaxy itself is a small element of the infinite Universe. Man has not yet fully studied his own system and the surrounding areas of space. Moreover, there are many “white spots” in the constellations that are light years away from us. The scale of the Universe is so large that only the largest planets are currently accessible to human study.

Giant from the constellation Hercules

But how big are they? Is it possible to answer the question, which planet is the largest? Scientists from Arizona (Lowell Laboratory) believe so.

In 2006, in the constellation Hercules, they discovered a planet whose dimensions exceed the dimensions of the Earth by 20 times. The planet was given the name TrES–4. This red-hot giant looks like a star, but is still a planet. TrES–4 is 1.7 times larger than Jupiter (the largest planet in the Solar System). According to currently available data, this is the largest planet in the Universe.

Hydrogen planet

Despite its titanic dimensions, TrES–4 is inferior to Jupiter in mass. This is explained by the fact that the planet consists of rarefied gases, mainly hydrogen. It is impossible to “land” on it. If a spaceship reached it, it would literally plunge into the planet. The density of its substance is only 0.33 g / cubic meter. cm. Therefore, with a radius of 1.706 RJ, the mass of the planet is only 0.917 MJ. Scientists are generally surprised that at such a low density the planet retains its shape without being dispersed in space.

The low density of TrES–4 is explained by its proximity to the star, which heats up the planet’s material. The temperature of its constituent gases reaches 1260 degrees Celsius (2300 Fahrenheit). The proximity to the star (4.5 million km) and the speed of its orbit also explain the surprisingly short year of TrES–4. The largest planet in space makes a complete revolution around its star in just 3.5 days.

The low density of the planet also gives rise to low gravity. As a result of this, and due to heating by the star, the planet cannot reliably retain its own matter. It is constantly enveloped in a cloud of gas and dust. TrES–4 is expanding, losing part of its atmosphere. As a result of this, the planet has a noticeable “tail”, like the ones that comets have.

At the time of its discovery, TrES–4 was the largest exoplanet known to mankind, but it was discovered only recently. This proves that the depths of space still hide many mysteries. Explorers of the Universe are constantly faced with new problems, and not all of them have yet been solved.