Star map of the planets of the solar system. Planets of the solar system. Origin and main astrophysical parameters

The boundless space that surrounds us is not just a huge airless space and emptiness. Here everything is subject to a single and strict order, everything has its own rules and obeys the laws of physics. Everything is in constant motion and is constantly interconnected with each other. This is a system in which each celestial body has its own specific place. The center of the universe is surrounded by galaxies, among which is our Milky Way. Our galaxy, in turn, is formed by stars, around which large and small planets revolve with their natural satellites. Wandering objects - comets and asteroids - complete the picture of the universal scale.

Our solar system is also located in this endless cluster of stars - a tiny astrophysical object by cosmic standards, which also includes our cosmic home - the planet Earth. For us earthlings, the size of the solar system is colossal and difficult to comprehend. In terms of the scale of the universe, these are tiny numbers - only 180 astronomical units or 2.693e + 10 km. Here, too, everything is subject to its own laws, has its own clearly defined place and sequence.

Brief description and description

The position of the Sun provides the interstellar medium and the stability of the solar system. Its location is an interstellar cloud that is part of the Orion Cygnus arm, which in turn is part of our galaxy. From a scientific point of view, our Sun is located on the periphery, 25 thousand light years from the center of the Milky Way, if we consider the galaxy in the diametrical plane. In turn, the movement of the solar system around the center of our galaxy is carried out in orbit. The full rotation of the Sun around the center of the Milky Way is carried out in different ways, within 225-250 million years and is one galactic year. The orbit of the solar system has an inclination of 600 to the galactic plane. Nearby, in the neighborhood of our system, other stars and other solar systems with their large and small planets run around the center of the galaxy.

The approximate age of the solar system is 4.5 billion years. Like most objects in the universe, our star was formed as a result of the Big Bang. The origin of the solar system is explained by the action of the same laws that have operated and continue to operate today in the field of nuclear physics, thermodynamics and mechanics. First, a star was formed, around which, due to ongoing centripetal and centrifugal processes, the formation of planets began. The sun was formed from a dense collection of gases - a molecular cloud, which was the product of a colossal explosion. As a result of centripetal processes, the molecules of hydrogen, helium, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and other elements were compressed into one continuous and dense mass.

The result of grandiose and such large-scale processes was the formation of a protostar, in the structure of which thermonuclear fusion began. This long process, which began much earlier, we observe today, looking at our Sun after 4.5 billion years from the moment of its formation. The scale of the processes occurring during the formation of a star can be represented by estimating the density, size and mass of our Sun:

the density is 1.409 g/cm3;
the volume of the Sun is almost the same figure - 1.40927x1027 m3;
the mass of the star is 1.9885x1030kg.

Today, our Sun is an ordinary astrophysical object in the Universe, not the smallest star in our galaxy, but far from the largest. The sun is in its mature age, being not only the center of the solar system, but also the main factor in the emergence and existence of life on our planet.

The final structure of the solar system falls on the same period, with a difference of plus or minus half a billion years. The mass of the entire system, where the Sun interacts with other celestial bodies of the Solar System, is 1.0014 M☉. In other words, all the planets, satellites and asteroids, cosmic dust and particles of gases revolving around the Sun, in comparison with the mass of our star, are a drop in the ocean.

In the form in which we have an idea of our star and planets revolving around the Sun - this is a simplified version. For the first time, a mechanical heliocentric model of the solar system with a clockwork was presented to the scientific community in 1704. It should be borne in mind that the orbits of the planets of the solar system do not all lie in the same plane. They rotate around at a certain angle.

The model of the solar system was created on the basis of a simpler and more ancient mechanism - tellurium, with the help of which the position and movement of the Earth in relation to the Sun was modeled. With the help of tellurium, it was possible to explain the principle of the movement of our planet around the Sun, to calculate the duration of the earth's year.

The simplest model of the solar system is presented in school textbooks, where each of the planets and other celestial bodies occupy a certain place. In this case, it should be taken into account that the orbits of all objects revolving around the Sun are located at different angles to the diametrical plane of the Solar System. The planets of the solar system are located at different distances from the sun, rotate at different speeds and rotate around their own axis in different ways.

A map - a diagram of the solar system - is a drawing where all objects are located in the same plane. In this case, such an image gives an idea only of the size of celestial bodies and the distances between them. Thanks to this interpretation, it became possible to understand the location of our planet in a number of other planets, to assess the scale of celestial bodies and to give an idea of the vast distances that separate us from our celestial neighbors.

Planets and other objects of the solar system

Almost the entire universe is a myriad of stars, among which there are large and small solar systems. The presence of a star of its satellite planets is a common phenomenon in space. The laws of physics are the same everywhere, and our solar system is no exception.

If you ask yourself how many planets there were in the solar system and how many there are today, it is quite difficult to answer unambiguously. Currently, the exact location of 8 major planets is known. In addition, 5 small dwarf planets revolve around the Sun. The existence of a ninth planet is currently disputed in scientific circles.

The entire solar system is divided into groups of planets, which are arranged in the following order:

Terrestrial planets:

Mercury;
Venus;
Mars.

Gas planets - giants:

Jupiter;
Saturn;
Uranus;
Neptune.

All the planets presented in the list differ in structure, have different astrophysical parameters. Which planet is larger or smaller than the others? The sizes of the planets of the solar system are different. The first four objects, similar in structure to the Earth, have a solid stone surface and are endowed with an atmosphere. Mercury, Venus and Earth are the inner planets. Mars closes this group. It is followed by the gas giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - dense, spherical gas formations.

The process of life of the planets of the solar system does not stop for a second. Those planets that we see today in the sky are the arrangement of celestial bodies that the planetary system of our star has at the current moment. The state that was at the dawn of the formation of the solar system is strikingly different from what is studied today.

The table shows the astrophysical parameters of modern planets, which also indicates the distance of the planets of the solar system to the sun.

The existing planets of the solar system are about the same age, but there are theories that there were more planets in the beginning. This is evidenced by numerous ancient myths and legends describing the presence of other astrophysical objects and catastrophes that led to the death of the planet. This is confirmed by the structure of our star system, where, along with the planets, there are objects that are products of violent cosmic cataclysms.

A striking example of such activity is the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Here, objects of extraterrestrial origin are concentrated in a huge number, mainly represented by asteroids and small planets. It is these fragments of irregular shape in human culture that are considered the remains of the protoplanet Phaeton, which died billions of years ago as a result of a large-scale cataclysm.

In fact, there is an opinion in scientific circles that the asteroid belt was formed as a result of the destruction of a comet. Astronomers have discovered the presence of water on the large asteroid Themis and on the minor planets Ceres and Vesta, which are the largest objects in the asteroid belt. The ice found on the surface of asteroids may indicate the cometary nature of the formation of these cosmic bodies.

Previously, Pluto, belonging to the number of large planets, is not considered a full-fledged planet today.

Pluto, which was previously ranked among the large planets of the solar system, is now translated into the size of dwarf celestial bodies revolving around the sun. Pluto, along with Haumea and Makemake, the largest dwarf planets, is in the Kuiper belt.

These dwarf planets of the solar system are located in the Kuiper belt. The region between the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud is the most distant from the Sun, but even there space is not empty. In 2005, the most distant celestial body in our solar system, the dwarf planet Eridu, was discovered there. The process of exploring the most distant regions of our solar system continues. The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud are hypothetically the boundary regions of our star system, the visible boundary. This cloud of gas is located at a distance of one light year from the Sun and is the area where comets, wandering satellites of our star, are born.

Characteristics of the planets of the solar system

The terrestrial group of planets is represented by the planets closest to the Sun - Mercury and Venus. These two cosmic bodies of the solar system, despite the similarity in physical structure with our planet, are a hostile environment for us. Mercury is the smallest planet in our star system and is closest to the Sun. The heat of our star literally incinerates the surface of the planet, practically destroying the atmosphere on it. The distance from the surface of the planet to the Sun is 57,910,000 km. In size, only 5 thousand km in diameter, Mercury is inferior to most of the large satellites that are dominated by Jupiter and Saturn.

Saturn's satellite Titan has a diameter of over 5,000 km, Jupiter's satellite Ganymede has a diameter of 5265 km. Both satellites are second only to Mars in size.

The very first planet rushes around our star at great speed, making a complete revolution around our star in 88 Earth days. It is almost impossible to notice this small and nimble planet in the starry sky due to the close presence of the solar disk. Among the terrestrial planets, it is on Mercury that the largest daily temperature drops are observed. While the surface of the planet, facing the Sun, is heated up to 700 degrees Celsius, the reverse side of the planet is immersed in universal cold with temperatures up to -200 degrees.

The main difference between Mercury and all the planets of the solar system is its internal structure. Mercury has the largest iron-nickel inner core, which accounts for 83% of the mass of the entire planet. However, even the uncharacteristic quality did not allow Mercury to have its own natural satellites.

Next to Mercury is the closest planet to us, Venus. The distance from Earth to Venus is 38 million km, and it is very similar to our Earth. The planet has almost the same diameter and mass, slightly inferior in these parameters to our planet. However, in all other respects, our neighbor is fundamentally different from our space home. The period of revolution of Venus around the Sun is 116 Earth days, and the planet rotates extremely slowly around its own axis. The average temperature of the surface of Venus rotating around its axis for 224 Earth days is 447 degrees Celsius.

Like its predecessor, Venus is devoid of the physical conditions conducive to the existence of known life forms. The planet is surrounded by a dense atmosphere, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Both Mercury and Venus are the only planets in the solar system that do not have natural satellites.

The Earth is the last of the inner planets of the solar system, located at a distance of about 150 million km from the Sun. Our planet makes one revolution around the sun in 365 days. It rotates around its own axis in 23.94 hours. The Earth is the first of the celestial bodies, located on the way from the Sun to the periphery, which has a natural satellite.

Digression: The astrophysical parameters of our planet are well studied and known. Earth is the largest and densest planet of all the other inner planets in the solar system. It is here that natural physical conditions have been preserved under which the existence of water is possible. Our planet has a stable magnetic field that holds the atmosphere. Earth is the most well-studied planet. The subsequent study is mainly of not only theoretical interest, but also practical.

Closes the parade of planets of the terrestrial group Mars. The subsequent study of this planet is mainly not only of theoretical interest, but also of practical interest, connected with the development of extraterrestrial worlds by man. Astrophysicists are attracted not only by the relative proximity of this planet to the Earth (on average 225 million km), but also by the absence of difficult climatic conditions. The planet is surrounded by an atmosphere, although it is in an extremely rarefied state, it has its own magnetic field and temperature drops on the surface of Mars are not as critical as on Mercury and Venus.

Like the Earth, Mars has two satellites - Phobos and Deimos, the natural nature of which has recently been questioned. Mars is the last fourth planet with a solid surface in the solar system. Following the asteroid belt, which is a kind of inner boundary of the solar system, the realm of gas giants begins.

The largest cosmic celestial bodies in our solar system

The second group of planets that make up the system of our star has bright and large representatives. These are the largest objects in our solar system and are considered outer planets. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are the most distant from our star, and their astrophysical parameters are enormous by earthly standards. These celestial bodies differ in their massiveness and composition, which is mainly of a gas nature.

The main beauties of the solar system are Jupiter and Saturn. The total mass of this pair of giants would be enough to fit in it the mass of all known celestial bodies in the solar system. So Jupiter - the largest planet in the solar system - weighs 1876.64328 1024 kg, and the mass of Saturn is 561.80376 1024 kg. These planets have the most natural satellites. Some of them, Titan, Ganymede, Callisto and Io, are the largest satellites in the solar system and are comparable in size to the terrestrial planets.

The largest planet in the solar system - Jupiter - has a diameter of 140 thousand km. In many respects, Jupiter is more like a failed star - a vivid example of the existence of a small solar system. This is evidenced by the size of the planet and astrophysical parameters - Jupiter is only 10 times smaller than our star. The planet rotates around its own axis quite quickly - only 10 Earth hours. The number of satellites, of which 67 pieces have been identified to date, is also striking. The behavior of Jupiter and its moons is very similar to the model of the solar system. Such a number of natural satellites for one planet raises a new question, how many planets of the solar system were at an early stage of its formation. It is assumed that Jupiter, having a powerful magnetic field, turned some of the planets into its natural satellites. Some of them - Titan, Ganymede, Callisto and Io - are the largest satellites of the solar system and are comparable in size to the terrestrial planets.

Slightly inferior in size to Jupiter is its smaller brother, the gas giant Saturn. This planet, like Jupiter, consists mainly of hydrogen and helium - gases that are the basis of our star. With its size, the diameter of the planet is 57 thousand km, Saturn also resembles a protostar that has stopped in its development. The number of satellites of Saturn is slightly inferior to the number of satellites of Jupiter - 62 versus 67. On the satellite of Saturn, Titan, as well as on Io, the satellite of Jupiter, there is an atmosphere.

In other words, the largest planets Jupiter and Saturn, with their systems of natural satellites, strongly resemble small solar systems, with their clearly defined center and system of movement of celestial bodies.

The two gas giants are followed by cold and dark worlds, the planets Uranus and Neptune. These celestial bodies are located at a distance of 2.8 billion km and 4.49 billion km. from the Sun, respectively. Due to their great distance from our planet, Uranus and Neptune were discovered relatively recently. Unlike the other two gas giants, Uranus and Neptune have a large amount of frozen gases - hydrogen, ammonia and methane. These two planets are also called ice giants. Uranus is smaller than Jupiter and Saturn and is the third largest planet in the solar system. The planet represents the cold pole of our star system. The average temperature on the surface of Uranus is -224 degrees Celsius. Uranus differs from other celestial bodies revolving around the Sun by a strong inclination of its own axis. The planet seems to be rolling, revolving around our star.

Like Saturn, Uranus is surrounded by a hydrogen-helium atmosphere. Neptune, unlike Uranus, has a different composition. The presence of methane in the atmosphere is indicated by the blue color of the spectrum of the planet.

Both planets slowly and majestically move around our star. Uranus orbits the Sun in 84 Earth years, and Neptune circles our star twice as long - 164 Earth years.

Finally

Our solar system is a huge mechanism in which every planet, all the satellites of the solar system, asteroids and other celestial bodies move along a clearly defined route. The laws of astrophysics operate here, which have not changed for 4.5 billion years. Dwarf planets move along the outer edges of our solar system in the Kuiper belt. Comets are frequent guests of our star system. These space objects with a frequency of 20-150 years visit the inner regions of the solar system, flying in the visibility zone from our planet.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

Pluto By decision of the MAC (International Astronomical Union), it no longer belongs to the planets of the solar system, but is a dwarf planet and even inferior in diameter to the other dwarf planet Eris. Pluto's designation is 134340.

solar system

Scientists put forward many versions of the origin of our solar system. In the 40s of the last century, Otto Schmidt hypothesized that the solar system arose because cold dust clouds were attracted to the Sun. Over time, clouds formed the foundations of future planets. In modern science, it is Schmidt's theory that is the main one. The solar system is only a small part of a large galaxy called the Milky Way. The Milky Way contains over a hundred billion different stars. It took humanity thousands of years to realize such a simple truth. The discovery of the solar system did not happen immediately, step by step, on the basis of victories and mistakes, a system of knowledge was formed. The main basis for studying the solar system was knowledge about the Earth.

Fundamentals and Theories

The main milestones in the study of the solar system are the modern atomic system, the heliocentric system of Copernicus and Ptolemy. The most likely version of the origin of the system is the Big Bang theory. In accordance with it, the formation of the galaxy began with the "scattering" of the elements of the megasystem. At the turn of the impenetrable house, our solar system was born. The basis of everything is the Sun - 99.8% of the total volume, the planets account for 0.13%, the remaining 0.0003% are various bodies of our system. Scientists divide the planets into two conditional groups . The first includes planets of the Earth type: the Earth itself, Venus, Mercury. The main distinguishing characteristics of the planets of the first group are a relatively small area, hardness, and a small number of satellites. The second group includes Uranus, Neptune and Saturn - they are distinguished by their large size (giant planets), they are formed by helium and hydrogen gases.

In addition to the Sun and planets, our system also includes planetary satellites, comets, meteorites and asteroids.

Particular attention should be paid to the asteroid belts that are located between Jupiter and Mars, and between the orbits of Pluto and Neptune. At the moment, there is no unequivocal version of the emergence of such formations in science.
Which planet is not considered a planet now:

Pluto was considered a planet from the time of its discovery until 2006, but later in the outer part of the solar system many celestial bodies comparable in size to Pluto and even exceeding it were discovered. To avoid confusion, a new definition of the planet was given. Pluto did not fall under this definition, so it was assigned a new "status" - a dwarf planet. So, Pluto can serve as an answer to the question: before it was considered a planet, but now it is not. However, some scientists continue to believe that Pluto should be reclassified back into a planet.

Scientists' forecasts

Based on research, scientists say that the sun is approaching the middle of its life path. It is unimaginable to imagine what will happen if the Sun goes out. But scientists say it's not only possible, it's inevitable. The age of the Sun was determined using the latest computer developments and found out that it has about five billion years. According to astronomical law, the life of a star like the Sun lasts about ten billion years. Thus, our solar system is in the middle of the life cycle. What do scientists mean by the word "goes out"? The huge solar energy is the energy of hydrogen, which in the core becomes helium. Every second, about six hundred tons of hydrogen in the core of the Sun is converted into helium. According to scientists, the Sun has already used up most of its hydrogen reserves.

If instead of the Moon there were planets of the solar system:

The earth, like all the planets in our solar system, revolves around the sun. And their moons revolve around the planets.

Since 2006, when it was transferred from the category of planets to dwarf planets, there are 8 planets in our system.

The location of the planets

All of them are located in almost circular orbits and rotate in the direction of rotation of the Sun itself, with the exception of Venus. Venus rotates in the opposite direction - from east to west, unlike the Earth, which rotates from west to east, like most other planets.

However, the moving model of the solar system does not show so many small details. Of other oddities, it is worth noting that Uranus rotates almost lying on its side (the mobile model of the solar system does not show this either), its axis of rotation is tilted by about 90 degrees. They attribute this to a cataclysm that occurred a long time ago and affected the inclination of its axis. It could be a collision with some large cosmic body, which was not lucky enough to fly past the gas giant.

What are the groups of planets

The planetary model of the solar system in dynamics shows us 8 planets, which are divided into 2 types: the planets of the Earth group (these include: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) and the gas giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).

This model demonstrates well the differences in the sizes of the planets. The planets of the same group combine similar characteristics, ranging from structure to relative size, a detailed model of the solar system in proportions clearly demonstrates this.

Belts of asteroids and icy comets

In addition to the planets, our system contains hundreds of satellites (Jupiter alone has 62), millions of asteroids and billions of comets. Also, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, there is an asteroid belt and the interactive model of the Solar System Flash clearly demonstrates it.

Kuiper belt

The belt remains from the time of the formation of the planetary system, and after the orbit of Neptune, the Kuiper belt extends, in which dozens of icy bodies are still hidden, some of which are even larger than Pluto.

And at a distance of 1-2 light years, there is the Oort cloud, a truly gigantic sphere encircling the Sun and representing the remains of building material that was thrown out after the formation of the planetary system. The Oort Cloud is so big that we can't show you its scale.

It regularly supplies us with long-period comets, which take about 100,000 years to reach the center of the system and please us with their command. However, not all comets from the cloud survive the meeting with the Sun and last year's comet ISON fiasco is a vivid confirmation of this. It is a pity that this model of the flash system does not display such small objects as comets.

It would be wrong to ignore such an important group of celestial bodies, which was singled out as a separate taxonomy relatively recently, after the International Astronomical Union (MAC) in 2006 held its famous session on which the planet Pluto.

History of discovery

And the prehistory began relatively recently, with the introduction of modern telescopes in the early 90s. In general, the beginning of the 90s was marked by a number of major technological breakthroughs.

Firstly, it was at this time that the Edwin Hubble Orbital Telescope was put into operation, which, with its 2.4-meter mirror, taken out of the earth's atmosphere, discovered a completely amazing world that was inaccessible to ground-based telescopes.

Secondly, the qualitative development of computer and various optical systems allowed astronomers not only to build new telescopes, but also to significantly expand the capabilities of old ones. Due to the use of digital cameras, which completely replaced the film. It became possible to accumulate light and keep records of almost every photon that fell on the photodetector matrix with unattainable accuracy, and computer positioning and modern processing tools quickly transferred such an advanced science as astronomy to a new stage of development.

alarm bells

Thanks to these successes, it became possible to discover celestial bodies, quite large in size, outside the orbit of Neptune. Those were the first calls. The situation became very aggravated at the beginning of the 2000s precisely then, in 2003-2004, Sedna and Eris were discovered, which, according to preliminary calculations, had the same size as Pluto, and Eris completely exceeded it.

Astronomers are at a dead end: either admit that they discovered the 10th planet, or something is wrong with Pluto. And new discoveries were not long in coming. In 2005, it was discovered that, together with Quaoar, discovered back in June 2002, Ork and Varuna literally filled the trans-Neptunian space, which, beyond the orbit of Pluto, was previously considered almost empty.

International Astronomical Union

The International Astronomical Union, convened in 2006, decided that Pluto, Eris, Haumea and Ceres, which joined them, belong to. Objects that were in orbital resonance with Neptune in a ratio of 2:3 became known as plutinos, and all other Kuiper belt objects - cubivano. Since then, we have only 8 planets left.

The history of the formation of modern astronomical views

Schematic representation of the solar system and spacecraft leaving it

Today, the heliocentric model of the solar system is an indisputable truth. But this was not always the case, but until the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus proposed the idea (which was expressed by Aristarchus) that it is not the Sun that revolves around the Earth, but vice versa. It should be remembered that some still think that Galileo created the first model of the solar system. But this is a delusion, Galileo only spoke out in defense of Copernicus.

The model of the solar system according to Copernicus was not to everyone's taste, and many of his followers, such as the monk Giordano Bruno, were burned. But the model according to Ptolemy could not fully explain the observed celestial phenomena and the seeds of doubt, in the minds of people, were already planted. For example, the geocentric model was not able to fully explain the uneven movement of celestial bodies, such as the backward movements of the planets.

At different stages of history, there were many theories of the structure of our world. All of them were depicted in the form of drawings, diagrams, models. However, time and the achievements of scientific and technological progress put everything in its place. And the heliocentric mathematical model of the solar system is already an axiom.

The movement of the planets is now on the monitor screen

Plunging into astronomy as a science, it can be difficult for an unprepared person to imagine all aspects of the cosmic world order. For this, modeling is ideal. The online solar system model appeared thanks to the development of computer technology.

Our planetary system has not gone unnoticed either. Specialists in the field of graphics have developed a computer model of the solar system with the input of dates, which is available to everyone. It is an interactive application that displays the movement of the planets around the sun. In addition, it shows how the largest satellites revolve around the planets. We can also see between Mars and Jupiter and the zodiac constellations.

How to use the schema

The movement of the planets and their satellites correspond to their real daily and annual cycle. The model also takes into account the relative angular velocities and the initial conditions for the movement of space objects relative to each other. Therefore, at each moment of time, their relative position corresponds to the real one.

An interactive model of the solar system allows you to navigate in time using a calendar, which is depicted as an outer circle. The arrow on it points to the current date. The speed of the passage of time can be changed by moving the slider in the upper left corner. It is also possible to turn on the display of the phases of the moon, with the dynamics of the lunar phases displayed in the lower left corner.

Some Assumptions

This is a system of planets, in the center of which is a bright star, the source of energy, heat and light - the Sun.
According to one theory, the Sun was formed along with the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago as a result of the explosion of one or more supernovae. Initially, the solar system was a cloud of gas and dust particles, which, in motion and under the influence of their mass, formed a disk in which a new star, the Sun, and our entire solar system arose.

At the center of the solar system is the Sun, around which nine large planets revolve in orbits. Since the Sun is displaced from the center of the planetary orbits, then during the cycle of revolution around the Sun, the planets either approach or move away in their orbits.

There are two groups of planets:

Terrestrial planets: And . These planets are small in size with a rocky surface, they are closer than others to the Sun.

Giant planets: And . These are large planets, consisting mainly of gas, and they are characterized by the presence of rings consisting of ice dust and many rocky pieces.

And here does not fall into any group, because, despite its location in the solar system, it is located too far from the Sun and has a very small diameter, only 2320 km, which is half the diameter of Mercury.

Planets of the solar system

Let's start a fascinating acquaintance with the planets of the solar system in order of their location from the Sun, and also consider their main satellites and some other space objects (comets, asteroids, meteorites) in the gigantic expanses of our planetary system.

Rings and moons of Jupiter: Europa, Io, Ganymede, Callisto and others...
The planet Jupiter is surrounded by a whole family of 16 satellites, and each of them has its own, unlike other features ...

Rings and moons of Saturn: Titan, Enceladus and more...
Not only the planet Saturn has characteristic rings, but also on other giant planets. Around Saturn, the rings are especially clearly visible, because they consist of billions of small particles that revolve around the planet, in addition to several rings, Saturn has 18 satellites, one of which is Titan, its diameter is 5000 km, which makes it the largest satellite of the solar system ...

Rings and moons of Uranus: Titania, Oberon and others...
The planet Uranus has 17 satellites and, like other giant planets, thin rings encircling the planet, which practically do not have the ability to reflect light, therefore they were discovered not so long ago in 1977 quite by accident ...

Rings and moons of Neptune: Triton, Nereid and others...
Initially, before the exploration of Neptune by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, it was known about two satellites of the planet - Triton and Nerida. An interesting fact is that the Triton satellite has a reverse direction of orbital motion, and strange volcanoes were also discovered on the satellite that spewed nitrogen gas like geysers, spreading a dark mass (from liquid to vapor) for many kilometers into the atmosphere. During its mission, Voyager 2 discovered six more satellites of the planet Neptune...

- this is a free program - a virtual planetarium that allows you to see:

star map;
constellations;
planets of the solar system;
and other objects of vast space.

Observations of the planets and the study of the constellations of the starry sky will be interesting for both children and adults.

Night sky over Japan

Mars with moons

Stellarium is easy to learn and use.

The program interface is completely Russified. In the settings menu, however, there are items in English, but they are not particularly important (for example, the help item “about the program”).

The settings panels are equipped with tooltips.

Program settings.

In the lower left corner, when you hover over the cursor, two panels with settings appear

The top icon on the left panel opens the window for setting the location when observing the stars:

Here you can select a location by entering coordinates, selecting a city and country from the list, or by selecting a point on the map. You can use the default location of your choice, for this you need to check the corresponding box.

The second icon opens the time setting window.

The third one will show you the view settings.

On the first tab, which is called “Sky”, you can configure the display of stars: absolute and relative magnification, turn on / off flicker and dynamic adaptation of sensitivity.

You can also turn on / off the display of the atmosphere. Planets and satellites settings include enabling/disabling planets, their markers, orbits, modeling the speed of light, and scaling the moon.

You can also turn star, nebula, and planet labels on or off, and change the label size. And even adjust the number of flying meteors per hour ...

In the "Designations" tab, you can configure the "celestial sphere": displaying the equatorial grid, the j2000 equatorial grid (this is the grid of the j 2000 epoch, that is, the times of 2000), the azimuth grid, the equatorial line, the meridian, the ecliptic, and the designations of the cardinal points in the sky .

There are also constellation settings: constellation lines, names, contours and images of constellations (more on this below) and image brightness. You can also select projections, descriptions of projections are displayed to the right of the name.

In the "Landscape" tab, you can select the landscape that will be shown when observing, such as the ocean, or the landscape of other planets, such as Mars or Saturn. You can also control the display of the earth, haze above the ground, set the selected landscape as the default landscape.

The Star Knowledge tab allows you to learn ancient knowledge about the stars of various civilizations, such as the Aztec or Polynesian. If you choose one of these knowledge models, the names and shapes of the constellations will be displayed in the sky in accordance with the names of these peoples.

The next icon in the left pane will open a search box for the item you want to see.

The penultimate icon opens the settings window:

In the "Basic" tab, you can select the language of the program, the option to display information about the selected object: all available, short or nothing.

In the "Movement" tab, you can enable/disable movement with the keyboard or mouse, and also select (set) the start time of observation.

In the “Service” tab there are settings for the planetarium parameters, such as: spherical mirror distortion, disk field of view, for more realistic stargazing, non-horizontal object labels, if you want to change the position of star labels, etc. Screenshot settings, purpose /change folder for screenshots.

Star catalog settings, you can additionally download nine catalogs of stars.

Scripts tab. Here you can run the monitoring script, the program will act "on the machine", you will only have to observe.

In the "Plugins" tab, you can enable the loading of the plugin when the program starts, configure it. There are eight plugins in total. The last icon on the left toolbar is help.

The first and second buttons on the bottom toolbar include constellation lines and their names, respectively.

The result of their actions in the figure.