Studying the Solar System is a really interesting topic. Do you want to know the most relevant aspects? Did you know that each planet has a special characteristic?
Even when science is really advanced, its scope is limited, and man can only settle for accessing them through the mere observation of sophisticated instruments.
Our solar system is located, like all stars, within a galaxy. This has been named the Milky Way. The Earth and the sun are in one of the outer arms formed by the whirling motion of the galaxies, and not in their center.
The solar system is the place where our planet is located. It is made up of the Sun, eight planets that revolve around it, and five dwarf planets. The planets are large stars that revolve around the sun, this path is called orbit.
According to the position of the planets they receive a classification. Those closest to the sun are called the inferior planets. They have as a characteristic a rocky surface similar to that of our planet. The lower planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The exteriors, those furthest from the sun, have a gaseous nature. The inner planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
The solar system has an asteroid belt that is located between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter. It’s an empty space system, mostly. Compared to the space between them, the planets are extremely small.
The orbits of the planets are mostly ellipses, however, that of Mercury is almost circular. Each orbit is located more or less in the same plane. While the elliptical has a 7 degree inclination from the plane of the sun’s equator.
Given the investigations, it is discovered that Pluto is no longer a planet ; while Mercury is designated as the planet with the largest eccentric orbit, and a large enough degree of inclination in its orbit.
There are much smaller bodies that are part of the solar system: the satellites; a large number of asteroids revolving around the sun, especially between Mars and Jupiter, and elsewhere; likewise comets that enter and exit through the inner part of the solar system.
Instructions
- The history of the solar system dates back 4.6 billion years from an immense molecular cloud.
- In Greek “traveler” or “wanderer” is said planet. The planets, due to the brightness they emit, were considered stars and did not have a fixed place in the solar system. They did not belong to constellations and moved at different speeds.
- Among the first systematic observers of the sky were the Babylonians. In their observatories located at the top of huge towers called ziggurats, over several generations they accumulated great information. At last they managed to predict eclipses and other phenomena.
- It was the Greeks who started documenting the information about the System, declaring that the Earth was the center of this great Universe : called geocentric theory. For the Middle Ages, the geocentric system was an indisputable truth.
- With the rise of the Renaissance, ideas begin to transform. From then on, the Heliocentric theory is established, “helium” means “Sun”, which affirms that the Sun is the center of the universe, and the rest revolves around it. Aristarchus of Samos had already raised this theory, but they were rejected when in his thesis he stated that the Earth revolved around its axis in 24 hours and around the sun in a year.
- In this sense, his ideas were displeasing since he questioned the divine nature of the Earth, which Genesis supposed had been created by God as the center of the universe, as just another planet. However, Aristarchus invented great devices and established important measurements of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
- From the investigations of Nicolás Copérnico, approximately for the year 1500, it was that the current model was raised. This Polish priest expounded the idea that the Earth revolves around the sun, but that the stars had circular orbits. Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton supported this idea and worked on it to shape the theory that we currently handle.
- Galileo designed powerful telescopes that have the greatest magnification of twenty times. With them he discovered the satellites of Jupiter and showed that the moon had an uneven and imperfect surface. On the other hand, he had to support, forced by the Church, the idea that the Sun moved and that the Earth was immobile.
- Keple r, astronomer and astrologer, for his part, was able to demonstrate that the orbit of the planets was not circular but elliptical, given that he had access to different measurement and observation devices.
- Given the current investigations, it is discovered that Pluto is no longer a planet, a theory that lasted for many years ; while Mercury is designated as the planet with the largest eccentric orbit, and a large enough degree of inclination in its orbit.
- Many investigations have made great contributions to astronomy. The development of science and technology have allowed man to take gigantic steps in the study of the System; however, there are still many unknowns to be clarified regarding this interesting topic.
What do you need
The Universe is mysterious, in fact, for many it is usually an enigma, since there are many unanswered questions. However, man, in his eagerness to study the infinite, has built sophisticated observation and exploration devices that have allowed him to reach beyond what his eyes allow. He has discovered interesting and incredible facts, which in ancient times would have been ideas that offended God.
Discoveries
- The Earth is called the blue planet because it is made up of 70% water. Even so, NASA discovers in 2008 that there are traces of frozen water on the planet Mars. One Jupiter moon, Ganymede, has a 96 km deep ocean completely frozen on its surface.
- All the planets revolve in the solar system. However, Jupiter, which is three times the size of Earth, is the fastest rotating planet in the solar system. In total, it makes a journey of 1433 Earth days around the sun; however, a single day on Jupiter is reduced to 10 hours.
- The Earth does not only have mountainous relief. Its red neighbor, Mars, has the highest mountain in the entire solar system. They crowned it with the name Mount Olympus, whose altitude is 23000m. Its main function was to behave like a shield volcano to stop eruptions.
- Planet Earth has a halo of dark matter, a characteristic aspect of these formations. This matter prevents galaxies from increasing their motion and drifting.
- On the planets Neptune and Uranus there are immense oceans of diamonds. But these are in a liquid state and originate from a rain that produces extensive concentrations of carbon, which are caused by the misalignment of the poles.
- The subject of extraterrestrial life has always intrigued man; It is even one of the greatest mysteries that exist. Apparently, there are symptoms of life outside our planet. Yes, Jupiter has a layer of gas in which the chemical compounds necessary to develop life exist.
Tips
Each planet in the solar system was discovered as science and technology advanced. The history of the world records them with curious names from the culture of ancient civilizations; therefore, they acquire great merit today.
- Even though Pluto is no longer part of the planetary structure, it is interesting to know the origin of its name, which comes from Pluto, who was the God of the underworld. Roman mythology points to him as the son of Saturn and brother of Neptune and Jupiter.
- Neptune, the eighth planet, is named after the Roman God, the god of the seas.
- Uranus, according to Greek mythology is the god of the sky. He was the son and husband of Gea, the goddess of the Earth.
- Saturn is widely recognized for its rings. His name comes in this case from the Latin Saturnus, and in Roman culture he was the god of agriculture and crops. Ops, together with the goddess of fertility, are the parents of Neptune, Jupiter and Pluto.
- In the solar system, Jupiter is named after the supreme god of mythology. He is the son of Saturn and Ops, and was the one who ruled and governed all the other gods.
- Mars is known as the red planet. Its name is derived from its own characteristic: red. He was the god of war, and the color red represents blood.
- The name of the Earth comes from a Roman goddess: “Tellus”, equivalent to the Greek name “Gea”, the goddess of the earth.
- Venus is the brightest planet in the sky. Its name is in honor of the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Her name is equivalent to Aphrodite, in Greek culture.
- Mercury, the god of commerce, behaved as a messenger of the gods, because his main characteristic was speed and agility. It is the closest planet to the sun, and gets its name from the Roman god Mercury.
Where to find more information about curious facts on the subject
Delving into the study and knowledge of space is somewhat complex. Continue exploring and learning through these addresses: