California Institute of Technology spokesman Mike Brown said the new planet is larger than Pluto, which has a diameter of about 2,250 km, and is twice as far from the Sun. According to scientists, the distance to it is now 97 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun. The planet revolves around the Sun in approximately ten and a half thousand Earth years. And the orbital radius is 130 billion kilometers.
The object has not yet received an official name, but the discoverers are temporarily calling it 2003 UB313 or Sednaya - in honor of the sea deity of the Eskimo Inuit tribe.
The new planet was discovered by Michael Brown of Caltech, Chad Trujillo of the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii, and David Rabinowitz of Yale University.
In an interview with the BBC, Rabinowitz said: "This is an amazing day and an amazing year. 2003 UB313 is probably bigger than Pluto. It's less bright than Pluto, but it's three times as far away as it is. If only it were at the same distance as "Pluto, then it would be brighter than it. Now the world knows that there are other Plutos that are located on the outskirts of the solar system, where they are difficult to find."
The planet was discovered using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory, as well as the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii.
"The spectral samples obtained from Gemini are particularly interesting because they indicate that the surface of this planet is very similar to the surface of Pluto," said Chad Trujillo. It is composed mainly of rocks and ice.
2003 UB313's orbit is unlike those of other planets, possibly due to the influence of Neptune. Astronomers believe that at some point in the planet's history, Neptune's gravitational influence threw it into an orbit rotated 44 degrees to the ecliptic plane.
The new cosmic body was first noticed on October 21, 2003, but then scientists did not suspect that it was moving. Fifteen months later, in January 2005, telescopes were unable to detect it at the same point in the sky. Researchers say they tried to locate the planet using the Spitzer Space Telescope, which detects infrared light, but were unable to find it. From this it was concluded that the object was moving.
The upper limit of observational error under these conditions is 3 thousand km, which means that the diameter of the planet cannot be greater than this figure, scientists say. And even the lowest limit of observational error makes the new planet a larger celestial body than Pluto.
However, if the diameter of the cosmic body turns out to be only about 2 thousand km, the discovered object will fall from the category of planets under the definition of “planetoid”.
However, the celestial body presumably has its own satellite. This explains the extremely long period of rotation of the find around its axis - from 20 to 50 days.
As Brown explained, 2003 UB313 will be visible in telescopes over the next six months in the constellation Cetus. He also admitted that scientists hoped to first double-check all the data and then only make the discovery public, but there was a leak of information. Previously, the Spaniards named the discovered cosmic body 2003 EL61, and the Americans - K40506A.
As BBC science commentator David Whitehouse points out, since the discovery of Neptune in 1846, this planet has become the largest celestial body discovered by astronomers in the solar system.
This is a system of planets, in the center of which there is a bright star, a 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 orbit. Since the Sun is displaced from the center of planetary orbits, 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 and are closest to the Sun.
Giant planets: And . These are large planets, consisting mainly of gas and characterized by the presence of rings consisting of icy dust and many rocky chunks.
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 begin 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 unique features...
Rings and moons of Saturn: Titan, Enceladus and others...
Not only the planet Saturn has characteristic rings, but also 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 in the solar system...
Rings and moons of Uranus: Titania, Oberon and others...
The planet Uranus has 17 satellites and, like other giant planets, there are thin rings surrounding the planet that have practically no ability to reflect light, so they were discovered not so long ago in 1977, completely by accident...
Rings and moons of Neptune: 
Triton, Nereid and others...
Initially, before the exploration of Neptune by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, two satellites of the planet were known - Triton and Nerida. An interesting fact is that the Triton satellite has a reverse direction of orbital motion; strange volcanoes were also discovered on the satellite that erupted nitrogen gas like geysers, spreading a dark-colored mass (from liquid to vapor) many kilometers into the atmosphere. During its mission, Voyager 2 discovered six more moons of the planet Neptune...
solar system– these are 8 planets and more than 63 of their satellites, which are being discovered more and more often, several dozen comets and a large number of asteroids. All cosmic bodies move along their own clearly directed trajectories around the Sun, which is 1000 times heavier than all the bodies in the solar system combined. The center of the solar system is the Sun, a star around which the planets orbit. They do not emit heat and do not glow, but only reflect the light of the Sun. There are now 8 officially recognized planets in the solar system. Let us briefly list them all in order of distance from the sun. And now a few definitions.
Planet is a celestial body that must satisfy four conditions:
1. the body must revolve around a star (for example, around the Sun);
2. the body must have sufficient gravity to have a spherical or close to it shape;
3. the body should not have other large bodies near its orbit;
4. the body should not be a star
Satellites of the planets. The solar system also includes the Moon and the natural satellites of other planets, which they all have except Mercury and Venus. Over 60 satellites are known. Most of the satellites of the outer planets were discovered when they received photographs taken by robotic spacecraft. Jupiter's smallest satellite, Leda, is only 10 km across.
is a star without which life on Earth could not exist. It gives us energy and warmth. According to the classification of stars, the Sun is a yellow dwarf. Age about 5 billion years. It has a diameter at the equator of 1,392,000 km, 109 times larger than that of Earth. The rotation period at the equator is 25.4 days and 34 days at the poles. The mass of the Sun is 2x10 to the 27th power of tons, approximately 332,950 times the mass of the Earth. The temperature inside the core is approximately 15 million degrees Celsius. The surface temperature is about 5500 degrees Celsius. In terms of its chemical composition, the Sun consists of 75% hydrogen, and of the other 25% elements the majority is helium. Now let’s figure out in order how many planets revolve around the sun, in the solar system and the characteristics of the planets.
The four inner planets (closest to the Sun) - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars - have a solid surface. They are smaller than the four giant planets. Mercury moves faster than other planets, being burned by the sun's rays during the day and freezing at night.
Period of revolution around the Sun: 87.97 days. Diameter at the equator: 4878 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 58 days.
Surface temperature: 350 during the day and -170 at night.
Atmosphere: very rarefied, helium.
How many satellites: 0.
The main satellites of the planet: 0.
More similar to Earth in size and brightness. Observing it is difficult due to the clouds enveloping it. The surface is a hot rocky desert. 
Period of revolution around the Sun: 224.7 days.
Diameter at the equator: 12104 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 243 days.
Surface temperature: 480 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: dense, mostly carbon dioxide.
How many satellites: 0.
The main satellites of the planet: 0.
Apparently, the Earth was formed from a gas and dust cloud, like other planets. Particles of gas and dust collided and gradually “grew” the planet. The temperature on the surface reached 5000 degrees Celsius. Then the Earth cooled and became covered with a hard rock crust. But the temperature in the depths is still quite high - 4500 degrees. Rocks in the depths are molten and during volcanic eruptions they flow to the surface. Only on earth there is water. That's why life exists here. It is located relatively close to the Sun in order to receive the necessary heat and light, but far enough so as not to burn out.
Period of revolution around the Sun: 365.3 days. Diameter at the equator: 12756 km.
Period of rotation of the planet (rotation around its axis): 23 hours 56 minutes.
Surface temperature: 22 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: Mainly nitrogen and oxygen.
Number of satellites: 1.
The main satellites of the planet: the Moon.
Because of its resemblance to Earth, it was believed that life existed here. But the spacecraft that descended to the surface of Mars found no signs of life. This is the fourth planet in order. 
Period of revolution around the Sun: 687 days.
Diameter of the planet at the equator: 6794 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 24 hours 37 minutes.
Surface temperature: –23 degrees (average).
The planet's atmosphere: thin, mostly carbon dioxide.
How many satellites: 2.
The main satellites in order: Phobos, Deimos.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are made of hydrogen and other gases. Jupiter exceeds Earth by more than 10 times in diameter, 300 times in mass and 1300 times in volume. It is more than twice as massive as all the planets in the solar system combined. How long does it take for planet Jupiter to become a star? We need to increase its mass by 75 times!
Period of revolution around the Sun: 11 years 314 days. Diameter of the planet at the equator: 143884 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 9 hours 55 minutes.
Planet surface temperature: –150 degrees (average).
Number of satellites: 16 (+ rings).
The main satellites of the planets in order: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto.
It is number 2, the largest of the planets in the solar system. Saturn attracts attention thanks to its ring system formed of ice, rocks and dust that orbit the planet. There are three main rings with an outer diameter of 270,000 km, but their thickness is about 30 meters. 
Period of revolution around the Sun: 29 years 168 days.
Diameter of the planet at the equator: 120536 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 10 hours 14 minutes.
Surface temperature: –180 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: Mainly hydrogen and helium.
Number of satellites: 18 (+ rings).
Main satellites: Titan.
A unique planet in the solar system. Its peculiarity is that it rotates around the Sun not like everyone else, but “lying on its side.” Uranus also has rings, although they are harder to see. In 1986, Voyager 2 flew at a distance of 64,000 km, he had six hours to take photographs, which he successfully implemented.
Orbital period: 84 years 4 days. Diameter at the equator: 51118 km.
Period of rotation of the planet (rotation around its axis): 17 hours 14 minutes.
Surface temperature: -214 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: Mainly hydrogen and helium.
How many satellites: 15 (+ rings).
Main satellites: Titania, Oberon.
At the moment, Neptune is considered the last planet in the solar system. Its discovery took place through mathematical calculations, and then it was seen through a telescope. In 1989, Voyager 2 flew past. He took stunning photographs of the blue surface of Neptune and its largest moon, Triton. 
Period of revolution around the Sun: 164 years 292 days.
Diameter at the equator: 50538 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 16 hours 7 minutes.
Surface temperature: –220 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: Mainly hydrogen and helium.
Number of satellites: 8.
Main satellites: Triton.
On August 24, 2006, Pluto lost its planetary status. The International Astronomical Union has decided which celestial body should be considered a planet. Pluto does not meet the requirements of the new formulation and loses its “planetary status”, at the same time Pluto takes on a new quality and becomes the prototype of a separate class of dwarf planets.
How did the planets appear? Approximately 5–6 billion years ago, one of the disk-shaped gas and dust clouds of our large Galaxy (Milky Way) began to shrink toward the center, gradually forming the present Sun. Further, according to one theory, under the influence of powerful forces of attraction, a large number of dust and gas particles revolving around the Sun began to stick together into balls - forming future planets. As another theory says, the gas and dust cloud immediately broke up into separate clusters of particles, which compressed and became denser, forming the current planets. Now 8 planets revolve around the Sun constantly.
The solar system is a planetary system that includes the central star - the Sun - and all the natural objects of space revolving around it. It was formed by gravitational compression of a gas and dust cloud approximately 4.57 billion years ago. We will find out which planets are part of the solar system, how they are located in relation to the Sun and their brief characteristics.
Brief information about the planets of the solar system
The number of planets in the Solar System is 8, and they are classified in order of distance from the Sun:
- Inner planets or terrestrial planets- Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They consist mainly of silicates and metals
- Outer planets– Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are the so-called gas giants. They are much more massive than the terrestrial planets. The largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, consist mainly of hydrogen and helium; The smaller gas giants, Uranus and Neptune, contain methane and carbon monoxide in their atmospheres, in addition to hydrogen and helium.
Rice. 1. Planets of the Solar System.
The list of planets in the Solar System, in order from the Sun, looks like this: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. By listing the planets from largest to smallest, this order changes. The largest planet is Jupiter, followed by Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars and finally Mercury.
All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction as the Sun's rotation (counterclockwise when viewed from the Sun's north pole).
Mercury has the highest angular velocity - it manages to complete a full revolution around the Sun in just 88 Earth days. And for the most distant planet - Neptune - the orbital period is 165 Earth years.
Most of the planets rotate around their axis in the same direction as they revolve around the Sun. The exceptions are Venus and Uranus, with Uranus rotating almost “lying on its side” (axis tilt is about 90 degrees).
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Table. The sequence of planets in the solar system and their features.
|
Planet |
Distance from the Sun |
Circulation period |
Rotation period |
Diameter, km. |
Number of satellites |
Density g/cub. cm. |
|
Mercury |
||||||
Terrestrial planets (inner planets)
The four planets closest to the Sun consist predominantly of heavy elements, have a small number of satellites, and have no rings. They are largely composed of refractory minerals such as silicates, which form their mantle and crust, and metals, such as iron and nickel, which form their core. Three of these planets—Venus, Earth, and Mars—have atmospheres.
- Mercury- is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest planet in the system. The planet has no satellites.
- Venus- is close in size to the Earth and, like the Earth, has a thick silicate shell around an iron core and an atmosphere (because of this, Venus is often called the “sister” of the Earth). However, the amount of water on Venus is much less than on Earth, and its atmosphere is 90 times denser. Venus has no satellites.
Venus is the hottest planet in our system, its surface temperature exceeds 400 degrees Celsius. The most likely reason for such high temperatures is the greenhouse effect, which occurs due to a dense atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide.
Rice. 2. Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system
- Earth- is the largest and most dense of the terrestrial planets. The question of whether life exists anywhere other than Earth remains open. Among the terrestrial planets, the Earth is unique (primarily due to its hydrosphere). The Earth's atmosphere is radically different from the atmospheres of other planets - it contains free oxygen. The Earth has one natural satellite - the Moon, the only large satellite of the terrestrial planets of the Solar System.
- Mars– smaller than Earth and Venus. It has an atmosphere consisting mainly of carbon dioxide. There are volcanoes on its surface, the largest of which, Olympus, exceeds the size of all terrestrial volcanoes, reaching a height of 21.2 km.
Outer Solar System
The outer region of the Solar System is home to gas giants and their satellites.
- Jupiter- has a mass 318 times that of Earth, and 2.5 times more massive than all other planets combined. It consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter has 67 moons.
- Saturn- Known for its extensive ring system, it is the least dense planet in the solar system (its average density is less than that of water). Saturn has 62 satellites.
Rice. 3. Planet Saturn.
- Uranus- the seventh planet from the Sun is the lightest of the giant planets. What makes it unique among other planets is that it rotates “lying on its side”: the inclination of its rotation axis to the ecliptic plane is approximately 98 degrees. Uranus has 27 moons.
- Neptune- the last planet in the solar system. Although slightly smaller than Uranus, it is more massive and therefore denser. Neptune has 14 known moons.
What have we learned?
One of the interesting topics in astronomy is the structure of the solar system. We learned what names the planets of the solar system are, in what sequence they are located in relation to the Sun, what are their distinctive features and brief characteristics. This information is so interesting and educational that it will be useful even for 4th grade children.
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