A story for preschoolers about the planets of the solar system. The most interesting facts about the planets of the solar system

This short note presents material on the topic: solar system for children. In simple and understandable language, we described the solar system, the planets that are in it and many other interesting things.

There are many objects in the Universe, including planets and satellites, stars and systems, as well as galaxies. The solar system, in which our planet Earth is located, is also full of planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, and many other interesting objects. Today, scientists suggest that our solar system was formed from a giant cloud of gas and dust. There are 8 planets in it, which are divided into 2 groups - the inner planets (they are also the planets of the terrestrial group). This group includes Mercury, Venus, Earth (the third planet from the Sun) and Mars. And the outer planets or gas giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Between these two groups is the asteroid belt. And behind the gas giants are trans-Neptunian objects. The largest of which is Pluto. Previously, Pluto was considered an ordinary planet, but now it is classified as a dwarf planet and at the same time the largest object in the Kuiper belt.

The Kuiper Belt is similar to the asteroid belt, but differs in that it is 20 times wider and also in its composition.

solar system

How to remember the planets and their order?

Short mnemonic phrases, also known as mnemonics, make it easier to memorize various information by forming artificial associations.

On this page we have collected memories of the planets of the solar system for children that will make this sometimes difficult task easier. The only caveat is that when they were invented, Pluto was classified as a planet, and therefore it is present in almost all memos. And as we know, since 2006 Pluto began to be considered a dwarf planet, and now when memorizing it can be omitted.

Memories of the planets of the solar system

You can remember the order of the planets of the solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) by the first letters of the words M-Mercury V-Venus W-Earth M-Mars Yu-Jupiter S-Saturn U-Uranus N-Neptune P-Pluto in phrases:

  • We Know After All - Yulia’s Mom Sat on Pills in the Morning!
  • Little Bear Snacked on the Ham with Raspberries, Nimble Gopher Stole the Penknife.
  • On a Frosty Evening I Climbed Jung's Mast, Trying to See an Unfamiliar Port.
  • Mom Always Forbade Me, a Young Explorer, to Find out the Names of the Planets.
  • The Sea Wolf Tormented the Young Jung, Completely Tiring the Unhappy Guy.
  • We Will Meet Tomorrow, My Young Companion, Near the New Planet.
  • The Wise Sorceress The Golden-Headed Fashionista of the Southern Countries Is Fond of the Newest Poetry.
  • We Know Everything: Many Young Marmots Learn the Names of the Planets.
  • You can fly beyond Mars, Jewelly Turning Off Our Planet.
  • Mom makes strawberry juice, but the young son no longer cries.
  • Venya measured the Earth with Marusya's Skirt, Satin and Uranium, He is a good-for-nothing Trickster.
  • Gloomy Venereal Disease Can Quickly Slay a Tired Nymphomaniac.
  • Maria of the Southern Sun Notices the Smile on the Beach Least of All.
  • Little Peter Slowly Carries the Earth; The Garden is Decorated with Unbreakable Plafonds (Mnemonic of the Planets by Alexei Golovnin).
  • Dreaming of getting married, take off your little skirt - you need to smile and kiss.

Remembering the order of planets in the asteroid belt

Masha Chalked the Earth with a Broom, And Yura Sat at the Spider Hole.
That is, in this phrase the letter “A” was added - the Asteroid Belt.

Memorization of planets from the farthest planet (Pluto) to the closest (Mercury) to the Sun

It is not difficult for the youngest child to remember the planets, knowing Venus and Mercury.

Poems for memorizing planets

The little hare rushed between the wolves,
slipped, stumbled, fell -
didn't get up.

All planets in order
Any of us will name it.
One Mercury, two Venus,
three Earth, four Mars.
Five Jupiter, six Saturn,
Seven Uranus, followed by Neptune.
He is the eighth in a row
and quite later
and the ninth planet called Pluto

There lived an astrologer on the moon
He kept track of the planets:
MERCURY - once,
VENUS - two, sir,
Three - EARTH,
Four - MARS,
Five - JUPITER,
Six - SATURN,
Seven - URANUS,
Eight - NEPTUNE,
Nine is PLUTO the furthest away,
If you don't see it, get out!

Verse for remembering 8 planets without Pluto

Mercury - one, Venus - two, sir,
Three - Earth, four - Mars,
Five - Jupiter, six - Saturn,
Seven - Uranus, eighth - Neptune

Blank verse for remembering the order of the planets

It is not enough to measure the earthly age
the youth of the garden is wretched
no fruit

Other ways to remember the order of the planets of the solar system for children and adults

Another way to remember the order of the planets is to compare them with other but similar words and write a sentence using them.
For example: My friend Venus (Venus) fades (Mercury) on Earth (Earth). Because she ate Mars (Mars), which was lying on the music stand (Jupiter), and threw the wrapper into a full, that is, full urn (Saturn), after which she shouted “Hurray” (Uranus). And it wasn’t a vocational school (Neptune), but she graduated from an institute, later running away with some rogue (Pluto).

Between two gods starting with the letter M: Mercury and Mars, there are 2 women: Venus and Earth. Behind the god Mars is his father, Jupiter. Behind the supreme god Jupiter is a planet unique with its rings - Saturn. The name Saturn encrypts both Saturn (SAT) and the subsequent planets: Uranus (UR) and Neptune (N). Following them, Pluto is not a planet, but looks like the dog Pluto looking with bewilderment at the pantheon of Greek gods in front of him.

Acronyms for remembering planets

Another way to learn the order of the planets is to use an acronym - that is, an abbreviation that is formed by the first sounds of words in a phrase. That is, this is a word that can be pronounced together, while it is an abbreviation. To memorize the planets, you can remember the acronym: MeVeZeMa YUSUNP.

Do you also know any interesting memory cards or original ways of memorizing the planets of the solar system? Write them in the comments.

Children over 4 years old become extremely interested in the entire space around them. It is at this age that most children begin to bombard their mothers, fathers, and grandparents with endless questions about what is happening around them. It can be quite difficult to explain some phenomena to young children, and parents simply get lost in the stream of endless children’s “Why?”

One of the most interesting objects for children is the starry sky. If you draw your child’s attention to the bright stars and start talking about the solar system, you can captivate your child for a long time and hear a huge number of different questions.

For the youngest children, the first knowledge of astronomy will concern the planets of the solar system. These are the things you have to tell your child about in a way that will interest him. In this article we will talk about how to do this so that the child understands what the Solar System is and what objects are included in it.

Learning about the solar system for kids

To explore the solar system with your children, you need to prepare a model. Some parents purchase a ready-made model in the store, while others prefer to make it themselves. In any case, the model of the solar system should consist of the Sun and large celestial bodies, or planets. Explain to your child that there are 8 planets moving around the Sun in space, one of which is our Earth. In addition to it, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Neptune, Uranus and Saturn travel in orbit.


Just 10 years ago, Pluto was also considered a planet, but today modern scientists consider it only a large celestial body. To help your child quickly remember the names of the planets and their order in the solar system, you can use the following rhyme:

All planets in order

Any of us can name:

One - Mercury,

Two - Venus,

Three - Earth,

Four - Mars.

Five - Jupiter,

Six - Saturn,

Seven - Uranus,

Behind him is Neptune.

A story about the planets of the solar system for children can be structured as follows:

People have been studying planets since ancient times. They all move around the Sun, including our Earth. The inner terrestrial planets are located closer to the Sun. They have a hard surface and high density. At the center of the inner planets is a liquid core. This category includes Earth, Venus, Mars and Mercury.

Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus are much farther from the Sun and are significantly larger than the inner planets, which is why they are called giant planets. They differ from the terrestrial group not only in size, but also in structure - they consist of gas, mainly hydrogen and helium, and do not have a solid surface.

Between Mars and Jupiter there is a belt of minor planets - asteroids. They are similar to planets, but are smaller in size - from a few meters to a thousand kilometers. Beyond Neptune's orbit, in the Copeira belt, lies Pluto. The Copeira Belt is many times wider than the asteroid belt, but also consists of small celestial bodies.

In addition, satellites constantly revolve around each planet. Our Earth has only one satellite - the Moon, and in total there are more than 400 of them. Finally, the solar system is crisscrossed by hundreds of thousands of small celestial bodies, such as meteorites, streams of atomic particles, comets, etc. Almost the entire mass of the Solar System - 99.8% - is concentrated in the Sun. Due to the force of its gravity, all objects, including planets, are held in the solar system and rotate around its center. In addition, most celestial bodies also rotate around their own axis.

Yulia Shishlova
Summary of the lesson “Solar System” for children of the senior group

Software: This cycle of classes is intended for children 5-6 years old. It includes two lessons, one of which is introductory and introduces children to basic concepts. The second lesson deepens concepts and encourages children to be interested and explore the topic.

Goals: tell children about the solar system and show it; characterize the Sun as a huge luminary (star); name and show (on slides, illustrations) all the planets of our solar system, especially focusing on planet Earth; develop curiosity and teamwork skills; develop fine motor skills.

Preliminary work: on an evening walk with your children, look at the starry sky; sharing the impression that the starry sky makes on children; what thoughts come to them when they look at the starry sky; reviewing the Month and emphasizing the changes that occur to it during the month.

Tasks:

Study the structure of the solar system;

Teach to notice and analyze events occurring in the sky;

Deepen knowledge about our planet;

Introduce other objects of the solar system;

Learn the location of the planets in the system;

Introduce the key concepts of the space theme.

Progress of classes:

Lesson 1:

Theoretical part.

Conversation with children:

“Guys, on our walks you and I paid attention to the day and night sky. What do you think is the difference between them? (children's assumptions). What can we see during the day? What about at night? What is the Sun?

The sun is a huge star, similar to the ones we see at night. But the Sun is many times larger than other stars and shines much brighter. In addition, the Sun has a “family” called the Solar System.

There are many different objects in the Solar System - these are planets, meteorites, satellites, and other bodies.

There are ten main objects in the solar system. This is the Sun itself and the nine planets of its family. Each planet moves around the Sun in a circle and never runs away or changes its direction. These paths for each planet are called “orbits”.

Let's fly into space and check how everything works there! (physical education minute):

We launch the rocket - uh - uh (hands above your head)

We started the engines r-r-r (we run in place)

They buzzed ooooh, they flew Vzh-zh-zh (arms to the sides, spinning)

They arrived at the gas station and-and-and (sat down)

Refueled (hands forward, hands down)

Practical part

Now guys, we are ready to take a closer look at the Solar System. (showing a video about the solar system)

You were able to see with your own eyes how unusual and mysterious our solar system is. Now let's get acquainted with each planet separately.

(As the story progresses, the teacher shows the planets in a photograph, draws a diagram of the system on the board, and the children sketch it on their own pieces of paper).

At the very center of the solar system is the Sun. It's the biggest and the hottest. The first planet to orbit the Sun is the small planet Mercury. Then the beautiful Venus makes her circle. Our planet Earth moves third from the Sun. Little Mars moves even further. Beyond Mars is the road of the huge Jupiter. Next is the orbit of the unusual Saturn, which has unusual rings of gas and space debris. The following planets are a little similar to each other: Uranus and Neptune.

Conclusion: Now you know what our solar system looks like and how many mysterious neighbors it has. We will get to know each of them in more detail in the next lesson.

The issues of development and upbringing of children are considered the most difficult; each parent goes through his own path of “trial and error”, trying not to harm his baby. And many are interested in how best to tell about space and the planets of the solar system. For children, as for many adults, this topic is extremely mysterious and interesting, but it is very important not to overload them with unnecessary information. But in no case should you deliberately reduce material that might be of interest to little ones.

Peculiarities

So, what needs to be told to preschoolers, what basic astronomical knowledge is important to convey to them?

  • What is the Sun, what is its role, why is the system called Solar?
  • The location of the planets.
  • Brief information about the planets themselves. So, a preschooler is already quite able to understand why Mars is red.
  • Information about how the Universe began.

Particularly inquisitive kids can also be told:

  • how planets differ from stars;
  • what is a satellite (for example, why is the Moon called a satellite of the Earth);
  • what famous constellations exist, how they look on the star map and in the sky.

Listening to mom or dad's explanation, the baby not only learns a lot of new things about the world around him. His vocabulary will improve, enriched with special vocabulary; in addition, astronomy classes will help develop thinking, imagination, and memory.

How to start dating?

There are several options for conducting your first astronomy lesson.

  • The simplest is watching a movie with a preschooler with accompanying comments from the parent and answers to questions the child has. The BBC films are quite high-quality, they allow you to understand the enormous size of the Universe, and at the same time they are educational, although sometimes they contain unproven hypotheses.
  • The second option is independent work. Mom or dad themselves will tell the child about the galaxy, that our galaxy is called the Milky Way, and the Sun, the star to which we all owe our lives, is actually not that big.
  • Finally, another way is to play a game. You can find an interesting scenario here.

You can combine the methods by first playing with the baby and then telling him the theory.

How to represent the planets?

Astronomy is a serious science, not everyone is interested in it, since the composition of planets, the properties of red dwarfs and black holes are sometimes fascinating only thanks to science fiction. And so it will be difficult for parents. On the one hand, you need to provide truthful information, for which you should be savvy yourself. On the other hand, do not be too serious and boring, otherwise the child will very quickly lose interest.

There are several tricks that will help you find the “golden mean”:

  • Make a presentation that contains text and photos. This will help not to miss important things and not to overload the child with unnecessary things.
  • Use pictures, posters, cards - all kinds of visual aids. This will allow the baby to visualize difficult realities. Indeed, it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times.
  • Together with your child, you can create a model of the galaxy.

This could be a drawing. For example, mom draws the Sun in the center of the sheet and at the same time tells that this star is a source of heat and light, all the planets of our galaxy revolve around it. It is advisable to explain to the child that the Sun is not a yellow circle with rays, as it is usually depicted by younger preschoolers, but a celestial body consisting of two gases - helium and hydrogen. The child will be interested to know that humanity has still studied very little of this most important luminary for us, since due to the high temperature it is impossible to fly close to the Sun.

Mercury, which is much smaller than the main star, is drawn in a similar way. For clarity, it is worth depicting the orbit in which the planet revolves around the Sun. Then other celestial bodies are applied to the sheet.

If you don’t want to draw, you can make a planetary model from plasticine, lay it out from colored mosaic elements, and sew it together. The main thing is that the child is interested, that he asks questions and strives to learn more.

A situation may arise when mom or dad don’t know how to answer the “tricky” question of the baby. In this case, you need to take a break and say that “we will certainly talk about this topic tomorrow.” Having prepared, you should answer. We must not forget children’s questions or be happy that the child does not ask again and, apparently, forgot himself. This approach destroys healthy curiosity and the desire to explore the world.

What to tell?

Let's consider what description of the planets will be interesting for kids.

  • Mercury.

This is the closest planet to the Sun, so it is very hot here. It is small in size; during the day the temperature here is +350°C, at night – below -160°C. The duration of one day on this planet is about 60 Earth days, a year lasts 88 days. Interestingly, Mercury can sometimes be seen from our planet. To reinforce the material, you can ask the child to come up with what living creatures could live here. A preschooler may assume that these are some creatures that are not afraid of cold, heat, or sudden temperature changes.

  • Venus.

It is very similar in size to Earth. The planet is also visible to the naked eye, has no water shell, and is covered with craters. Interestingly, the rotation occurs in a different direction than the others. To remember, you can draw Venus as a wayward, round young lady who acts in her own way.

  • Earth.

Our home planet is distinguished by the presence of oxygen necessary for life. This is where the optimal conditions are for us, people, to feel comfortable. In addition, only on Earth is there the required amount of water. The planet's satellite is the Moon.

  • Mars.

You can look at drawings of the planets, see the red surface, tell your child that research is being actively carried out in our time, that flights to Mars have become available. You can ask a question that will make sure that the material is being absorbed correctly: where is the temperature higher, on Mars or on Venus, and why? The child should answer that on Venus, since it is located closer to the Sun.

  • Jupiter.

This is a giant planet, composed of gas, and is the largest in the solar system. A year on Jupiter is equal to 12 Earth years. There is no oxygen or water here, the number of satellites is more than 60. One can also ask, is life as usual for us possible on Jupiter? Ideally, the child should guess that no, since there is no water or oxygen.

  • Saturn.

A beautiful planet with rings, the second largest in the solar system.

  • Uranus.

It is called an ice planet because the temperature here is below -220°C.

  • Neptune.

It has 6 rings, several satellites and its own atmosphere. Painted in a beautiful blue color.

Together with your child, you can draw the planets like this:

  • Mercury - wearing sunglasses;
  • Venus is a fashionable girl, for example, in a hat;
  • Earth is a blue-green planet on which there is life (flowers, trees, animals, people);
  • Mars – red;
  • Jupiter is a large planet;
  • Saturn - slightly smaller, with rings;
  • Uranus – icy, light blue;
  • Neptune is bright blue.

This funny picture will help you remember the distinctive characteristics of celestial bodies.

How to learn order?

A preschooler needs to know the order of the planets from the Sun. There is such a trick:

  1. For each planet, use the first letter: M - Mercury, V - Venus.
  2. Next, come up with a phrase, a memorable phrase, the words in which begin with the first letters of the names of the planets.

For example: We Call Everyone to Wash Yula with a Universal Purpose Product.

You can also simply reduce the planets to the first letters and place the hint on the picture that the baby will have in front of his eyes: MVZMYUSUN.

Expand the boundaries

It is very important that the parent’s story about astronomy is not boring and superficial and does not limit the child’s curiosity. You can tell your child the following:

  1. About Pluto, a small celestial body that was previously considered the ninth planet of the solar system, but later it was decided to exclude it from this list. Some researchers do not classify Pluto as a planet at all.
  2. What is an asteroid? This is not a planet, not a satellite, but a completely unique celestial body, which is a fragment of a lost planet. This idea will show that the Universe is changing, some celestial bodies disappear, others, on the contrary, are born. Individual asteroids form a belt that protects our planet from external influences.
  3. Comets. These are beautiful celestial bodies with a tail of gas that periodically fly in close proximity to the Earth.
  4. Possibility of life on other planets. An inquisitive child should be told that while the presence or absence of intelligent life has not yet been proven, there are several theories on this matter.
  5. Structure of the Earth. The planet consists of a core, mantle and shell, that is, in fact, it is very similar to a peach: the pit is the core, the hot part. The mantle is the pulp, and the thin skin is the shell. People, like all living things, are located precisely on the shell. Only here the conditions are acceptable.
  6. The Big Bang Theory. Without going into details, we can explain that, according to the most common hypothesis, our Universe arose due to a gas explosion that occurred billions of years ago. As a result of this process, the celestial bodies familiar to us emerged.
  7. Stars. What is it, what are the most famous ones we know, how constellations are formed.

It is very important not to force a child to memorize the names and properties of celestial bodies, but to introduce him to them in a fun way, to arouse sincere interest and a desire to learn more.

Forms of classes

For preschoolers, the best way to get acquainted with the world of astrology is through play. Therefore, you can offer to play a homemade board game, which is a field on which planets and squares for moving chips are drawn. After throwing the dice, players make a certain number of moves. If they come to a stop-planet, they must tell something about it. The winner is the one who reaches the Sun first.

Other training options:

  • Parents offer their child a model of the solar system - several pre-prepared schematic planets (you can draw them on thick cardboard) and orbital ropes. The baby’s task is to fold the model.
  • When getting to know the stars, you can invite your child to draw famous constellations (first from a model, then from memory).
  • Role-playing games. If there are several children, each of them tries on the role of one of the planets of their choice (you can even prepare a costume for the greatest interest), after which they talk “about themselves.” If the baby is alone, toys become “planets”.
  • Make up a fairy tale. The child, together with his mother, composes a fascinating fairy tale about celestial bodies or the history of the Universe. Fictional events are intertwined with scientific facts, creating a unique text.

Studying astronomy with a preschooler and getting to know the planets of the solar system is the most important stage in the development of a child’s horizons and cognitive interest. Parents are required to talk about space briefly, but competently and interestingly, so that the baby wants to learn more.

PLANETS

In ancient times, people knew only five planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, the only ones that can be seen with the naked eye.
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were discovered using telescopes in 1781, 1846 and 1930. For a long time, astronomers studied the planets by observing them from Earth. They determined that all the planets, except Pluto, move in circular orbits in the same plane and in the same direction, calculated the sizes of the planets and the distances from them to the Sun, formed their idea of ​​the structure of the planets, and even assumed that Venus and Mars could be similar Earth, and there may be life on them.

The launch of automatic space stations to the planets made it possible to significantly expand, and in many ways revise, ideas about the planets: it became possible to see photographs of the surface, explore the soil and atmosphere of the planets.

Mercury.

Mercury is a small planet, slightly larger than the Moon. Its surface is also dotted with craters from collisions with meteorites. No geological processes have erased these dents from his face. Mercury is cold inside. It moves around the Sun faster than other planets, but around its axis very slowly. Having circled the Sun twice, Mercury only has time to turn around its axis three times. Because of this, the temperature on the sunny side of the planet exceeds 300 degrees, and on the unlit side there is darkness and severe cold. Mercury has virtually no atmosphere.

Venus.

Exploring Venus is not easy. It is shrouded in a thick layer of clouds, and under this serene exterior lies a real hell, the pressure is a hundred times higher than on Earth, the temperature on the surface is about 500 degrees, which is caused by the “greenhouse effect”. The Soviet automatic station “Venera - 9” for the first time managed to transmit to Earth images of a surface filled with lava and covered with stones. In the conditions of Venus, the apparatus lowered to the surface of the planet quickly breaks down, so American scientists decided to obtain data on the planet’s topography in a different way.

The Magellan robotic station, having flown around Venus many times, probed the planet with radar, resulting in a comprehensive picture of the surface. In some places, the relief of Venus is similar to that of Earth, but mostly the landscapes are strange: high mountainous round areas surrounded by mountain ranges 250 - 300 km in diameter, the entire area of ​​which is occupied by volcanoes; other volcanic formations resemble cakes with steep edges and a flat top. The surface of the planet is cut by channels laid by lava. Traces of active volcanic activity are visible everywhere. Meteor craters on the surface of Venus are distributed evenly, which means that its surface took shape at the same time. Scientists cannot explain how this could happen; Venus seemed to boil and be flooded with lava. Now volcanic activity is not detected on the planet.

The atmosphere of Venus is not at all similar to that of Earth; it mainly consists of carbon dioxide. The thickness of the gas shell of Venus, compared to the earth's, is monstrously large. The cloud layer reaches 20 km. The presence of a concentrated aqueous solution of sulfuric acid was detected in them. Sunlight does not reach the surface of Venus, twilight reigns there, sulfur rain falls, and the landscape is constantly illuminated by flashes of lightning. High in the planet's atmosphere, constant winds rage, driving clouds at tremendous speed; the upper layer of the Venusian atmosphere makes a complete revolution around the planet within four Earth days. The solid body of Venus, on the contrary, rotates around its axis very slowly and in a different direction than all the other planets. Venus has no satellites.

Mars.

In the 20th century, the planet Mars was chosen by science fiction writers; in their novels, the Martian civilization was incomparably higher than the earthly one. The mysterious, inaccessible Mars began to reveal its secrets when Soviet and American automatic spacecraft began to be sent to study it.

The Mariner 9 station, orbiting Mars, took photographs of all areas of the planet, which made it possible to create a detailed map of the surface relief. Researchers have discovered traces of active geological processes on the planet: huge volcanoes, the largest of them, Olympus Mons, 25 km high, and a huge fault in the Martian crust, called Valles Marineris, which crosses an eighth of the planet.

Gigantic structures grew in the same place for billions of years, unlike the Earth with its drifting continents, the surface of Mars did not move. The geological structures of the Earth, compared to those on Mars, are dwarfs. Are volcanoes active on Mars now? Scientists believe that geological activity on the planet is obviously a thing of the past.

Martian landscapes are dominated by reddish rocky deserts. Light transparent clouds float above them in the pink sky. The sky turns blue at sunset. The atmosphere of Mars is very thin. Every few years there are dust storms that cover almost the entire surface of the planet. A day on Mars lasts 24 hours 37 minutes, the inclination of the axis of rotation of Mars to the orbital plane is almost the same as that of the Earth, so the change of seasons on Mars is quite consistent with the change of seasons on Earth. The planet is poorly heated by the Sun, so its surface temperature even on a summer day does not exceed 0 degrees, and in winter, frozen carbon dioxide settles on the rocks due to the severe cold, and the Polar Caps are mainly made of it. No traces of life have yet been found.

From Earth, Mars is visible as a reddish star, which is probably why it bears the name of the god of war, Mars. His two companions were named Phobos and Deimos, which translated from ancient Greek means “fear” and “horror.” The satellites of Mars are space “rocks” of irregular shape. Phobos measures 18km x 22km, and Deimos measures 10km x 16km.

The planets are giants.

In 1977, American scientists and engineers launched an automatic interplanetary station towards Jupiter as part of the Voyager program. Once every 175 years, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto are positioned in such a way relative to the Earth that a launched spacecraft can examine all these planets in one flight. Scientists have calculated that, under certain conditions, a spacecraft, approaching a planet, falls into a gravitational slingshot, and the planet itself sends the apparatus further to another planet. The calculations turned out to be correct. Earthlings were able to see these distant planets and their satellites through the “eyes” of space robots, and unique information was transmitted to Earth.

Jupiter.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It does not have a solid surface and consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. Due to the high speed of rotation around its axis, it is noticeably compressed at the poles. Jupiter has a huge magnetic field; if it became visible, it would look the size of the solar disk from Earth.

In the photographs, scientists were able to see only clouds in the planet’s atmosphere, which create stripes parallel to the equator. But they moved with great speed, bizarrely changing their shape. Numerous vortices, auroras and lightning flashes were recorded in the cloud cover of Jupiter. On the planet, wind speeds reach one hundred kilometers per hour. The most amazing formation in the atmosphere of Jupiter is a large red spot 3 times the size of the Earth. Astronomers have observed it since the 17th century. It is possible that this is the tip of a gigantic tornado. Jupiter releases more energy than it receives from the Sun. Scientists believe that in the center of the planet, gases are compressed to the state of a metallic liquid. This hot core is the power plant that generates winds and a monstrous magnetic field.

But the main surprises for scientists were not presented by Jupiter itself, but by its satellites.

Satellites of Jupiter.

There are 16 known satellites of Jupiter. The largest of them, Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede, were discovered by Galileo; they are visible even with strong binoculars. It was believed that the satellites of all planets are similar to the Moon - they are cold and lifeless. But Jupiter's moons surprised researchers.

And about- the size of the Moon, but it is the first celestial body other than Earth on which active volcanoes have been discovered. Io is completely covered in volcanoes. Its surface is washed by multi-colored lava flows, volcanoes emit sulfur. But what is the reason for the active volcanic activity of such a small cosmic body? Revolving around the huge Jupiter, Io either approaches it or moves away.

Under the influence of either increasing or decreasing gravitational force, Io either contracts or expands. Friction forces heated its inner layers to enormous temperatures. Io's volcanic activity is incredible, its surface changing before our eyes. Io moves in Jupiter's powerful magnetic field, so it accumulates a huge electrical charge, which is discharged onto Jupiter in the form of a continuous stream of lightning, causing storms on the planet.

Europe has a relatively smooth surface, virtually without relief. It is covered with a layer of ice, and it is likely that the ocean is hidden underneath it. Instead of molten rocks, water oozes from cracks here. This is a completely new type of geological activity.

Ganymede- the largest satellite in the solar system. Its size is almost the same as that of Mercury.

Callisto dark and cold, its surface, pockmarked with meteorite craters, has not changed for billions of years.

Saturn.

Saturn, like Jupiter, does not have a solid surface - it is a gas giant planet. It also consists of hydrogen and helium, but it is cooler, since it produces less heat itself and receives less of it from the Sun. But on Saturn the winds are faster than on Jupiter. Stripes, vortices and other formations are observed in the atmosphere of Saturn, but they are short-lived and irregular.

Naturally, scientists' attention was directed to the rings that surround the planet's equator. They were discovered by astronomers back in the 17th century, and since then scientists have been trying to understand what they are. Photos of the rings transmitted to earth by an automatic space station surprised researchers. They were able to identify several hundred rings nested inside one another, some intertwined with each other, dark stripes were found on the rings that appeared and disappeared, they were called knitting needles. Scientists were able to see the rings of Saturn from a fairly close distance, but they had more questions than answers.

In addition to the rings, 15 satellites move around Saturn. The largest of them is Titan, slightly smaller than Mercury. Titan's dense atmosphere is much thicker than Earth's and consists almost entirely of nitrogen; it did not allow us to see the surface of the satellite, but scientists suggest that the internal structure of Titan is similar to the structure of the Earth. The temperature at its surface is below minus 200 degrees.

Uranus.

Uranus differs from all other planets in that its axis of rotation lies almost in the plane of its orbit, all planets look like a toy top, and Uranus rotates as if “lying on its side.” Voyager was able to “see” little in the atmosphere of Uranus; the planet turned out to be very monotonous in appearance. There are 5 satellites orbiting Uranus.

Neptune.

It took Voyager 12 years to get to Neptune. How surprised the scientists were when, on the outskirts of the solar system, they saw a planet very similar to Earth. It was a deep blue color, with white clouds moving in different directions in the atmosphere. The winds on Neptune blow much stronger than on other planets.

There is so little energy on Neptune that the wind, once it picks up, cannot stop. Scientists have discovered a system of rings around Neptune, but they are incomplete and represent arcs; there is no explanation for this yet. Neptune and Uranus are also giant planets, but not gas, but ice.

Neptune has 3 satellites. One of them is that Triton rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of Neptune itself. Perhaps it did not form in Neptune's gravitational zone, but was pulled toward the planet when it came close to it and fell into its gravitational zone. Triton is the coldest body in the solar system, its surface temperature is slightly above absolute zero (minus 273 degrees). But nitrogen geysers were discovered on Triton, which indicates its geological activity.

Pluto

Now Pluto is officially no longer a planet. It should now be considered a "dwarf planet", one of three in the Solar System. Pluto's fate was determined in 2006 by a vote of members of the International Astronomical Society in Prague.

To avoid confusion and not clutter maps of the Solar System, the International Astronomical Union has prescribed that fairly large celestial bodies that are not among the eight previously defined planets be classified as dwarf planets. In particular, Pluto, Charon (a former satellite of Pluto), the asteroid Ceres, orbiting between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, as well as the so-called Kuiper belt objects Xena (object UB313) and Sedna (object 90377) received a new status.