The farthest planet in the solar system. Planets of our solar system

In the USA, a group of astronomers announced a new discovered celestial body, Farout. The IAU Minor Planet Center informed the society about this on its official website. As a result of the study, it was possible to find Faraut, the most distant dwarf in the solar system. Its unofficial name translated from English means “distant/distant”. A new cosmic body has been registered under the number 2018 VG18.

According to astrophysicists' calculations, Faraut is located 125-130 astronomical units from the Sun. For example, the distance from the central star to Pluto is only 34 astronomical units. The importance of the discovery lies in the fact that no object has yet been found so far in the solar system.

Characteristics

Faraut was first discovered through analysis of images taken by the Subaru telescope on November 10, 2018. Subsequently, after studying images from the Magellan Telescope, in early December, space researchers were able to finally establish the location of this dwarf and announce the discovery.

It is worth noting that 2018 VG18 refers to trans-Neptunian objects - cosmic bodies of various sizes, the orbits of which are located behind the eighth celestial body.

The orbit of the new record holder has not yet been precisely calculated, but we can already talk about its uniqueness due to such a large distance from the star. This is the most distant known object in the solar system, because its orbit around the main star lasts more than a thousand Earth years. According to the calculations of astronomers, it was possible to establish the diameter of Farout. It was approximately 500 kilometers. It was precisely because of its size that the discovered object was included in the group of dwarf planets. It was also possible to establish the color of the cosmic body - it is pink with a peculiar tint. The color of the surface of a distant dwarf indicates the presence of ice on it.

How and by whom it was opened

The outermost dwarf planet Faraut was discovered by a team of scientists from three US research universities. The group included Scott Sheppar, David Tolen and Chad Trujillo. It became known to humanity as part of the search for Nibiru, a mysterious planet-like object. The same fate befell the recently discovered planetary dwarf Goblin.

According to astronomers, these discoveries only bring humanity closer to the discovery of the celestial body called “Nibiru”. At the same time, another group of scientists led by Anna-Maria Madigan put forward a completely different hypothesis. So, according to the theory, the presence of such a large number of trans-Neptunian objects with a similar orbit can only confirm that there is no “ ”.

Until recently, it was possible to say with confidence that the planet farthest from the Sun is Pluto. When scientists suddenly decided that Pluto was not a planet at all, it turned out that the planet Neptune was located at the farthest distance from the star.

The Sun and Neptune are separated by 4.5 billion kilometers. This eighth planet of the solar system is 17 times heavier than Earth, and its diameter is almost 4 times wider than ours. But Neptune cannot boast of density - it is a gas giant. In other words, the surface of the planet is a viscous mass.

Neptune completes a full circle around the Sun in 164.8 Earth years. The orbital speed is 5.43 km/s. A day on the planet lasts 16 hours and 6 Earth minutes.

Discovery of the planet Neptune

The official discovery date of the planet is September 23, 1846. And before that, scientists were puzzled why the planet Uranus, discovered by Herschel, was constantly losing its course and was not at all where it was supposed to be according to calculations. John Adams, a 22-year-old student at Cambridge College, was the first to suggest that beyond Uranus there is another planet, as yet unknown to anyone.

Despite the lack of computers and the lack of mathematical tables, man did not shy away from difficulties. Having secured his own perseverance, the astronomer began to calculate the orbit of the unknown planet. From the materials at hand, he had Newton's law and the fundamentals of higher mathematics.

It took 1 year and 4 months to point to the constellation Aquarius on October 1, 1845, the point where, according to preliminary calculations, the mysterious farthest planet from the Sun should appear. Unfortunately, the work of the young talent was shelved. Scientists had doubts about Adams' calculations, although he was only off by two degrees.

A month later, the search for an unknown planet was officially announced. But there was not a word about John Adams in this message. It was about Urbain Le Verrier, a mathematician living in Paris. By coincidence, it turned out that both young men simultaneously began searching for the planet.

Le Verrier wrote a letter addressed to Johann Helle to the Berlin Observatory, in which he asked to begin the search for the mysterious planet as soon as possible. On that distant night, half an hour after the start of the observation, Halle saw the faint shine of a star, which, judging by the maps, should not have been in that part of the sky. The next night showed that the small disk had noticeably shifted relative to the other stars.

For its greenish-blue color, so reminiscent of the surface of the sea, the planet was named Neptune.

Neptune - our days

Years have passed, and now the Voyager 2 spacecraft arrives at the planet Neptune. Thanks to the apparatus, which visited the vicinity of the farthest planet from the Sun, we received photographs of the surface of a celestial body so distant from us.

Five rings are clearly visible in photographs taken by Voyager. They resemble the rings of Uranus, but are about a hundred times smaller in size. It was possible to establish that Neptune has a complex system of satellites, 14 in total; it is possible that some of them were formed in the vastness of the solar system and subsequently fell into the orbit of the giant planet.

In the images we see that the surface of the planet resembles the World Ocean of our Earth. The giant owes its colors to methane, hydrogen and helium. White spots on the surface are clouds. Winds on the planet reach 2200 km/h; nowhere else on the planets of the solar system are there such hurricanes.

The study of Neptune is not completed, it will continue - we will still learn a lot of interesting things about its winds, atmosphere and the behavior of its satellites.

A >> The most distant planet in the solar system

Neptune – farthest planet solar system around the Sun. Read the description, interesting facts with photos from Voyager and find out why it is no longer Pluto.

The farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System is Neptune. Neptune's orbital path is not completely circular. The planet goes around the star in an elliptical orbit, which means it can approach by 4.45 billion km and move away by 4.55 billion km. One orbital flight takes 165 years.

Farthest planet in the solar system: Pluto or Neptune?

We can say that until 2006, Pluto was considered the most distant and last planet. However, after a vote in the International Astronomical Union, everything changed. The object lost its planet status and moved into the category of dwarf planets. Therefore, in fact, Neptune became the final and most distant world in the solar system.

True, there are times when Pluto invades Neptune’s orbital route and then the second one becomes the most distant. In general, along its orbital path, Pluto is capable of approaching by 4.4 billion km and moving away by 7.4 billion km. And the orbital distance of Neptune is 4.4 – 4.5 billion km.

Trans-Neptunian objects are hidden behind Pluto, including several dwarf planets. For example, next is Haumea, whose orbit ranges from 5.16 billion km to 7.7 billion km. In its motion, the object does not cross the orbit of Neptune.

Next you can find the dwarf planet Makemake, which is considered the largest celestial body in the Kuiper belt. It is distant from the Sun by 6.8 - 7.9 billion km. Among the known dwarf planets, Eris closes the chain. It is the most massive and most distant dwarf planet in the Solar System with an orbital distance of 5.75–10.18 billion km.

If we take the most distant object in general, then these are long-period comets from the Oort Cloud, whose territory is removed by 50,000 AU. Among the known comets, the most distant one is 15 billion km away.

A planet is a fairly massive object revolving around the Sun, capable of providing a spherical orbit. Not a satellite of another body; clears the space of its orbit from other celestial bodies.

In addition to the Earth, the solar system has eight more celestial bodies, which include:

In contact with

• terrestrial objects (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars);
• giant planets;
• Pluto.

Until recently, the ninth planet, Pluto, was listed as the farthest planet from the Sun. But in 2006, after careful observation, astronomers decided to remove it from the list of planets. It also lost this definition from 1979 to 1999, when it passed through the orbit of Neptune. There is an assumption that it does not belong to the solar system at all. Therefore, Neptune is considered the farthest planet from the Sun.

This is interesting: and the history of names.

Description of Neptune

Neptune is part of the group of giant planets; it is 17 times larger than Earth. This group also includes Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter.

The illumination of Neptune is 900 times less than on Earth, so it is constantly dark there. The distance from Earth is almost 5,000,000,000 km.

The planet farthest from the Sun is also called icy, since it contains about 20% helium and hydrogen.

The day here lasts a little over 16 hours. Neptune completes its revolution in 164 years. The first revolution ended in 2011.

Strong winds blow across Neptune. Surface temperature - minus 214 degrees. It has its own source of heat, since it distributes more energy than it absorbs. Neptune has five rings made of ice particles and carbon. On the planet, the duration of one season is 40 years.

The most distant planet in the solar system is rich in satellites. She has fourteen of them.

They are divided into groups:

• internal (Talasa, Naiad, Proteus, Galatea, Larisa, Despina);
• separate (Nereid and Triton);
• external (do not have a name).

Internal ones characterize themselves as stone blocks of irregular shape. Reach 200 km in diameter. They fly around Neptune in a matter of hours, as they rotate at tremendous speed.

Triton is a large satellite, reaching a diameter of almost 3000 km. Covered with ice, it completes a full rotation in 6 days. It's slowly approaching Neptune, moving in a spiral. Scientists believe that Triton will soon collide with Neptune and turn into a ring.

The Nereid has an irregular shape and makes a full revolution in an Earth year.

The outer satellites are tens of millions of kilometers away from Neptune. The furthest one orbits the planet in 25 years.

Pluto is the most distant planet from Earth

From elementary school, every child knows that the Earth is the third planet in the solar system, and Pluto is considered the most distant planet from the Earth.

Since the discovery of Pluto The debate about whether it is a planet rages on. There are many arguments that do not allow us to consider it a planet:

• small size (Pluto’s mass is 0.22% of Earth’s);
• is far from Earth (because of this it is impossible to study it well);
• a constantly changing orbit (because of this, Pluto found itself either in front of Neptune or behind it).

Due to its remoteness and small size, Pluto remained the most unexplored object. But with the advent of powerful telescopes and expeditions, it was possible to study it more thoroughly.

Pluto is located in the Kuiper belt at a distance of 6,000,000,000 km from Earth, its diameter is 2300 km. It completes a full revolution in 248 years. A day is 6.5 Earth days. The surface temperature is minus 223 degrees. This celestial body is interesting because one side is covered with ice and the other with stones. The sun heats the surface a thousand times less than the surface of the Earth, so the planet is always dark, but we were still able to see a heart-shaped area on the planet - an area covered with icy mountains up to 4 m high.

Pluto has an atmosphere made of nitrogen. Studies have shown that the atmosphere evaporates into space. This is reminiscent of the process that occurred on Earth billions of years ago: the evaporation of nitrogen led to the formation of carbon and carbon dioxide and the origin of life...

On the surface of Pluto there are many craters filled with frozen gases (nitrogen and methane). Their formation can be explained by collisions with asteroids.

Moons of Pluto

Pluto has five moons: these are Charon, Hydra, Styx, Nyx, Kerberus. Charon is the largest moon. Its movement is synchronous with Pluto (some astronomers consider them a double planet), the rotation axes of the remaining satellites are tilted towards Pluto and Charon. The satellites are irregular, bright, and possibly covered in water ice.

Despite Pluto's demotion to a dwarf planet, it has not ceased to be interesting. Astronomers continue to discover new objects in the Kuiper Belt that are larger in size than Pluto. For example, Eris, Ceres. It is possible that one of these objects will soon become the most distant planet from the Sun in the Solar System.

In addition to the Earth, there is another blue planet in the solar system - Neptune. It was discovered in 1846 through mathematical calculations rather than observations.

What is the farthest planet in the solar system from the sun?

Pluto was discovered in 1930. Until 2006, it was considered the last ninth planet in the solar system. While Neptune is only the eighth. However, in 2006, the International Astronomical Union gave a new meaning to the term “planet”, which did not include Pluto. There are even versions that it does not belong to the solar system, but is part of the Kuiper belt.

He also lost this title from 1979 to 1999, during which time Pluto was inside the orbit of the planet Neptune.

In this regard, when answering the question: “Name the farthest planet in the solar system,” you can hear both names as an answer.

Neptune in Roman mythology is

Opening

Officially, the outermost planet in the solar system, Neptune, was discovered in 1846. However, back in 1612 it was described by Galileo. But then he considered it a fixed star, which is why he was not recognized as its discoverer.

The existence of a new planet was thought about in 1821, when data were published showing a change in the orbit of Uranus, which differed from the values ​​​​in the tables.

But only on September 23, 1846, after two months of searching, thanks to mathematical calculations of the orbit of Neptune, was discovered.

It received its name thanks to the mathematician who discovered it (W. Liverier), who initially wanted to name the planet by his own name.

What is the farthest planet in the solar system? Description

Neptune is constantly in twilight. Its illumination is 900 times less than that of our planet. The sun from orbit appears to be just a bright star.

The giant is located at a distance of 4.55 billion km, which is about 30 AU. e. It has a mass 17.15 times greater than planet Earth, and a diameter 4 times greater. Its average density is only one and a half times higher than water (1.6 g/cubic cm). Thus, Neptune belongs to the group of giant planets, which also includes Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus.

The most distant planet of the solar system is also called icy, since the mass of helium and hydrogen in its composition is no more than 15-20%.

Like other giants, Neptune rotates on its axis at tremendous speed. Its day is only 16.11 hours. It revolves around the Sun in an almost circular orbit in 164.8 years. In 2011, it completed its first full revolution since its opening.

Strong winds dominate on the surface of Neptune, 400 m/sec.

Interestingly, the planet's temperature is -214 C, when it should be much lower. It is known that the outermost planet in the solar system has its own heat source inside, since it emits 2.7 times more energy into space than it absorbs from the Sun.

There is something constantly happening on the planet. One season lasts about 40 years.

Satellites

The most distant planet in the solar system has 14 satellites. They are usually divided into three groups:

Internal: Talasa, Naiad, Galatea, Despina, Larisa, Proteus;

Separately, Nereid and Triton are distinguished;

The five outer satellites do not have names.

The first group includes dark blocks, reaching 100-200 km and having an irregular shape. They rotate in a circular orbit almost in the plane of the equator. They fly around the planet in just a few hours.

The second group includes Triton. This is a fairly large satellite. Its diameter is about 2700 km; it makes a full revolution around Neptune in 6 days. It moves in a spiral, slowly approaching the planet. Someday it will fall on Neptune and, under the influence of tidal forces, will turn into another ring. Its surface is cold, there is an opinion that an ocean rages under the ice crust.

Nereid orbits the giant in 360 days. It has an irregular shape.

The outer satellites are located at a great distance (tens of millions of km) from Neptune. The most distant one flies around the planet in 25 years. Taking into account their orbit, inclination to the equatorial plane and retrograde motion, it was decided that they were Kuiper belt objects captured by Neptune.

The last satellite was discovered in July 2013.

Neptune has five rings of icy particles. Some of them contain carbon, which is why they emit a red color. They are considered relatively young and short-lived. Neptune's rings are unstable and differ significantly from each other.

Answering the question about which distant planet of the solar system the famous Voyager 2 spacecraft was launched to, we can say that it was initially sent to explore Saturn and Jupiter, but the trajectory also allowed it to reach Uranus and Neptune. It was launched in 1977.

On August 24, 1989, he flew 48 thousand km from Neptune. At this time, photographs of the planet and its moon Triton were sent to Earth.

In 2016, it was planned to send another spacecraft to the planet. However, at the moment there are no exact launch dates.