15 interesting facts you didn’t know about the Solar System

If you are not a scientist, it is important to know that the Solar System is much more complex than we understand; it’s not just the ‘home’ of the eight planets orbiting the Sun; Including the world. There are numerous regions that study the system, such as the Kuiper Belt beyond the orbit of Neptune and the huge spherical ‘shell’ surrounding us known as the Oort Cloud.

In addition to the planets we know, the system also includes hundreds of thousands of cosmic objects under the gravitational influence of the Sun. That is, the list also includes surrounding moons, asteroids, comets and other different celestial bodies. the great ‘fire star’ that keeps us alive every day.

The Solar System is part of the Milky Way, so there is actually much more to it than what we can observe. This is why telescopes like James Webb and Hubble are so important in helping us better understand our universe. After all, we know ‘very little’ about our system, but we understand even less about everything else that exists in the vastness of space.

That’s why TecMundo gathered information from scientists and experts in the field to list it. Some curiosities you didn’t know about the Solar System.

15 interesting facts about the Solar System

The Solar System, which hosts planet Earth and other hitherto undiscovered worlds, holds great mysteries that ancient science cannot solve, but now we will share some important discoveries with you. Check out!

15 – Strange rotation of Uranus

Discovered by astronomer William Herschel in 1781, Uranus, the seventh planet closest to the Sun, does not have rings as impressive as Saturn, but it also has a very interesting feature.

Uranus has a strange rotation that causes the planet to rotate sideways by about 90 degrees compared to other celestial bodies., Like the world. So far, scientists have not been able to discover the cause of the mystery, but they believe it may have been damaged by a giant collision that caused this strange rotation.

14 – Saturn’s asymmetric satellite

Saturn’s moon, called Iapetus or Saturn VIII, is known for its asymmetrical shape. Usually the surfaces of planets, asteroids, and moons have relatively uniform shapes, but this is not the case for Iapetus.

The moon consists mostly of frozen water, so Scientists believe that when one side faces the Sun, the ice melts, making the surface different on each side.; The asymmetry may also have been caused by a major impact.

13 – The Sun’s atmosphere is hotter than the Sun’s surface

Scientists note that the visible surface of the Sun reaches 5,500 degrees Celsius, an extremely high temperature compared to the Earth’s surface. However, they explain that the Sun’s upper atmosphere reaches millions of degrees Celsius. — unfortunately, researchers have not yet understood the reason for this huge difference.

NASA, heat up Produced by ‘heat pumps’ that occur when magnetic fields intersect and rearrange in the atmosphere; Another explanation is that the temperature increases as the plasma waves move from the surface towards the Sun’s corona.

12 – The world’s weirdest Van Allen bands (not to be confused with the Van Halen band)

In mid-1958, scientists discovered the Van Allen belts, regions of intense radiation surrounding the Earth; caused by various bands of magnetically charged and high-energy particles around the planet. This phenomenon was named after the physicist James Van Allen who made the discovery.

11 – Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is shrinking

Scientists explain this Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a massive storm on the planet’s surface and is considered the largest in the Solar System..

Astronomers have been studying it through telescopes since the 1600s, but NASA has revealed more details that suggest the storm was likely powered by winds from thousands of miles below.

Although already considered an enigma to science, researchers It mysteriously decreases over time.

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10 – Jupiter’s moon with large volcanic eruptions

Jupiter’s moon IO is home to hundreds of volcanoes that erupt as a result of the planet’s gravitational well and magnetic field. IO is considered the most active moon in the Solar System Volcanoes send more than 900 kilograms of gas as well as sulfur into their atmospheres at up to 300 kilometers per second.

9 – Extreme winds on Venus

Although Venus is known for its extremely hot climate and high pressure levels on its surface, NASA reveals planet produces extreme, super-strong winds that ‘run’ many times faster than its gravitational spin — winds are at hurricane force and appear to strengthen over time.

A 2020 study showed that phosphine was detected on Venus; This is a sign that biological life may exist on the planet. However, without water, life on the planet is unlikely to exist.

8 – Mars is the largest volcano in the Solar System

Larger than the state of Hawaii in the United States, The Olympus Mons volcano on Mars is approximately 602 kilometers in diameter and 25 kilometers high..

NASA claims that Olympus Mons is dozens of times larger than the largest volcano on Earth and is almost three times the size of Mount Everest. It is no wonder that it is considered the largest volcano in the Solar System.

7 – Water spreads into space

For a long time, astronomers and astrobiologists thought that water was an element unique to Earth. Hundreds of studies reveal water is common in space.

Both water and ice are common on comets, asteroids, and planets, whether in the craters of Mercury, Saturn’s moon Enceladus, or our own Moon. Therefore, scientists believe there may also be some form of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa. liquid water beneath the surface of a celestial body.

6 – Diamond Rain?

According to NASA, after detailed observations, scientists detected data about strange diamond showers and storms occurring on Uranus and Neptune; that’s exactly it diamond-like carbon crystals are raining down on these planets.

This interesting situation occurs due to the high temperature and pressure on both planets, which causes the chemical reactions that create the phenomenon.

5 – The Real Death Star

Mimas or Saturn I is one of the moons of Saturn. The satellite became well known after photographs showing a large crater on its surface. It creates a similar appearance to the Death Star, the classic military space station featured in the Star Wars saga.

Despite this, the film series was discovered long before its release; In mid-1789, British astronomer Sir William Herschel observed it for the first time with an old telescope.

4 – We have already visited all the planets in the Solar System

Humanity has not yet made a manned journey to any planet in the Solar System, but we cannot say the same for the probes NASA sent into space.

In the last few years of space exploration, the space agency It sent probes that could learn a little more about Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.; We also visited Pluto, once considered the ninth planet of the solar system.

3 – Mercury is waning

Considered the smallest planet in the Solar System Mercury appears to be shrinking over time. Scientists claim that in addition to shrinking, the celestial body is becoming increasingly denser, and is even considered the densest planet after the Earth.

According to data from the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Distance (MESSENGER) probe, Mercury continues to contract, causing cliff-like reliefs on the surface.

2 – Pluto has mountains and a strange atmosphere

In 2006, Pluto was downgraded to dwarf planet status, but that doesn’t mean it no longer has incredible properties. New Horizons survey in 2015 Some stunning images have emerged showing massive icy mountains nearly 3,000 meters high on the planet.

The probe also detected some strange features of Pluto’s atmosphere, including a haze that extends up to 1,600 kilometers from its atmosphere. In all, Astronomers have discovered 20 layers of haze containing high levels of nitrogen in the dwarf planet’s atmosphere.

1 – Earth’s second moon?

When looking at the night sky, it is possible to see the Moon surrounding us. But did you know that Earth has a kind of ‘second moon’? This quasi-moon, called 3753 Cruithne, is not exactly a moon but is part of the Sun’s orbit and passes close to our planet, but in an unusual way..

The cosmic object makes a spatial motion called a ‘horseshoe orbit’ as it moves close to the Earth, but turns and moves away until it does the same on the opposite side; It takes almost 800 years for the satellite to complete its orbital path around the Earth.

Did you like the content? Stay up to date with more astronomy curiosities at TecMundo. If you wish, discover the origins of the names of the planets in the solar system.