Planets of our solar system. The closest planet to Earth is Venus. What is closer to earth

It is difficult for us to imagine the size of space. It is unimaginably huge, and there is an assumption that it is simply endless. While only guessing about what is happening outside our Galaxy, humanity begins to study the cosmic expanses from those planets that are nearby. Modern achievements of science and technology make it possible to comprehend planets close to Earth using one method or another.

At first, the closest attention was directed to the nearest space object - the Moon. After it has been sufficiently studied, the time has come to get acquainted with the least distant planets of the solar system.

What is the closest planet to Earth?

Considering that the planets are not constantly in one place, but each move in their own orbit, the distance from one planet to another is constantly changing. The closest orbits to Earth are considered to be those whose orbits are in the neighborhood.

The closest “neighbors” of the Earth are the second planet from the Sun - Venus, and the fourth - Mars. But if we take into account the numerical indicators, then Venus is still closer. This planet can be located at a distance from 38 million km to 261 million km, depending on its location in orbit. Mars is closest to our planet at 55.8 million km, and its maximum distance is about 401 million km. This confirms that the closest planet to Earth is Venus.

Earth's closest "neighbor"

In our sky, Venus is the brightest cosmic object after the Sun and Moon. She is often called the Earth's twin sister. The reason for this is the similarity of physical and some chemical characteristics.

The proximity of Venus to the Sun does not make it possible for people to explore it. Clouds of sulfur swirling around the planet prevent its study from orbiting satellites. But still, scientists managed to obtain interesting information. The surface of the planet is covered with craters and volcanoes, some of which are still active. The atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide.

Despite the fact that Venus is inhospitable and difficult to study, it is considered the patroness of all lovers and is named after love.

What do we know about Mars?

Mars is not the closest planet to Earth, but it is at a relatively short distance, which is a good reason for its research. It is called the red planet because of the specific bright orange color of its surface. This shade is given by iron oxides that are part of the soil.

It has already been scientifically proven that the planet has water in the form of ice under the soil layer. Some argue that humans can adapt by learning to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. But the current level of development of technology and technology does not even allow us to try to make this a reality.

How does a person study planets close to Earth?

Venus is shrouded in thick fog, which gives rise to speculation about the existence of water on it. None of the devices that were sent to explore the closest “neighbor” of the Earth could end up on its surface. They all burned up in the planet's atmosphere. But, despite the fact that the temperature of Venus exceeds 400 degrees Celsius, scientists continue to make attempts to send a space station closer to its surface, which could provide more information.

Mars has been studied better than the closest planet to Earth, Venus. It was possible to successfully use four rovers to study the red planet. Two of them are still in operation today. These are automatic spacecraft that are controlled remotely. They move around and transmit photo and video materials to Earth. This equipment also collects data on the composition of the planet’s atmosphere, the structure of its soil and other information necessary for cosmologists.

By studying the nearest planets, we hope that one day man will be able to make interplanetary expeditions and comprehend all the secrets of unexplored space.

At first, the closest attention was directed to the nearest space object, the Moon. After the Earth's satellite has been sufficiently studied, it's time to expand our horizons and get acquainted with the least distant planets of the solar system.

What is the closest planet to Earth?

Considering that the planets are not constantly in one place, but each move in their own orbit, the distance from one planet to another is constantly changing. The closest to Earth are considered to be those celestial bodies whose orbits are in the neighborhood.

The closest “neighbors” of the Earth are the second planet from the Sun, Venus, and the fourth, Mars. But if we take into account the numerical indicators, then Venus is still closer. This planet can be located at a distance from 38 million km to 261 million km, depending on its location in orbit. Mars is closest to our planet at 55.8 million km, and its maximum distance is about 401 million km. This confirms that the closest planet to Earth is Venus.

Earth's closest neighbor

Despite the fact that Venus is inhospitable and difficult to study, it is considered the patroness of all lovers and is named after the ancient Greek goddess of love.

What do we know about Mars?

Mars is not the closest planet to Earth, but it is located at a relatively short distance, which becomes a good reason for its research. It is called the red planet because of the specific bright orange color of its surface. This shade is given by iron oxides that are part of the soil.

It has already been scientifically proven that the planet has water in the form of ice under the soil layer. Some argue that humans can adapt to life on Mars by learning to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. But the current level of development of technology and technology does not even allow us to try to make this a reality.

How does a person study planets close to Earth?

Mars has been studied better than the closest planet to Earth, Venus. It was possible to successfully use four rovers to study the red planet. Two of them are still in operation today. These are automatic spacecraft that are controlled remotely. They move along the surface of Mars and transmit photo and video materials to Earth. This equipment also collects data on the composition of the planet’s atmosphere, the structure of its soil and other information necessary for cosmologists.

By studying the nearest planets, we hope that one day man will be able to make interplanetary expeditions and comprehend all the secrets of unexplored space.

> > > The closest planet to Earth

Which planet is closest to Earth: Mercury, Venus and Mars. Description of the orbits of the terrestrial planets of the Solar System with photos, distances to Earth, closest approach.

Located 41 million km from Earth Venus is closest planet to Earth.

We know that the planets in our system have stable positions. But which one is closest to Earth? And this is not simple curiosity. After all, we are considering the possibility of colonizing other planets, so why not choose the closest one?

The closest neighborhood is established with Venus, which is also called the earthly sister and neighbor. The planets are similar in mass, presence of atmosphere and residence in the habitable zone.

The orbit of the planet Venus closest to Earth

Venus is 108,208,000 km away from our star the Sun. But depending on the orbital path, the distance can range from 107,477,000 km (perihelion) to 108,939,000 km (aphelion). You can see that the difference is negligible, so its orbit is almost circular (eccentricity less than 0.01).

Its closest approach occurs at a position between us and the Sun and is equivalent to 41 million km. This repeats approximately every 584 days. But the earth's eccentricity is changing, so the minimum distance will increase.

Is the closest planet to Earth Venus or Mars?

Let's not forget that our beloved Red Planet lives relatively nearby. The average distance of Mars from the Sun is 227,939,200 km. But here there is a high eccentric orbit index (0.0934), which is why it changes from 206,700,000 km to 249,200,000 km. This is one of the most eccentric orbits in the system.

For Earth and Mars to get closer, they need to be on the same side of the star: Mars is at perihelion, and Earth is at aphelion. This is the moment of opposition.

But the distance is not stable and can fluctuate. In 2003 it amounted to 56 million km. The shortest one should be expected in 20178 – 57.6 million km. If we take into account the closest approach, then it was 54.9 million km, but then there was no one to document it.

Exploring the closest planet to Earth

Yes, Venus is close to us, but its study faces a huge number of problems. The dense atmospheric layer simply does not allow visual observation. The surface was only visible through radar imaging and the landing of several vehicles.

The first attempts came in the 1960s. from the USSR. In 1963, the Venera 3 spacecraft landed on the surface. A series of probes followed, but the maximum survival time in hellish conditions was 127 minutes.

NASA used Mariner for missions. The second attempt in 1962 was successful, as the probe flew over the planet at a distance of 34,833 km. In the late 70s, the USSR actively sent its scouts, who stayed on the planet for a short time, but sent a lot of valuable information and even pictures. At the same time, Pioneer devices were used in the USA.

In 1985, the USSR teamed up with European scientists for the Vega program. This mission was supposed to track the passage of Halley's Comet and travel to Venus. They were dropped into the atmosphere and the weather conditions were recorded.

In 1989, Magellan went to Venus with his radar. It spent 4.5 years in orbit and imaged 98% of the surface and 95% of the gravitational field. In the end, he was sent to his death in the atmosphere to obtain density data.

Galileo and Cassini observed Venus in passing. And in 2007 they sent MESSENGER, which was able to make some measurements on the way to Mercury. The atmosphere and clouds were also monitored by the Venus Express probe in 2006. The mission ended in 2014.

The Japanese agency JAXA sent the Akatsuki probe in 2010, but it failed to enter orbit. Despite its proximity, Venus is not very hospitable. But NASA, Roscosmos and India's ISRO are planning future joint missions.

Our Galaxy is a huge unknown world, the secrets of which even the most experienced scientists cannot comprehend. People study space, the solar system and its planets every day, and many discoveries have already been made that can answer the questions that plague young researchers. For example, what is the closest planet to Earth and how is it different from the others? Today there is no doubt that this is Venus, which is not so difficult to see in the night sky, because it is one of the brightest cosmic objects and is second only to the Sun and our satellite the Moon.

Most of the planets in the solar system are named after Roman gods, and Venus is no exception. But she alone was awarded a female name, signifying the goddess of beauty, love and prosperity. Surely this name of the planet is associated with the mystery and enigma with which it has been surrounded since the very moment of its discovery. In addition, it is often identified with the sister of the Earth, since it has some properties similar to our planet.

Galileo Galilei became the first scientist to study Venus through a regular telescope. Later, when more powerful instruments, telescopes, became available to mankind, astronomers were able to track the phases of the planet and correlate them with the phases of the Moon. Then the study of Venus was continued by Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, whose achievements include the discovery of the atmosphere. It was our academician who first noticed that when a planet passes in front of the Sun, a light iris appears around it, the pressure of which reaches 90 atmospheres.

The total length of the atmosphere of Venus is 5500 km. Its upper layer is represented by hydrogen; nitrogen is also found with shades of oxygen, argon, carbon monoxide and sulfuric anhydride. Due to the greenhouse effect, the lower layers of the surface are heated to 480 ° C, which breaks all records set in the solar system. For comparison, on Earth this figure is 35 ° C, and on Mars – 9 ° C.

The pressure of the atmosphere, as mentioned above, is unusually high, which is due to the content of very heavy substances in it. On Earth, such pressure can be found deep underwater (at least 90 m), and it will immediately lead to the flattening of a person. In addition, a huge amount of toxins and poisonous gases in the atmosphere is harmful to people. That is, terrestrial cosmonauts cannot stay on the surface of Venus due to the physiological properties of the body. Scientists suggest that on the surface of the Earth before evolution, as well as on Venus, the existence of living bodies was excluded.

The structure of the planet is no different from the earth's: it consists of a core, mantle and crust. At the same time, the thinnest layer, the crust, goes 20 km deep, and the widest, the core, has a radius of 3200 km. The mantle extends over 2800 km and is a molten binder. Venus does not create a magnetic field, which contradicts the size of its core. The only explanation that scientists give for this phenomenon is the insufficient rotation speed of the planet.

At the moment, 1,600 active volcanoes have been discovered on Venus, due to the activity of which it is not possible to talk about the origin of life here. The dense atmosphere and incredibly high temperature are the main reasons that astronauts have not yet been able to land on this planet, and this is unlikely to be possible in the future.

The Earth's sister has a direction of motion around its axis that is unusual for other objects in the Solar System. As a rule, all celestial bodies rotate around their axis in the same direction as around the Sun, that is, from west to east. However, Venus makes this rotation, called retrograde by astronomers, from east to west. However, it is not unique in this - Uranus is also distinguished by its “reverse” rotation.

The time for a complete revolution of Venus around the Sun is 225 Earth days. It takes a little more time to complete a revolution around its axis - 243 Earth days. Due to such slow rotation rates, it is impossible to talk about the same change of day and night here as on Earth.

According to researchers studying Venus, after its formation it was almost completely covered with water, which gradually began to evaporate and transfer carbonic anhydrite from its composition into the atmosphere. This process has affected the current appearance of the planet, and now there is no longer water on it, but there is increased temperature and a greenhouse effect.

The general appearance of the landscape of Venus is petrified desert plains, depressions, mountains, hills and hills. The evaporated reservoirs left behind only giant basins. Thanks to nearby automatic interplanetary stations, astronomers have determined that there are still active volcanoes on the planet, but most of them are extremely active.

Venus was studied by both Soviet space stations (Venera-15, Venera-16) and the American one (Magelan). The latter managed to record almost the entire planet on maps. As the scan progressed, not only volcanoes were identified, but also thousands of mountains and craters. By correlating the height and size of some elevated points, and calculating the average level of the plains, scientists found that there are two continents on Venus - the land of Ishtar (in area similar to the territory occupied by the United States) and the land of Aphrodite (the total size reaches the size of the continent of Africa). The attractions of each of them were even identified: Ishtar boasts the highest peaks of the planet - Mount Maxwell (about 11 km), and Aphrodite - the huge extinct volcano Maat.

Astronomy is an amazing science. Even in ancient times, people studied space, trying to find answers to the mysteries of the Universe. And we can assume that our ancestors, like us, were worried: maybe there is life somewhere else? After all, the Earth is surrounded by other celestial bodies. What if the closest planets to Earth are also inhabited? And it would seem that the technology is becoming more and more advanced, how many secrets have already been revealed, but there are more and more questions. One of the most mysterious and enigmatic planets is Venus - the only planet in the solar system bearing the name of a woman. And not just women, but goddesses of love. Because of its similarity to our planet, it is even called the sister of the Earth.

Venus is the planet closest to Earth. And it is very similar to its celestial “sister”: almost the same mass (85% of the mass of the Earth), the same dimensions (95% of the diameter of our planet). And the dense fog, enveloping the planet like a mysterious halo, gave hope that there is water on Venus. And water is life! And someday expeditions will be made to Venus, and earthlings will be amazed by mysterious plants, flowers of extraordinary beauty and - dream, dream! – meet amazing creatures.

But the space age dispelled these naive dreams. The first vehicles sent to the planet burned up in its atmosphere. However, for scientists, Venus remained just as attractive, and new space stations were sent to its surface. Thanks to research carried out in the late sixties of the 20th century, scientists obtained invaluable information about Venus. 97% of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide, and 3% is nitrogen, the temperature of the atmosphere exceeds 400°.

Venus revolves around the Sun faster than the Earth - Venus takes 225 Earth days to complete a full revolution. But Venus rotates 243 times slower around its axis. And the rotation occurs clockwise, like Uranus. The Earth and other planets are moving in the opposite direction. Therefore, both day and night on Venus last 58 Earth days, i.e. There are 1 Venusian days for every 116 Earth days. This is some tricky arithmetic.

But it would seem: so close to each other, so similar in size and mass! Therefore, by finding out under what factors and conditions Venus evolved, we can get closer to unraveling the mysteries of the Earth.