Our Solar System - Part 2
In the last part, 'what are the solar system and planet,' we read the bodies in the solar system in order, along with the first four inner planets called Terrestrial Planets.
Today we will read a brief introduction to the last four planets, called outer planets, and based on the structure, they are called Gas Giants.
Gas Giant Planets
A gas giant is a large planet not primarily composed of rocks or other solid elements. Four gas giants in our solar system are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Many other non-solar gas giants have also been found orbiting other stars.
Planets that weigh 10 times as much as our Earth are called gas giants. Planets that are not 10 times larger than our Earth are called gaseous dwarfs.
Hydrogen and helium are abundant in the gas giant's atmosphere. Gas giants rarely have a solid surface. Instead, it would not be wrong to say that they do not have a solid surface at all; as we move away from its center, the density of the gas decreases.
We will now discuss these four gaseous planets individually:
1) Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the first planet from the Gaseous planets. The distance of the planet Jupiter from the Sun is 778.5 million kilometers. Jupiter is the giant planet in the solar system in terms of size and is so large that it can accommodate about 1300 planets the size of our Earth. The brightness of this planet is the brightest planet after Venus.
The planet Jupiter completes one revolution around the Sun in about 4331 Earth days, i.e., 12 Earth years.
2) Saturn
Saturn is the sixth gas giant planet in terms of distance from the Sun and the second gas giant planet in the order of the gaseous planets. Saturn is the most beautiful planet in the solar system after Earth. It scatters many colors because of the surrounding rings, especially for those who look at it through binoculars and telescopes for a while.
Saturn is so prominent that it can accommodate 700 planets like our Earth.
Saturn has an average distance of about 1.4 billion kilometers from the Sun, while Saturn completes one revolution around the Sun in 10,747 Earth days or about 29 Earth years.
3) Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet in terms of distance from the Sun, while it is the third planet in the order of the gaseous planets.
What is unique about this gaseous planet is that it is tilted about 97.77 degrees on its axis. It is said to have tilted its axis every 98 degrees because of a collision with an Earth-sized planet.
Uranus is so prominent that it can accommodate 63 planets like our Earth.
Uranus has an average distance of 2.9 billion kilometers from the Sun, while Uranus completes one orbit around the Sun in about 30,589 days or about 84 Earth years.
4) Neptune
The last planet in terms of distance from the Sun is Neptune and the fourth planet in the order of the gaseous planets.
The planet Neptune is also called the Ice Giant.
Neptune is so prominent that it can hold 57 planets like our Earth.
Neptune has an average distance of 4.495 billion kilometers from the Sun. This gaseous planet completes one revolution around the Sun in about 59,800 Earth days or about 165 Earth years.
Interestingly, the planet was discovered in 1846 and has only completed one revolution around the Sun since its discovery in 2011.
Continued in the next part...
Note: In the initial parts, we briefly discuss all the objects in the solar system. Later we will examine each of the astronomical objects in the solar system individually.