What will rain bring to the planet? About the weather on the planets of the solar system. Rain on Mars
People are often unhappy with the weather. Summer, autumn, winter, spring - no season can truly please earthlings. Today we will talk about the weather on other planets - and perhaps you will like the climate in your region more.
How is it known?
Observations of other planets are carried out with the help of ground-based and orbital telescopes, including infrared and radio telescopes. Especially a lot of data was collected with the help of the automatic Hubble observatory, which has been operating in orbit around the Earth since 1990. To study the planets in the solar system and beyond, unmanned reconnaissance vehicles are sent into space: autonomous spacecraft and stations. These modern machines much more accurately than the Hydrometeorological Center on Earth can determine space weather.
Jupiter - planet of hurricanes
The largest planet in the solar system is characterized by giant storms, constant auroras around the poles and powerful lightning thousands of kilometers long - these atmospheric phenomena on Jupiter are much larger and more spectacular than on Earth. Air currents on a striped planet blow at a speed jet aircraft: about 600 km/h. For comparison: on Earth, the record wind speed was recorded on the Australian island of Barrow in 1996 and amounted to 408 km / h. Most mysterious places on Jupiter - a large X-ray spot, a source of pulsating x-ray radiation, as well as the Great Red Spot - an atmospheric formation on the planet's disk and the largest atmospheric vortex in the solar system, the changes of which mankind has been observing for almost 350 years. Jupiter radiates more energy than it receives from the Sun, and due to radiation, it constantly decreases in size: by about 2 cm per year. Temperatures in the lower atmosphere: from -130 to -145 °C.
Venus and acid rain
A truly hot climate on Venus, an Earth-like planet that is so similar to ours in size, gravity and composition. Due to the extremely dense clouds and the ozone layer, a greenhouse effect is created, due to which the temperature at the surface stays around 477 ° C around the clock. At the same time, Venus has a very strong Atmosphere pressure: 92 times more than on Earth. Sun rays they cannot break through the cloud layer, because of this, it is always twilight on Venus, but lightning sparkles twice as often as on Earth (the phenomenon is called the “electric dragon of Venus”). Another phenomenon that could scare if it happened on Earth is virga: acid rains flow from clouds of sulfuric acid, but they do not reach the surface, evaporating due to heat. Exploration of Venus became possible only with the advent of radar methods, which made it possible to penetrate clouds.
Neptune is an ice giant
Neptune, the most distant planet in the solar system, is characterized by extreme cold. Along with Uranus, Neptune is included in the class of ice giants: average temperature at the poles is -220 °C. At the same time, the strongest hydrogen-helium winds among the planets of the solar system blow here: the speed reaches 2100 km/h. As on Jupiter, hurricane spots form on the azure planet: in the period from 1989 to 1994, researchers observed the Great Dark Spot the size of the Earth, the wind speed around was 2400 km / h. Scientists from different countries have tried to understand the nature of the appearance of spots on Neptune, but so far without success. Due to the axial tilt with respect to the Sun, the seasons on Neptune change: however, this happens once every 40 years.
Solar storms and tornadoes
Terrestrial tornadoes are nothing compared to solar ones. In 2012, this phenomenon was captured on video for the first time. However, no frames can convey the scale of the elements: after all we are talking about a tornado several times the size of the Earth! Changes magnetic field The sun calls and others amazing phenomena: solar flares, sunspots and solar wind that ultimately affect space weather throughout our system. In particular, the solar wind causes auroras, substorms and magnetic storms- the latter violate navigation systems, communications, affect the health and well-being of people.
Planet HD 189733 b and glass rain
Outside the solar system, at a distance of 63 light years from Earth, there is an unusual planet blue color. It belongs to the class of hot Jupiters and surpasses Jupiter in mass and size. The planet with an ugly name was discovered in 2005 and has already surprised researchers with its extreme properties: its surface warms up to 930 °C. The sky on HD 189733 b looks like a red and hazy sunset as seen by people in polluted cities. There are minerals in the atmosphere - silicates: instead of rain or snow, solid particles of crystals, similar to glass, “fly” from the clouds. And they don’t just fly, but spread with wind speeds up to 9600 km / h and, approaching the liquid hot surface, they sublimate - in a word, the same cycle is observed as on Earth, only instead of water - silicates. The climate of this planet is due to its proximity to the central star in the constellation Chanterelle: the distance is 30 times less than between the Earth and the Sun.
Emerald rain in the constellation Orion
What if it rained emerald crystals on Earth? Just such a phenomenon was recorded by astronomers on the nascent star HOPS-68, which is located north of the Orion Nebula. Observations were made using the Spitzer space infrared telescope, owned by NASA, in the crystals, scientists identified the mineral olivine. “For the formation of such crystals, a temperature comparable to the temperature of boiling lava is needed,” experts from the University of Toledo in Ohio explained the rare phenomenon. “We hypothesize that these crystals originated near the surface of the forming star, and then were picked up by the surrounding cloud, where the temperature is cooler. After that, the crystals began to fall in the form of sparkling emeralds.
Mercury clouds in the constellation Andromeda
The atmosphere of Alferatz, the brightest star in the constellation Andromeda, is filled with mercury and manganese. Astronomers from the Swedish University of Uppsala, led by Oleg Kochukhov, have been watching the star Alpha Andromeda for seven years, trying to unravel the mystery of the spots and the nature of their movements. Spots are characteristic of stars that have a magnetic field that Alpha Andromeda lacks. The mystery was solved in 2007: the spots turned out to be mercury clouds, at the same time, scientists concluded that weather exists on the blue star Alferatz.
AT recent times Quite often you can hear that acid rain has begun. It occurs when nature, air and water interact with various pollutants. Such precipitation gives rise to a number of negative consequences:
- diseases in humans;
- death of agricultural plants;
- reduction of forest areas.
Acid rain is caused by industrial emissions chemical compounds, combustion of oil products and other fuels. These substances pollute the atmosphere. Ammonia, sulfur, nitrogen, and other substances then react with moisture, causing the rain to become acidic.
For the first time in human history acid rain was recorded in 1872, and by the twentieth century this phenomenon had become very frequent. Acid rain is causing the most damage to the United States and European countries. In addition, environmentalists have developed a special map that shows the areas most exposed to dangerous acid rain.
Causes of acid rain
The causes of poisonous rainfall are anthropogenic and natural. As a result of the development of industry and technology, plants, factories and various enterprises began to emit huge amounts of nitrogen and sulfur oxides into the air. So, when sulfur enters the atmosphere, it interacts with water vapor, forming sulfuric acid. The same thing happens with nitrogen dioxide, nitric acid is formed, falls out along with atmospheric precipitation.
Another source of air pollution is the exhaust gases of motor vehicles. Once in the air, harmful substances are oxidized and fall to the ground in the form of acid rain. The precipitation of nitrogen and sulfur into the atmosphere occurs as a result of the combustion of peat, coal at thermal power plants. A huge amount of sulfur oxide enters the air during the processing of metals. Nitrogen compounds are emitted during the production of building materials.
A certain part of the sulfur in the atmosphere has natural origin For example, sulfur dioxide is released after a volcanic eruption. Nitrogen-containing substances can be released into the air as a result of the activity of certain soil microbes and lightning discharges.
The effects of acid rain
There are many consequences of acid rain. People caught in such rain can ruin their health. Given atmospheric phenomenon causes allergies, asthma, cancer. Also, rains pollute rivers and lakes, the water becomes unusable. All inhabitants of the waters are in danger, huge populations of fish can die.
Acid rain falls on the ground and pollutes the soil. This exhausts the fertility of the land, reducing the number of crops. Insofar as precipitation fall out over vast areas, they negatively affect trees, which contributes to their drying. As a result of the influence chemical elements, metabolic processes in trees change, the development of roots is inhibited. Plants become sensitive to temperature changes. After any acid rain, trees can abruptly shed their leaves.
One of the less dangerous consequences poisonous precipitation is the destruction of stone monuments and architectural objects. All this can lead to the collapse of public buildings and houses of a large number of people.
We need to seriously think about the problem of acid rain. This phenomenon directly depends on the activities of people, and therefore it is necessary to significantly reduce the amount of emissions that pollute the atmosphere. When air pollution is reduced to a minimum, the planet will be less prone to such dangerous precipitation as acid rain.
Solving the environmental problem of acid rain
The problem of acid rain is global in nature. In this regard, it can be solved only if the efforts of a huge number of people are combined. One of the main methods for solving this problem is to reduce harmful industrial emissions into water and air. At all enterprises it is necessary to use cleaning filters and facilities. The most long-term, expensive, but also the most promising solution to the problem is the creation of environmentally friendly enterprises in the future. All modern technologies should be used taking into account the assessment of the impact of activities on the environment.
They do a lot of damage to the atmosphere. modern views transport. It is unlikely that people will give up cars in the near future. However, today new environmentally friendly vehicles. These are hybrids and electric vehicles. Cars like Tesla have already won recognition in different countries peace. They run on special batteries. Electric scooters are also gradually gaining popularity. In addition, do not forget about the traditional electric transport: trams, trolleybuses, metro, electric trains.
We should not forget that air pollution is carried out by people themselves. There is no need to think that someone else is to blame for this problem, and this specifically does not depend on you. This is not entirely true. Of course, one person is not capable of making emissions of toxic and chemical agents into the atmosphere in in large numbers. However, the regular use of passenger cars leads to the fact that you regularly release exhaust gases into the atmosphere, and this subsequently becomes the cause of acid rain.
Unfortunately, not all people are aware of such an environmental problem as acid rain. To date, there are many films, articles in magazines and books about this problem, so each person can easily fill this gap, realize the problem and begin to act for the benefit of its solution.
Rain
We live on Earth and are not even surprised when water starts to drip from the sky. We are accustomed to large cumulus clouds, which first form from water vapor, and then break up, bringing down showers on us.
On other planets of the solar system, clouds also form and there are rains. But these clouds, as a rule, do not consist of water at all. Each planet has its own unique atmosphere, which causes equally unique weather.
Rain on Mercury
Mercury - the closest planet to the Sun - is a lifeless world covered with craters, on the surface of which daily temperature reaches 430 degrees Celsius. Mercury's atmosphere is so thin that it's nearly impossible to detect. There are no clouds or rain on Mercury.
Rain on Venus
But Venus, our closest neighbor in space, has a rich and powerful cloud cover, which is pierced by zigzags of lightning. Until scientists saw the surface of Venus, they thought that there were a lot of wet and swampy places on it, completely covered with vegetation. Now we know that there is no vegetation there, but there are rocks and heat up to 480 degrees Celsius at noon.
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There are real acid rains on Venus, since the clouds of Venus are composed of deadly sulfuric acid, and not of life-giving water. But at a temperature of 480 degrees Celsius, even such a rain is apparently impossible. Drops of sulfuric acid evaporate before they can reach the surface of Venus.
Rain on Mars
Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system. Scientists believe that in ancient times, Mars may have been similar to Earth in terms of natural conditions. Currently, Mars has a very rarefied atmosphere, and its surface, judging by the photographs, is similar to the deserts of the southwestern United States of America. When winter sets in on Mars, thin clouds of frozen carbon dioxide appear over the red plains and frost covers the rocks. In the mornings there is fog in the valleys, sometimes so thick that it seems that it is about to rain.
However, the riverbeds that have furrowed the surface of Mars are now dry. Scientists believe that water once really flowed along these channels. Billions of years ago, in their opinion, the atmosphere on Mars was denser, it may have rained heavily. What remains today of this abundance of water covers the polar region in a thin layer and accumulates sparingly in the crevices of the rocks and in the cracks of the soil.
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Rain on Jupiter
Jupiter - the fifth planet from the Sun - differs from Mars in everything. Jupiter is a giant spinning ball of gas made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. Perhaps deep inside there is a small solid core covered by an ocean of liquid hydrogen.
Jupiter is surrounded by colored bands of clouds. There are also clouds consisting of water, but most of Jupiter's clouds are made of solidified ammonia crystals. There are storms on Jupiter, even strong hurricanes, and also, according to scientists, rains and snowfalls from ammonia. But these "snowflakes" melt and evaporate before they reach the surface of the hydrogen ocean.
Space exploration is a great adventure. Its mysteries have always fascinated us, and new discoveries will expand our knowledge of the universe. However, let this list serve as a warning to avid intergalactic travelers. The universe can also be very scary place. Let's hope no one ever gets stuck in one of these ten worlds.
10 Carbon Planet
The ratio of oxygen and carbon on our planet is high. In fact, carbon makes up only 0.1% of the entire mass of our planet (because of this, there is such a shortage of carbon materials such as diamonds and fossil fuels). However, near the center of our galaxy, where there is much more carbon than oxygen, the planets may have a completely different composition. This is where you can find what scientists call carbon planets. The sky of the carbon world in the morning would be anything but crystal clear and blue. Imagine a yellow mist with black clouds of soot. As you descend deeper into the atmosphere, you will notice seas of crude oil and tar. The surface of the planet seethes with stinking methane fumes and is covered with black mud. The weather forecast is also not encouraging: it is raining gasoline and bitumen (...throw away cigarettes). However, there is a positive aspect to this oil hell. You probably already guessed which one. Where there is a lot of carbon, you can find a lot of diamonds.
9. Neptune
On Neptune, you can feel the winds reaching such terrifying speeds that they can be compared to a jet engine jet. Neptune's winds carry frozen clouds natural gas past the northern edge of the Great Dark Spot, an Earth-sized hurricane with winds of 2,400 kilometers per hour. It's twice more speed needed to break the sound barrier. Such strong winds are naturally far beyond what a person can withstand. A person who somehow ended up on Neptune would most likely be quickly torn to pieces and forever lost in these cruel and incessant winds. It remains a mystery where the energy that fuels the fastest planetary winds in the solar system comes from, given that Neptune is located so far from the Sun, sometimes even further than Pluto, and that Neptune's internal temperature is quite low.
8. 51 Pegasi b (51 Pegasi b)
This giant gas planet, nicknamed Bellerophon (Bellerophon) - in honor of the Greek hero who owned the winged horse Pegasus, 150 times larger than the earth and mostly consists of hydrogen and helium. Bellerophon is roasted by his star to a temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius. The star around which the planet revolves is 100 times closer to it than the Sun is to the Earth. For starters, this temperature causes the appearance of the strongest winds in the atmosphere. The hot air rises and the cold air goes down in its place, which generates winds reaching speeds of 1000 kilometers per hour. Such heat also causes the absence of water evaporation. However, this does not mean that it does not rain here. We approached the important feature Bellerophon. Highest temperatures allow the iron contained in the planet to evaporate. When iron vapors rise, they form clouds of iron, similar in nature to terrestrial clouds of water vapor. Just don't forget one thing important difference: when it rains from these clouds, it will be hot liquid iron pouring directly onto the planet (...don't forget your umbrella).
7. COROT-3b
COROT-3b is the densest and heaviest exoplanet known to this moment. In size, it is approximately equal to Jupiter, but its mass is 20 times greater. Thus, COROT-3b is about 2 times denser than lead. The scale of the pressure exerted on a person stranded on the surface of such a planet would be unimaginable. On a planet with a mass of 20 Jupiters, a person would weigh 50 times what they weigh on Earth. This means that an 80 kilogram man will weigh as much as 4 tons on the COROT-3b! Such pressure will break a person's skeleton almost instantly - it's the same as if an elephant sits on his chest.
6. Mars
On Mars, a dust storm can form in just a few hours, which will cover the surface of the entire planet in a few days. These are the biggest and cruelest dust storms throughout our solar system. Martian dust funnels easily exceed their Earth counterparts - they reach the height of Mount Everest, and the winds rush in them at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour. Once formed, a dust storm can last for several months until complete disappearance. According to one theory, dust storms can reach such large sizes on Mars due to the fact that dust particles absorb well solar heat and warm up the atmosphere around them. The heated air moves towards colder regions, thereby forming winds. Strong wind kicks up even more dust from the surface, which in turn heats up the atmosphere, causing even more wind to form and the circle to continue anew. Surprisingly, most dust storms on the planet begin their lives in a single impact crater. The Hellas Plain is the deepest crater in the solar system. The temperature at the bottom of the crater can be ten degrees warmer than at the surface, and the crater is filled with a thick layer of dust. Differences in temperature cause the formation of wind, which picks up dust, and the storm begins its further journey around the planet.
5. WASP-12b
In short, this planet is the hottest planet of all discovered at the moment. Its temperature, which provides such a title, is 2200 degrees Celsius, and the planet itself is in the closest orbit to its star, compared to all other worlds known to us. Needless to say, everything known to man, including the person himself, in such an atmosphere would instantly ignite. In comparison, the surface of the planet is only twice as cold as the surface of our Sun and twice as hot as lava. The planet also revolves around its star at an incredible speed. It completes its entire orbit, located only 3.4 million kilometers from the star, in one Earth day.
4. Jupiter
Jupiter's atmosphere is home to storms twice as large as Earth itself. These giants, in turn, are home to winds that develop speeds of 650 kilometers per hour, and colossal lightning, which is 100 times brighter than terrestrial lightning. Beneath this intimidating and dark atmosphere lies an ocean 40 kilometers deep, made up of liquid metallic hydrogen. Here on Earth, hydrogen is a colorless, transparent gas, but in the core of Jupiter, hydrogen turns into something that has never been on our planet. On the outer layers of Jupiter, hydrogen is in a state of gas, as well as on Earth. But with immersion in the depths of Jupiter, the pressure of the atmosphere increases dramatically. Over time, the pressure reaches such a force that it "squeezes out" the electrons from the hydrogen atoms. Under such unusual conditions, hydrogen turns into a liquid metal that conducts electricity and heat. It also begins to reflect light like a mirror. Therefore, if a person were immersed in such hydrogen, and a giant lightning flashed over him, he would not even see it.
3. Pluto
(Note that Pluto is no longer considered a planet) Don't let the image fool you - it's not winter fairy tale. Pluto is very cold world, where frozen nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane coat the planet's surface like snow for most of Pluto's year (approximately 248 Earth years). These ices are transformed from white color to pinkish brown due to interaction with gamma rays from deep space and the distant Sun. On a clear day, the Sun provides Pluto with about the same amount of heat and light as the Moon gives the Earth on a full moon. At Pluto's surface temperature (-228 to -238 degrees Celsius), the human body would freeze instantly.
2. COROT-7b
Temperatures on the side of the planet facing its star are so high that they can melt rock. Scientists who modeled the atmosphere of COROT-7b believe that the planet most likely does not have a volatile gas (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrogen), and the planet consists of something that can be called a molten mineral. In the atmosphere of COROT-7b, such weather conditions, during which (unlike terrestrial rains, when water droplets collect in the air), whole stones fall on the surface of a planet covered with a lava ocean. If the planet still doesn't seem uninhabitable to you, it is also a volcanic nightmare. According to some indications, scientists believe that if the orbit of COROT-7b is not perfectly round, then the gravitational forces of one or two of its sister planets can push and pull on the surface of COROT, creating a movement that warms up its interior. This heating can cause strong volcanic activity on the planet's surface - even stronger than on Jupiter's moon Io, which has more than 400 active volcanoes.
1. Venus
Very little was known about Venus (its dense atmosphere does not transmit light in the visible region of the spectrum) yet Soviet Union did not launch the Venus program during the space race. When the first automatic interplanetary spacecraft successfully landed on Venus and began transmitting information to Earth, the Soviet Union achieved the only successful landing on the surface of Venus in human history. The surface of Venus is so variable that the most long time, which one of the AMS withstood, amounted to 127 minutes - after which, the apparatus was simultaneously crushed and melted. So what would life be like on the most dangerous planet our solar system- Venus? Well, a person would almost instantly suffocate on the toxic air, and even though the gravity on Venus is only 90% of Earth's, the person would still be crushed by the sheer weight of the atmosphere. The pressure of the Venusian atmosphere is 100 times the pressure we are used to. Venus' atmosphere is 65 kilometers high and so dense that walking on the planet's surface would feel no different than walking 1 kilometer deep underwater on Earth. In addition to these "pleasures", a person would still quickly catch fire due to a temperature of 475 degrees Celsius, and over time, even his remains would be dissolved by high concentration sulfuric acid that falls as precipitation on the surface of Venus.
An amazing sight would appear before us if we were on another planet during the rain ...
Are you ready to believe that a diamond rain can fall on Saturn?
On Earth, we are accustomed to certain weather conditions. They can be unpredictable and downright awful, but in general, we know that all precipitation is water in one form or another. So it's forgivable if you think of water when it comes to rain on other planets. But still, you were mistaken, because the Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has liquid water.
Rains from clouds on other planets, indeed, happen. But they have nothing to do with water.
Let's start with perhaps the most unusual substance that falls in the form of rain. Diamonds.
Yes, diamonds fall on Saturn as rain. About 1000 tons fall on Saturn per year. But before you start thinking about a plan for mining diamonds in open space, be warned - this is only a preliminary version from scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
According to the data received, diamond rains can also occur on other planets, such as Neptune and Jupiter. However, Saturn has best conditions for this. The strongest storms with lightning (up to 10 lightning per second!) can contribute to the separation of methane from the atmosphere into its constituent carbon and hydrogen atoms. At the same time, carbon atoms begin to fall freely towards the center of the planet (Saturn does not have a surface in the usual sense of the word for us). When passing through the dense atmosphere of Saturn, these atoms first turn into graphite, and then, under the action of lightning and enormous pressure, into a diamond rain.
But, having flown about 36,000 kilometers (for the atmosphere of Saturn, this is mere trifles), diamonds become extremely hot and even liquid.
What about on other planets?
On Venus, for example, a refreshing rain of extremely hot sulfuric acid can fall. There are many sulfur clouds in the atmosphere of Venus, since the surface temperature is about 480 degrees. Sulfuric acid rain therefore falls in upper parts atmosphere, and having reached a height of 25 kilometers, it simply evaporates, turning into a gas.
On Titan, Saturn's largest moon, ice showers of methane often occur. Just as the water cycle occurs on Earth, the methane cycle takes place on Titan - the methane cycle. There are seasonal rains filling the lakes. These lakes gradually evaporate and the steam turns into clouds. Clouds fall again in the form of rain. And so constantly.
Methane on Titan is in a liquid state, since the temperature on the surface of the satellite is extremely low - about minus 180 degrees. Titan also has mountains made up of frozen water.
The described cases - only superficially describe the rains on other planets. But there is also snow from dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) on Mars, rain from liquid helium on Jupiter and rain from hot plasma on the Sun.
Monstrous atmospheric vortices on Jupiter
Agree, we are very lucky to live on our cozy planet with its usual rains from clean warm water!