When we analyze all the planets of the solar system, we have to divide them into two types according to your situation: inner planets y Outer planets. Today we are going to focus on explaining which are the outer planets and their main characteristics. These planets are those that are located beyond the asteroid belt. These planets are known by the name of gas giants.
In this article we are going to tell you about the characteristics of the outer planets and some curiosities.
Outer planets
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, the outer planets are those that they are located after the asteroid belt. Among the main characteristics that these planets have is that they are known by the name of gas giants. This name comes from its morphology. And is that these planets are large masses of gases that are rotating around the sun. It is true that these planets have a solid core. However, if you don't get to pass right through the center of the planet you would be able to pass through them.
It must be remembered that, to this day, Pluto it is not considered a planet. Among the group of outer planets we find the following: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus y Neptuno. All of these planets share similar characteristics. For a celestial body to be considered a planet, it has to meet some rules. The first is that it cannot have its own light. The second is that it is large enough that gravity is not continually shaping the shape. Lastly, the third rule is that it must be large enough so that gravity is able to attract everything around and clear other bodies from its orbit zone.
Another requirement that is not agreed upon by the scientific community is that they must orbit a star. Some of the characteristics these outer planets share in common are that they are surrounded by rings and have many satellites. To learn more about how they formed, you can read the article on how planets are formedLet's analyze each of the outer planets and explain their main characteristics.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest planet in the entire solar system. Its mass is double that of the rest of the planets put together. If we compare the size with that of planet earth, Jupiter is 1317 times largerIf you go to the surface, you can see that, as you go deeper into the core, there are gases that are compressed. These gases are hydrogen, helium, and argon. These three gases are the main elements found on Jupiter. As we get closer to the core, these gases are compressed, and it takes on a rocky appearance.
Later, the nucleus, we see that it is a rocky form that is formed by these elements but in a frozen state. No rock as such has been found to date. Hence the name of the gas giant. One of the things that most attracts the attention of Jupiter is its large round and red spot. This spot indicates a strong storm that seems to have been formed for more than 3 centuries and is still active today. Given the planet's size, the red spot appears small. But compared to the diameter of Earth, it's larger.
This planet has the fastest rotation in the entire solar system. A day on this planet lasts only 10 hours. However, it takes 12 years to orbit the sun. It has approximately more than 60 moons, all of which are very famous. It is the oldest planet in the entire solar system. If you want to know more about the gas planets, I recommend you read the article about gaseous planets.
Saturn
Saturn is the planet best known for its rings. It is the only one that has the rings visible from the ground. The size of Saturn compared to Earth is 750 times larger. Around its orbit we find about 62 satellites. One of them is well known by the name of Titan and is known to have had an atmosphere similar to ours a long time ago. It is not the only planet that has rings, but it does have the most. Rings are made up of very small elements the size of a grain of sand. We also found other elements the size of a mountain.
It is not well known about the rotation period since it does not have a solid surface. Its atmosphere is spinning at different speeds. This speed depends on the latitude. As with Jupiter, hydrogen and helium are the main gases in this atmosphere. The translation movement is 30 years. If you want to know more about planets that have rings, you can consult the article about planets with rings.
One of the planet's notable characteristics is its strong winds. These include clouds formed by ammonia crystals and strong winds of up to 450 meters per second. At its north pole, there is a cloud formation for which science still has no answer. It is known as the Saturnian hexagon.
Uranus
The planet Uranus has a nucleus but the difference with the previous ones is that it is covered with an icy mantle that reaches the surface. The atmosphere is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. The nucleus is very small in size. It must be said that this planet has a more blue color because almost the entire planet is ice.
Its rotational motion is 84 Earth years, and it is located at an average distance from the sun of 3.000 billion kilometers. Its rotational motion is not well understood because it is not uniform at all latitudes. One of the characteristics that makes this planet unique is the tilt of its axis. This means that one of the poles always faces the sun. This is the reason why Uranus It has periods of 42 years of light and another 42 years of darkness. If you want to delve deeper into the topic of exoplanets, visit exoplanets.
Neptuno
It is the last of the group of outer planets. It is the farthest planet in the entire solar system. It is also the smallest in size, although it is still the fourth largest in diameter in the entire solar system. It has a gravity very similar to our planet despite its smaller size. Its rocky core is made up of silicates, nickel and iron. A great icy mantle and an atmosphere made up mainly of hydrogen, helium and methane gas is what reigns on this planet.
This atmosphere we also find some violent storms in which we find winds with speeds of up to 2200 kilometers per hourThere are currently 14 known satellites orbiting it. The most famous of these is Triton.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the outer planets and their main characteristics.