Do you know what planet orbit is? Geography (Grade 6) gave us an idea of the structure of the Solar System, but many probably did not understand what it is, what it is for, and what will happen if the planet changes its orbit.
Concept of orbit
So what is the orbit of the planet? The simplest definition: orbit is the path of the body around the sun. Gravitation forces the cosmic body to move one and the same
the same way around the star from year to year, from a million years to the next million. On average, planets have an ellipsoidal orbit. The closer her shape is to the circle,
the more stable the weather on the planet.
The main characteristics of the orbit are the orbital period and radius. The average radius is the average between the minimum diameter of the orbit and
maximum. The period of revolution is the length of time that the celestial body needs to fly completely around the star.
the distance separating the star and the planet, the greater the period of revolution will be, since the effect of star gravity on the outskirts of the system is much weaker than in its center.
Since no orbit can be absolutely round, during the planetary year the planet is at different distances from the star. Place, where
the planet is closest to the star, called the periastron. The point farthest from the sun, on the contrary, is called the apoaster. For the solar system, this
perihelion and aphelion, respectively.
Orbit elements
What is the planet’s orbit is understandable. What do its elements represent? There are several elements that are usually distinguished from the orbit. It is precisely by these parameters that scientists determine the type of orbit, the characteristics of the motion of the planet, and some other parameters that are not essential for the average person.
- Eccentricity. This is an indicator that helps to understand how elongated the planet’s orbit is. The lower the eccentricity, the more round the orbit has, while a celestial body with high eccentricity moves around the star in a very elongated ellipse. The planets of the solar system have extremely low eccentricities, which indicates their almost circular orbits. Comets are characterized by unusually high eccentricities.
- The semi-major axis. It is calculated from the planet to the averaged point halfway along the orbit. This is not a synonym for apastron, because the star is not located in the center of the orbit, but in one of its tricks.
- Mood. For these calculations, the orbit of the planet is a certain plane. The second parameter is the base plane, that is, the orbit of a particular body in the stellar system or adopted conventionally. So in the Solar system, the Earth’s orbit is considered basic , it is commonly called the ecliptic. For the planets of other stars, such a plane is considered to be that plane that lies on the line of the observer from the Earth. In our system, almost all orbits are located in the plane of the ecliptic. However, comets and some other bodies move at a high angle to it.
Orbits of the Solar System
So, the revolution around the star is what is called the orbit of the planet. In our solar system, the orbits of all the planets are directed in the same direction in which
the sun is spinning. Such a movement is explained by the theory of the origin of the Universe: after the Big Bang, the pratoplasm moved in one direction, substances with the passage
time condensed, but their movement has not changed.
Around the planet’s own axis, they move similarly to the rotation of the Sun. The only exceptions are Venus and Uranus, which rotate around their axis in
its own unique mode. Perhaps they were once exposed to celestial bodies that changed the direction of their revolution around their axis.
The plane of motion in the solar system
As already mentioned, the orbits of the planets in the solar system are almost on the same plane close to the plane of the Earth’s orbit. Knowing what the planet’s orbit is,
it can be assumed that the reason planets move in almost the same plane is most likely the same: there was once a substance from which now
consist of all the bodies in the solar system, it was a single cloud and rotated around its axis under the influence of external gravity. Substance over time
divided into that from which the Sun was formed, and that which for a long time was a dust disk orbiting a body. Dust gradually formed
planet, and the direction of rotation remains the same.
Orbits of other planets
It is difficult to reason on this topic. The fact is that we know what the planet’s orbit is, but until recently, we did not know whether other stars even have planets.
Only recently, using the latest equipment and modern methods of observation, scientists were able to calculate the presence of planets in other stars. Such planets are called
exoplanets. Despite the incredible power of modern equipment, only a few exoplanets managed to be photographed or seen, and the observation of them surprised
scientists.
The fact is that these few planets seem to be completely unfamiliar with what the planet’s orbit is. Geography claims that all bodies move along the eternal
the laws. But it seems that other stars do not have the laws of our system. There were planets close to the star that seemed to scientists to be
exist only at the very edge of the system. And these planets behave in a completely different way than they should behave according to calculations: they rotate in the wrong
side that their star, and their orbits lie in different planes and have too elongated orbits.
Sudden stop of the planet
In fact, a sudden, unrelated stoppage of the Earth’s rotation is simply unrealistic. But let's say that this happened.
Despite stopping the whole body, its individual elements will not be able to stop abruptly. So, magma and core will continue their inertia movement. Until full
stops all the filling of the earth will have time to crank more than once, completely breaking the crust of the Earth. This will cause an instant ejection of a huge amount of lava, huge
faults and the emergence of volcanoes in extremely unexpected places. Thus, almost instantly on Earth, life will cease to exist.
In addition, even if you manage to stop instantly and “stuffing”, there is still atmosphere. She will continue the inertial rotation. And this speed is about 500 m / s.
Such a "breeze" will sweep away all living and nonliving from the surface, taking away with the atmosphere itself into space.
Gradual rotation stop
If the rotation around its axis does not stop suddenly, but for a long time, there is a minimal chance of survival. As a result of extinction
centrifugal force the oceans rush to the poles, while the land will be at the equator. In this situation, the day will be equal to the year, and the change of seasons will correspond to the onset of the day: morning - spring, day - summer, etc. The temperature regime will be much more extreme, since neither the oceans, nor the movement of the atmosphere will soften it.
What will happen if the Earth leaves orbit?
Another fantasy: what will happen if the planet leaves orbit? The planet simply cannot move to another orbit. So, she was helped to make this collision with another celestial body. In this case, a huge force explosion will destroy everything and everyone.
If we assume that the planet simply stopped in space, stopping movement around the Sun, then the following will happen. Under the influence of the attraction of the sun, our planet will head towards it. She will not be able to catch him, because the Sun also does not stand in one place. But it will fly close enough to the star, so that the solar wind destroys the atmosphere, evaporates all the moisture and burns all the land. An empty burnt ball will fly on. Having reached the orbits of distant planets, the Earth will affect their movement. Once close to the giant planets, the Earth is likely to be torn into small pieces.
These are the scenarios of probable events when the Earth stops. However, scientists answer the question "can a planet go out of orbit" unequivocally: no. Is she more or
less successfully existed for more than 4.5 billion years, and in the foreseeable future there is nothing that could prevent it from holding out for as many more ...