An Earth satellite is any object that moves along a curved path around a planet. The Moon is the original, natural satellite of the Earth, and there are many artificial satellites, usually in close orbit to the Earth. The path followed by a satellite is an orbit, which sometimes takes the shape of a circle.

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To understand why satellites move the way they do, we have to go back to our friend Newton. exists between any two objects in the Universe. If not for this force, a satellite moving near the planet would continue to move at the same speed and in the same direction - in a straight line. However, this rectilinear inertial path of the satellite is balanced by a strong gravitational attraction directed towards the center of the planet.

Orbits of artificial earth satellites

Sometimes the orbit of an artificial Earth satellite looks like an ellipse, a squashed circle that moves around two points known as foci. The same basic laws of motion apply, except that the planet is at one of the foci. As a result, the net force applied to the satellite is not uniform throughout the orbit, and the satellite's speed is constantly changing. It moves fastest when it is closest to Earth - a point known as perigee - and slowest when it is furthest from Earth - a point known as apogee.

There are many different satellite orbits of the Earth. Those who receive greatest attention- these are geostationary orbits because they are stationary above certain point Earth.

The orbit chosen for an artificial satellite depends on its application. For example, live broadcast television uses the geostationary orbit. Many communications satellites also use geostationary orbit. Other satellite systems, such as satellite phones, may use low-Earth orbits.

Likewise, satellite systems used for navigation, such as Navstar or Global Positioning (GPS), occupy a relatively low Earth orbit. There are also many other types of satellites. From weather satellites to research satellites. Each will have its own orbit type depending on its application.

The actual Earth satellite orbit chosen will depend on factors including its function, and the area in which it is to serve. In some cases, the Earth satellite's orbit can be as large as 100 miles (160 km) for a LEO low earth orbit, while others can reach over 22,000 miles (36,000 km) as in the case of a GEO low earth orbit.

The first artificial earth satellite

The first artificial earth satellite was launched on October 4, 1957 Soviet Union and was the first artificial satellite in history.

Sputnik 1 was the first of several satellites launched by the Soviet Union in the Sputnik program, most of which were successful. Satellite 2 followed the second satellite in orbit and also the first to carry an animal on board, a female dog named Laika. Sputnik 3 suffered the first failure.

The first earth satellite had an approximate mass of 83 kg, had two radio transmitters (20.007 and 40.002 MHz) and orbited the Earth at a distance of 938 km from its apogee and 214 km at its perigee. Analysis of radio signals was used to obtain information about the concentration of electrons in the ionosphere. Temperature and pressure were encoded over the duration of the radio signals it emitted, indicating that the satellite was not perforated by a meteorite.

The first earth satellite was an aluminum sphere with a diameter of 58 cm, having four long and thin antennas ranging from 2.4 to 2.9 m in length. The antennas looked like long mustache. The spacecraft received information about the density of the upper atmosphere and the propagation of radio waves in the ionosphere. Instruments and sources of electrical energy were housed in a capsule that also included radio transmitters operating at 20.007 and 40.002 MHz (about 15 and 7.5 m wavelength), emissions were made in alternate groups of 0.3 s duration. Ground telemetry included temperature data inside and on the surface of the sphere.

Because the sphere was filled with pressurized nitrogen, Sputnik 1 had its first opportunity to detect meteorites, although it did not. The loss of internal pressure due to penetration of the external surface was reflected in the temperature data.

Types of artificial satellites

There are artificial satellites different types, shapes, sizes and play different roles.

• Weather satellites help meteorologists predict the weather or see what's happening in at the moment. A good example is the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES). These earth satellites typically contain cameras that can return photographs of Earth's weather, either from fixed geostationary positions or from polar orbits.
• Communications satellites allow the transmission of telephone and information conversations via satellite. Typical communications satellites include Telstar and Intelsat. Most important feature A communications satellite is a transponder—a radio receiver that picks up a conversation on one frequency, then amplifies it and retransmits it back to Earth on a different frequency. A satellite typically contains hundreds or thousands of transponders. Communication satellites are usually geosynchronous.
• Broadcast satellites transmit television signals from one point to another (similar to communication satellites).
• Scientific satellites, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, carry out all kinds of scientific missions. They look at everything from sunspots to gamma rays.
• Navigation satellites help ships and planes navigate. The most famous are the GPS NAVSTAR satellites.
• Rescue satellites respond to radio interference signals.
• Earth observation satellites checking the planet for changes in everything from temperature, forest cover, to ice cover. The most famous are the Landsat series.
• Military satellites The Earths are in orbit, but much of the actual position information remains secret. Satellites could include encrypted communications relay, nuclear monitoring, surveillance of enemy movements, early warning of missile launches, eavesdropping on terrestrial radio links, radar imaging, and photography (using essentially large telescopes that photograph militarily interesting areas).

Earth from an artificial satellite in real time

Images of the earth from an artificial satellite, broadcast in real time by NASA from the International Space Station. Images are captured by four cameras high resolution, insulated from freezing temperatures, allowing us to feel closer to space than ever before.

The experiment (HDEV) on board the ISS was activated on April 30, 2014. It is mounted on the external cargo mechanism of the European Space Agency's Columbus module. This experiment involves several high-definition video cameras that are enclosed in a housing.

Advice; put the player in HD and full screen. There are times when the screen will be black, this can be for two reasons: the station is passing through an orbital zone where it is at night, the orbit lasts approximately 90 minutes. Or the screen goes dark when the cameras change.

How many satellites are there in Earth orbit 2018?

According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Index of Objects Launched into Outer Space, there are currently some 4,256 satellites in Earth's orbit, up 4.39% from last year.

221 satellites were launched in 2015, the second most in a single year, although it is below the record number of 240 launched in 2014. The increase in the number of satellites orbiting the Earth is less than the number launched last year because satellites have a limited lifespan. Large satellites communications of 15 years or more, while small satellites such as CubeSats can only expect a service life of 3-6 months.

How many of these Earth orbiting satellites are operational?

The Union of Scientists (UCS) is clarifying which of these orbiting satellites are working, and it's not as much as you think! There are currently only 1,419 operational Earth satellites - only about one third of the total number in orbit. This means there is a lot of useless metal around the planet! That's why there's a lot of interest from companies looking at how they capture and return space debris, using techniques like space nets, slingshots or solar sails.

What are all these satellites doing?

According to UCS, the main objectives of operational satellites are:

• Communications - 713 satellites
• Earth observation/science - 374 satellites
• Technology demonstration/development using 160 satellites
• Navigation & GPS - 105 satellites
• Space science - 67 satellites

It should be noted that some satellites have multiple purposes.

Who owns the Earth's satellites?

It is interesting to note that there are four main types of users in the UCS database, although 17% of satellites are owned by multiple users.

• 94 satellites registered civilians: they are usually educational institutions, although there are other national organizations. 46% of these satellites have the purpose of developing technologies such as Earth and space science. Observations account for another 43%.
• 579 belong to commercial users: commercial organizations and government organizations that want to sell the data they collect. 84% of these satellites are focused on communications and global positioning services; of the remaining 12% are Earth observation satellites.
• 401 satellites are owned by government users: mainly national space organizations, but also other national and international bodies. 40% of them are communications and global positioning satellites; another 38% is focused on Earth observation. Of the remainder, the development of space science and technology accounts for 12% and 10%, respectively.
• 345 satellites belong to the military: again the focus here is communications, Earth observation and global positioning systems, with 89% of the satellites having one of these three purposes.

How many satellites do countries have?

According to UNOOSA, about 65 countries have launched satellites, although the UCS database only has 57 countries recorded using satellites, and some satellites are listed with joint/multinational operators. The biggest:

• USA with 576 satellites
• China with 181 satellites
• Russia with 140 satellites
• The UK is listed as having 41 satellites, plus participates in an additional 36 satellites operated by the European Space Agency.

Remember when you look!
Next time you look at the night sky, remember that between you and the stars there are about two million kilograms of metal surrounding the Earth!

Of the nine planets solar system only Mercury and Venus have no satellites. All other planets have satellites. The Earth has only one satellite - the Moon (but how big it is!). Mars has two satellites - Phobos (fear) and Deimos (terror). The satellites were discovered in 1877, visible only through powerful telescopes, photographed space stations. They are small, shapeless blocks, similar to asteroids, the surface of which is covered with craters.

Jupiter's moons Yo, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are called Galilean. They were discovered back in 1610, and are visible even through binoculars. These are the largest satellites of Jupiter. Ganymede and Callisto are the size of Mercury. The moon Io is interesting because it has several volcanoes. The remaining 12 smaller satellites have irregular shape. The richest planet in terms of the number of satellites (23 of them) is Saturn. The largest of its satellites is Titan, it is 2 times larger than the Moon.

The brightest satellite in the entire solar system is Enceladus, its surface is similar in brilliance to freshly fallen snow. The planet Uranus has 15 satellites. The largest of them are: Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon. Neptune has two large satellites visible through a telescope - Triton and Nereid. The remaining four have not yet been studied well. The smallest planet in the solar system, Pluto, has so far the only known satellite, Charon; they are close in size to each other. The number of discovered satellites of the planets is 54, but perhaps new satellites will be discovered. Science and technology do not stand still.

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Natural satellites are relatively small cosmic bodies that orbit larger “host” planets. In part, an entire science is dedicated to them - planetology.

In the 70s, astronomers assumed that Mercury had several celestial bodies dependent on it, as they caught around ultraviolet radiation. Later it turned out that the light belonged to a distant star.

Modern equipment allows us to study the planet closest to the Sun in more detail. Today, all planetary scientists unanimously insist that it has no satellites.

Moons of the planet Venus

Venus is called Earth-like because they have similar compositions. But if we talk about natural space objects, then the planet named after the goddess of love is close to Mercury. These two planets in the solar system are unique in that they are completely alone.

Astrologers believe that Venus could have previously seen these, but to date not a single one has been discovered.

How many natural satellites does the Earth have?

Our native land there are many satellites, but only one natural one, which every person knows about from infancy - this is the Moon.

The size of the Moon is more than a quarter of the diameter of the Earth and is 3475 km. It is the only celestial body with such large dimensions relative to the “host”.

Surprisingly, its mass is small - 7.35 × 10²² kg, which indicates low density. Multiple craters on the surface are visible from Earth even without any special devices.

What moons does Mars have?

Mars is a fairly small planet that is sometimes called red because of its scarlet hue. It is given by iron oxide, which is part of its composition. Today, Mars boasts two natural celestial objects.

Both moons, Deimos and Phobos, were discovered by Asaph Hall in 1877. They are the smallest and darkest objects in our comic system.

Deimos translates as ancient greek god, spreading panic and horror. Based on observations, it is gradually moving away from Mars. Phobos, bearing the name of the god who brings fear and chaos, is the only satellite that is so close to the “master” (at a distance of 6000 km).

The surfaces of Phobos and Deimos are abundantly covered with craters, dust and various loose rocks.

Moons of Jupiter

Today, the giant Jupiter has 67 satellites - more than other planets. The largest of them are considered an achievement Galileo Galilei, since they were discovered by him in 1610.

Among the celestial bodies orbiting Jupiter, it is worth noting:

• Adrasteus, with a diameter of 250 × 147 × 129 km and a mass of ~3.7 × 1016 kg;
• Metis - dimensions 60×40×35 km, weight ~2·1015 kg;
• Thebe, with a scale of 116×99×85 and a mass of ~4.4×1017 kg;
• Amalthea - 250×148×127 km, 2·1018 kg;
• Io with a weight of 9 1022 kg at 3660 × 3639 × 3630 km;
• Ganymede, which with a mass of 1.5·1023 kg had a diameter of 5263 km;
• Europe, occupying 3120 km and weighing 5·1022 kg;
• Callisto, with a diameter of 4820 km and a mass of 1·1023 kg.

The first satellites were discovered in 1610, some from the 70s to the 90s, then in 2000, 2002, 2003. The last of them were discovered in 2012.

Saturn and its moons

62 satellites have been found, of which 53 have names. Most of them consist of ice and rocks, characterized by a reflective feature.

The largest space objects of Saturn:

How many moons does Uranus have?

At the moment, Uranus has 27 natural celestial bodies. They are named after characters famous works, by Alexander Pope and William Shakespeare.

Names and list by quantity with description:

Moons of Neptune

The planet, whose name is similar to the name of the great god of the seas, was discovered in 1846. She was the first to be found using mathematical calculations, and not through observations. Gradually, new satellites were discovered until they counted 14.

List

Neptune's moons are named after nymphs and various sea deities from Greek mythology.

The beautiful Nereid was discovered in 1949 by Gerard Kuiper. Proteus is a non-spherical cosmic body and is studied in detail by planetary scientists.

Giant Triton is the iciest object in the solar system with a temperature of -240°C, and is also the only satellite that rotates around itself in the direction opposite to the rotation of the “master”.

Almost all of Neptune's satellites have craters and volcanoes on their surface - both fire and ice. They spew from their depths mixtures of methane, dust, liquid nitrogen and other substances. Therefore, a person will not be able to stay on them without special protection.

What are “planetary satellites” and how many are there in the solar system?

Satellites are cosmic bodies that are smaller in size than the “host” planets and rotate in the orbits of the latter. The question of the origin of satellites is still open and is one of the key ones in modern planetology.

Today, 179 natural space objects are known, which are distributed as follows:

• Venus and Mercury – 0;
• Earth – 1;
• Mars – 2;
• Pluto – 5;
• Neptune – 14;
• Uranium – 27;
• Saturn – 63;
• Jupiter - 67.

Technology improves every year, finding more celestial bodies. Perhaps new satellites will be discovered soon. We can only wait, constantly checking the news.

The largest satellite in the solar system

Ganymede, a satellite of the giant Jupiter, is considered the largest in our solar system. Its diameter, according to scientists, is 5263 km. The next largest is Titan with a size of 5150 km - the “moon” of Saturn. The top three is closed by Callisto, the “neighbor” of Ganymede, with whom they share one “master”. Its scale is 4800 km.

Why do planets need satellites?

Planetologists have always asked the question “Why are satellites needed?” or “What effect do they have on the planets?” Based on observations and calculations, some conclusions can be drawn.

Natural satellites play important role for the "owners". They create a certain climate on the planet. No less important is the fact that they serve as protection against asteroids, comets, and other dangerous celestial bodies.

Despite such a significant impact, satellites are still not necessary for the planet. Even without their presence, life can form and be maintained on it. This conclusion was reached by the American scientist Jack Lissauer from the NASA Space Science Center.

Some of these moons still remain a mystery to astronomers, because not everywhere has a human foot set foot before, but somewhere the existence of living organisms is quite possible! But what we do know for sure is at least their size. This list will introduce you to the 10 largest planetary moons in our solar system.

10. Oberon, satellite of Uranus (average diameter - 1523 kilometers)

Oberon, also known as Uranus IV, is the outermost satellite from the center of Uranus, the second largest of the other satellites of this planet, and the ninth largest of all known satellites of our solar system. Discovered in 1787 by explorer William Herschel, Oberon is named after the mythical king of elves and fairies mentioned in Shakespeare's A Dream of summer night" Oberon's orbit lies partially outside the magnetosphere of Uranus.

9. Rhea, satellite of Saturn (average diameter - 1529 kilometers)

Rhea is the second largest satellite of Saturn and the ninth largest satellite in the entire Solar System. At the same time, it is the second smallest cosmic body in our solar system, second only to the asteroid and the dwarf planet Ceres in this rating. Rhea received this status for confirmed data that she has hydrostatic equilibrium. Discovered in 1672 by Giovanni Cassini.

8. Titania, satellite of Uranus (average diameter - 1578 kilometers)

It is the largest moon of Uranus and the eighth largest in the solar system. Discovered in 1787 by William Herschel, Titania was named after the fairy goddess from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Titania's orbit does not extend beyond the magnetosphere of Uranus.

7. Triton, satellite of Neptune (average diameter - 2707 kilometers)

Triton is the largest satellite of the planet Neptune, discovered on October 10, 1846 by the English astronomer William Lassell. In our solar system, it is the only large moon with a retrograde orbit. Triton moves in the opposite direction to the rotation of its planet. With its 2,707 kilometers in diameter, Triton is considered the seventh largest moon in the solar system. There was a time when Triton was considered a dwarf planet from the Kuiper belt for its properties similar to Pluto - retrograde and composition.

6. Europa, a satellite of Jupiter (average diameter - 3122 kilometers)

It is the smallest of the Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter and the sixth closest to its planet. It is also the sixth largest satellite in the Solar System. Galileo Galilei discovered Europe in 1610 and called it celestial body in honor of the legendary mother of the Cretan King Minos and lover of Zeus.

5. Moon, satellite of the Earth (average diameter - 3475 kilometers)

It is believed that our Moon formed 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after the formation of the Earth itself. There are several hypotheses about its origin. The most common among them says that the Moon was formed from fragments after the collision of the Earth with the cosmic body Theia, comparable in size to Mars.

4. Io, a satellite of Jupiter (average diameter - 3643 kilometers)

Io is the most geologically active celestial object in our solar system, earning that title with at least 400 active volcanoes. The reason for this extreme activity is the heating of the satellite's interior due to tidal friction caused by the gravitational influence of Jupiter and the other Galilean moons (Europa, Ganymede and Callisto).

3. Callisto, a satellite of Jupiter (average diameter - 4821 kilometers)

Galileo Galilei discovered Callisto, as well as several other moons of Jupiter, in 1610. Possessing impressive dimensions, this satellite makes up 99% of the diameter of Mercury, but only a third of its mass. Callisto is the fourth Galilean satellite of Jupiter in terms of distance from the center of the planet, with an orbital radius of 1,883,000 kilometers.

2. Titan, satellite of Saturn (average diameter - 5150 kilometers)

This is the sixth ellipsoidal satellite of Saturn. Very often it is called a planet-like satellite, because the diameter of Titan is 50% larger than the diameter of our Moon. In addition, it is 80% heavier than our Earth's satellite.

1. Ganymede, a satellite of Jupiter (average diameter - 5262 kilometers)

Ganymede is composed equally of silicate rocks and frozen water. It is a fully differentiated celestial body rich in iron, with liquid core and the external ocean, in which there may be more water than throughout the entire Earth in the sum of all its oceans. The surface of Ganymede has two types of relief. The dark regions of the satellite are littered with craters from asteroid impacts that supposedly occurred 4 billion years ago. This landform covers approximately a third of the satellite.

Satellites and planets of the solar system

The natural satellites of planets play a huge role in the life of these space objects. Moreover, even we humans are capable of feeling the influence of our planet’s only natural satellite – the Moon.

The natural satellites of the planets of the solar system have aroused keen interest among astronomers since ancient times. To this day, scientists are studying them. What are these space objects?

Natural satellites of planets are cosmic bodies of natural origin that orbit around planets. The most interesting for us are the natural satellites of the planets of the solar system, since they are in close proximity to us.

There are only two planets in the solar system that do not have natural satellites. These are Venus and Mercury. Although it is assumed that Mercury previously had natural satellites, this planet lost them in the process of its evolution. As for the rest of the planets in the solar system, each of them has at least one natural satellite. The most famous of them is the Moon, which is our planet’s faithful cosmic companion. Mars has, Jupiter -, Saturn -, Uranus -, Neptune -. Among these satellites we can find both very unremarkable objects, consisting mainly of stone, and very interesting specimens that deserve special attention, and which we will discuss below.

Classification of satellites

Scientists divide planetary satellites into two types: satellites of artificial origin and natural ones. Satellites of artificial origin or, as they are also called, artificial satellites- These are spacecraft created by people that make it possible to observe the planet around which they orbit, as well as other astronomical objects from space. Typically, artificial satellites are used to monitor the weather, radio broadcasts, changes in the topography of the planet's surface, and also for military purposes.

The ISS is the largest artificial satellite of the Earth

It should be noted that not only the Earth has satellites of artificial origin, as many people believe. More than a dozen artificial satellites created by mankind revolve around the two closest planets to us - Venus and Mars. They allow you to monitor climate conditions, changes in terrain, and also receive other relevant information regarding our space neighbors.

Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system

The second category of satellites - natural satellites of planets - is of great interest to us in this article. Natural satellites differ from artificial ones in that they were created not by man, but by nature itself. It is believed that most of the satellites of the solar system are asteroids that were captured by the gravitational forces of the planets of this system. Subsequently, the asteroids took on a spherical shape and, as a result, began to revolve around the planet that captured them as a constant companion. There is also a theory that says that the natural satellites of planets are fragments of these planets themselves, which for one reason or another broke away from the planet itself during the process of its formation. By the way, according to this theory, this is how the Earth’s natural satellite, the Moon, came into being. This theory is confirmed by chemical analysis of the composition of the Moon. He showed that the chemical composition of the satellite is practically no different from chemical composition our planet, where the same chemical compounds, as on the Moon.

Interesting facts about the most interesting satellites

One of the most interesting natural satellites of the planets of the solar system is the natural satellite. Charon, in comparison with Pluto, is so huge that many astronomers call these two space objects nothing more than a double dwarf planet. The planet Pluto is only twice the size of its natural satellite.

The natural satellite is of keen interest to astronomers. Most of the natural satellites of the solar system's planets are composed primarily of ice, rock, or both, resulting in them lacking an atmosphere. However, Titan has this, and it is quite dense, as well as lakes of liquid hydrocarbons.

Another natural satellite that gives scientists hope for discovering extraterrestrial life forms is Jupiter’s satellite. It is believed that under the thick layer of ice that covers the satellite there is an ocean, within which there are thermal springs- exactly the same as on Earth. Since some deep-sea life forms on Earth exist thanks to these sources, it is believed that similar life forms may exist on Titan.

The planet Jupiter has another interesting natural satellite -. Io is the only satellite of a planet in the solar system on which astrophysicists first discovered active volcanoes. It is for this reason that it is of particular interest to space researchers.

Natural satellite research

Research on the natural satellites of the planets of the Solar System has interested the minds of astronomers since ancient times. Since the invention of the first telescope, people have been actively studying these celestial objects. The breakthrough in the development of civilization made it possible not only to discover a colossal number of satellites of various planets of the solar system, but also to set man on the main satellite of the Earth closest to us - the Moon. July 21, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong and his crew spaceship Apollo 11 first set foot on the surface of the Moon, which caused rejoicing in the hearts of humanity at that time and is still considered one of the most important and significant events in space exploration.

In addition to the Moon, scientists are actively studying other natural satellites of the planets of the solar system. To do this, astronomers use not only visual and radar observation methods, but also use modern spacecraft, as well as artificial satellites. For example, the “” spacecraft for the first time transmitted to Earth images of several of Jupiter’s largest satellites:,. In particular, it was thanks to these images that scientists were able to record the presence of volcanoes on the moon Io, and the ocean on Europa.

Today, the global community of space researchers continues to be actively engaged in the study of the natural satellites of the planets of the solar system. In addition to various government programs There are also private projects aimed at studying these space objects. In particular, the world famous American company Google is currently developing a tourist lunar rover, on which many people could take a walk on the Moon.