– infinite space that emerged from the Big Bang: definition of how it works, origin, evolution, space objects, exploration of the Universe.

The Universe is a huge and unexplored place. It is important to understand that studying a specific topic or even question can take tens, or even hundreds of years. There are a million different directions, including hundreds of branches. To avoid being overwhelmed by such an array of information, we offer a list of topics that reveal information about the Universe.

Some people think the universe will end with an explosion. It will contract until it returns to its starting point. This will be followed by a new Big Bang and the next Universe will be formed. This is the basis of the cyclic version.

Most of the scientific community agrees that the Universe is flat. This basis is based on the readings of the WMAP instrument (study of cosmic microwave background radiation). But there are also those who disagree. Let's not forget that not so long ago everyone firmly believed in the flatness of the Earth, so doubts always remain in such matters.

Of course, the information described above is just a summary, but you can find out the details by following the links. Each article reveals an issue of interest and presents everything in understandable language. Therefore, you do not have to spend your whole life studying the Universe, because scientists have provided you with ready-made information. You can learn more about the Solar System with descriptions, characteristics and high-quality photos of planets, as well as study stars, galaxies, exoplanets, nebulae, star clusters, pulsars, quasars, black holes, constellations, dark energy and dark matter. You just need to follow the link you are interested in.

Structure of the Universe

So what is the Universe?

Some people don’t even understand how complex and large-scale the question is: “What is the Universe?” You can spend decades on research and only declassify the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps we're not just talking about huge world, but infinite. Therefore, you need to be an enthusiast of your business to immerse yourself in all these mysteries, which can take a lifetime to decipher.

What is the Universe? If it is capacious, then it is the sum of everything that exists. This is all the time, space, matter and energy that has been formed and expanding for 13.8 billion years. No one can say for sure how vast the expanses of our world are and there are no accurate predictions of the ending yet. But research puts forward many theories and puzzle by puzzle they put together the picture.

Definition of the Universe

The word “Universe” itself comes from the Latin “universum”. It was first used by Cicero, and after him it became generally accepted among Roman authors. The concept meant the world and space. At that time, people saw in these words all known living beings, planets (, and) and.

Sometimes, instead of “Universe,” they use “cosmos,” which is translated from Greek as “world.” In addition, the terms included “nature” and “everything.” In the modern concept, everything that exists in the Universe - our system and other structures - will interfere. This also includes all types of energy, space-time and physical laws.

Hierarchical formation of galaxies in the Universe

Astrophysicist Olga Silchenko on the properties of dark matter, matter in the early Universe and the relict background:

Matter and antimatter in the Universe

izik Valery Rubakov about the early Universe, stability of matter and baryon charge:

Origin of the Universe

How did space and everything we know come into being? The universe began 13.8 years ago with the Big Bang. This is not the only assumption (the theory of an oscillating Universe or a stable state), but only it manages to explain the appearance of all matter, physical laws and other formations. The theory can also tell why expansion occurs, what the cosmic microwave background radiation is, and other known phenomena.

The Big Bang Theory: Singularity is the starting point, followed by expansion

Scientists began to look at the Universe from now on and gradually returned to the starting point. From here came the assumption that everything began with infinite density and calculable time, which launched the expansion process. After the first stage, temperatures dropped, which helped the formation of subatomic particles, and after them - simple atoms. Later, the giant clouds of these formations combined with gravitational forces, giving birth to stars and galaxies.

The official age of the Universe is 13.8 billion years. By testing particle accelerators, theoretical principles, and studying celestial objects, scientists have been able to reconstruct the stages of events to take us back from modern times to the moment when everything began.

But the most distant period of the Universe (from 10 43 to 10 11 seconds) is still controversial. It is worth considering that modern physical laws were not yet applicable at that time, so no one can understand how the Universe behaved. But there are still supporters of some theories that have helped to identify the main time periods of universal evolution: singularity, inflation and cooling.

Singularity (Planck era) – the most early period Universe. At this stage, matter was collected at one point on an infinite plane, where extreme temperature conditions reigned. In the physical plane, gravity dominates exclusively.

This time lasted from 0 to 10 43 seconds. The era received its second name in honor of Planck, because only this observatory is capable of penetrating such a gap. The universe was devoid of stability because the matter was not only incredibly hot, but also super-dense. As the intensity expanded and decreased, physical laws arose. From 10:43 to 10:36 seconds the temperature transition started.

Fundamental forces responsible for universal mechanisms began to emerge. First was gravity, then electromagnetism and the first nuclear force. Inflation lasts from 10:32 until today. The simulation demonstrates that the Universe was filled with uniform, high-density energy. The expansion caused her to lose temperature.

It started at 10 37 seconds, when the release of forces led to exponential growth. During this period, baryonegesis begins - a hypothetical event characterized by such high temperatures that random particle movements were carried out at relativistic speeds. During collisions they were created and destroyed. It is believed that this is why matter prevails over antimatter.

When inflation came to an end, space was a quark-gluon plasma structure and other elementary particles. As the matter cooled, it merged and formed new structures. The cooling period began with a decrease in temperature and density. In this process, elementary particles and fundamental forces acquired their modern form.

It is believed that after 10 11 seconds the energy rapidly decreased. After another 10 6 seconds, quarks and gluons combined into baryons, which led to their overabundance. The temperature no longer reached the required level, so the ability of protons-antiprotons to form new pairs disappeared. Mass annihilation occurred, leaving only 10 10 of their original number. The same thing happened for electrons and protons a second later.

The remaining protons, electrons and neutrons remained static, so the universal density was provided only by photons and neutrinos. A few more minutes passed and nucleosynthesis began.

The temperature stopped at a billion kelvins, and the density decreased. Therefore, protons and neutrons began to merge, forming an isotope of hydrogen (deuterium) and helium atoms. But most of the protons still remained “single”.

379,000 years pass and the electrons combined with the hydrogen nuclei to create atoms, and the separated radiation continued to expand. Now we know it as relict (the oldest universal light). As it expanded, its density and energy were lost. The current temperature is 2.7260 ± 0.0013 K (-270.424 °C) and the energy density is 0.25 eV/cm 3 . You can look in any direction and you will encounter remnants of this radiation everywhere.

Universe before the hot stage

Physicist Valery Rubakov about cosmic microwave background radiation, the generation of inhomogeneities and gravitational waves:

Evolution of the Universe

How did the process of development and evolution of the Universe take place? Over the next billions of years, gravity caused denser areas to be attracted. In this process, gas clouds, stars, galactic structures and other celestial objects were formed. This period is called the Structural Epoch, since it was during this time period that the modern Universe was born. Visible matter was distributed into various formations (stars into galaxies, and those into clusters and superclusters).

Early Universe

Physicist Valery Rubakov about the expansion of the Universe, Big Bang and inflation model:

Inflationary stage of the early Universe

Physicist Alexey Starobinsky about the earliest stage of the development of the Universe, de Sitter space and the space-time metric:

If we talk about the details of the process, they depend on the quantity and type of matter. There are 4 types of dark: cold, warm, hot and baryonic. Of these, Lambda-CDM (cold dark matter). In it, particles move at a speed inferior to the speed of light.

It makes up 23% of universal matter, and baryonic matter reaches only 4.6%. Lambda refers to the cosmological constant created by Albert Einstein. She argued that the mass-energy equilibrium remains static.

Of course, black holes would begin to attract each other, giving birth to real giant monsters. The average temperature of space would reach absolute zero, and the black holes evaporated. Entropy will increase to such an extent that it will trigger a heat death scenario where it is simply impossible to extract any organized form of energy.

There is also a theory of phantom energies. She believes that galaxy clusters, planets, stars, nuclei and even matter will be torn apart due to expansion. This outcome is called the Big Rip.

History of the study of the Universe

Generally speaking, the nature of things has been studied since the beginning of time. The earliest information about the Universe is represented in myths and transmitted orally. For the most part, everything begins with the moment of creation, for which God or gods are responsible.

Astronomy appeared in Ancient Babylon. Constellations and calendars appear in them as early as 2000 BC. Moreover, they even managed to create predictions for the next thousand years. Greek and Indian scientists approached the universe from a philosophical perspective, focusing not on divine intervention but on cause and effect. One can recall Thales and Anaximander, who argued that everything arose from primordial matter.

Empedocles (5th century BC) was the first in the Western world to propose that the universe was represented by earth, air, water and fire. This system became very popular among philosophers, as it was very similar to the Chinese: metal, wood, water, fire and earth.

Only with Democritus comes the theory of inseparable particles (atoms), of which space consists. It was continued by a philosopher from India named Canada, who believed that light and heat were the same substance, simply presented in different forms. The Buddhist philosopher Dignana went even further by declaring that all matter is energy.

The idea of ​​the finiteness of time entered Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They believed that the universe had a beginning and an end. Cosmology continued to develop, and the Greeks put forward a geocentric model, which states that at the center of everything is the Earth, around which they revolve celestial bodies. This is described in more detail in the Almagest by Ptolemy. This will become canon and last until the Middle Ages.

Even before the period of the scientific revolution (16-18 centuries), scientists appeared who believed that everything should be based on the heliocentric model, where the Sun is located at the center of our system. Among them are Aristarchus of Samos (310-230 BC) and Seleucus (190-150 BC).

Although Indian, Persian and Arab philosophers developed Ptolemy's ideas, there were also revolutionaries. For example, As-Sijizi or Aryabhata. In the 16th century Nicolaus Copernicus appears. His merit is that he put forward the concept of the heliocentric model and substantiated the evidence for its correctness. They were based on 7 principles:

• Celestial bodies do not rotate around one point.
• The Moon revolves around the Earth, and all the spheres revolve around the Sun, located near the universal center.
• The Earth-Sun distance is only a small fraction of the distance from the Sun to other stars, so we do not see parallax.
• The stars are in a stationary state - the apparent movement is caused by the earth's axial rotation.
• The Earth moves along an orbital path, so the Sun appears to migrate.
• The Earth has more than one movement.
• Earth's orbital passage gives the impression that other planets are moving in the opposite direction.

A more expanded version of his ideas appeared in 1532, when he added “On the Rotation celestial spheres" The manuscript featured the same arguments, but already supported by scientific arguments and examples. But the author was worried that he would be persecuted by the church, and the work was published only in 1542 after his death.

Scientists of the 16th and 17th centuries took up his ideas. Galileo Galilei deserves special credit. With the help of his new invention (a telescope), he first looked at the Moon, Sun and Jupiter, which did not fit into the geocentric model, but corresponded to the heliocentric one.

At the beginning of the 17th century, his notes were published. Interesting were observations of the crater surface of the Moon, as well as detailing the largest satellites of Jupiter and identifying sunspots. He did not bypass Milky Way, which was previously considered a nebula. Galileo saw that there were many densely spaced stars in front of him.

In 1632, he advocated the heliocentric model in his treatise, Dialogue Concerning the Two Systems of the World. His arguments shattered the beliefs of Ptolemy and Aristotle. Johannes Kepler's theory of the elliptical orbits of planets further strengthened it. Next comes Isaac Newton, who created the theory universal gravity. In a treatise of 1687, he described three laws of motion:

• When observed in an inertial frame, an object is at rest or moving with constant speed until it is affected by an external force.
• Vector sum external forces(F) equals the mass (m) of the object multiplied by the acceleration vector (a): F = ma.
• When the first body applies a force to the second, the second simultaneously applies a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the first.

Together, these principles described the relationship between an object, the acting forces and movement. This became the basis for classical mechanics. With their help, Newton determined the masses of the planets, the Earth's alignment at the poles and bulge at the equator, and that gravity between the Sun and Moon creates tides on Earth.

The next breakthrough came in 1755. Immanuel Kant puts forward the idea that the Milky Way is a huge collection of stars held together by a common gravity. The stars rotate to form a flattened disk, and the solar system is located inside it.

In 1785, William Herschel wanted to figure out the shape of the galaxy, but he didn't realize that most of it was hidden behind dust and gas. We had to wait for the 20th century and the emergence of Einstein with his Special and General theories of relativity. It started with the fact that he simply wanted to solve the laws of Newtonian mechanics with the laws of electromagnetism. In 1905 it appeared Special theory relativity.

She argued that the speed of light is the same for all inertial coordinate systems. But this conflicted with the previous opinion (light passing through a moving medium will follow along the medium, that is, the speed of light is equal to the sum of the speed of passage through the medium and the speed of the medium itself).

It turns out that this theory made it so that the environment turned out to be superfluous. In 1907-1911s. Einstein thought about how to apply the theory to gravitational fields. As a result, he created General theory relativity (time relates to the observer and depends on his location in the gravitational field).

Here the principle of equivalence appears - the gravitational mass is equal to the inertial mass. He also predicted the dilation of gravitational time, the existence of black holes and the expansion of the Universe.

In 1915, the Schwarzschild radius appears - the point at which the mass of the sphere will be so strongly compressed that the speed of escape from the surface is equal to the speed of light (the result of solving the Einstein field equation). In 1931, Subramanian Chandrasekhar used Einstein's work to understand that if the mass of a non-rotating body of a degenerate electron is above a certain point, it will collapse on its own.

Cool! 24

People have always thought a lot about what awaits us there, among the stars: many films and books are devoted to space exploration, but there are even more that ask: are we alone in the universe?

In fact, this is one of the most important issues in the world - is there anyone else in space similar to us, people, or are we the only race of intelligent beings in the entire universe. Even scientists, the smartest people on our planet, cannot come to one simple answer - there are many different opinions.

The Universe is very large, its exact size is not known to anyone, and due to our not very developed technologies, we can only use the methods available to us to study it. One of them is radio signals. If we receive such a signal and decipher it, it will definitely mean that we are not alone in the universe.

And scientists actually heard such a signal - using the Big Ear radio telescope. This signal is called "Wow" because Dr. Eyman, who recorded it, circled it with a red pen and wrote the word "Wow" in the margin. He was very surprised - and for good reason. This signal was most likely sent by some other civilization, which also has not mastered space very well, but already knows how radio works. The signal came from the constellation Sagittarius - maybe our future friends live there.

Space is almost completely unexplored by humanity - and I think that after all, we are not alone. Recently, scientists discovered a new planetary system, in which there were as many as seven planets similar to our Earth. Yes, aliens don’t live there, although maybe we haven’t studied them very well yet, and there is still intelligent life there, even if it’s the same as we had in our times cavemen. But a person will someday fly to these planets - which means there are other worlds in which creatures similar to us could appear.

Some scientists say that there are no aliens because they have not yet contacted us. But in general, technology on our planet is also poorly developed, and there was also the danger that we would all die from nuclear weapons, which are dangerous not only for those who use them. It has very dire consequences. What if our closest space neighbors also fought, but died after using nuclear bombs? Or no one has arrived yet, because we live, for example, in a part of space where no one flies. In Russia we have huge taiga forests, in which people also live, but they are difficult to get to. Who knows, what if the Earth is located in the area of ​​such a cosmic “taiga”?

But it’s still better to hope that we will meet other intelligent species. Who knows, maybe aliens are already living among us, like in Men in Black, or watching us from afar. They are probably waiting for us to become kinder, stop fighting and start living as one big family with our entire planet, so that they can fly in and offer us friendship and peace.

Even more essays on the topic: “Space”

Space is infinity...

Everyone loves to look at the stars! I don't know a single person who wouldn't like to do this. Living twinkling lights will fascinate anyone. Peering into starry sky, everyone wants to find some answer to their question there. The night sky is a big mystery. When I look at him, I feel an impulse, a desire for something.

Even in ancient times, people were very interested in the question: “What is there, above, behind the clouds?” And without special devices they managed to somehow study, recognize, reason and guess about what the Sun and Moon are. Many of the ancient people thought that the cosmos was a deity. They gave names to the planets, worshiped them and made sacrifices.

For a long time, humanity has been on its way to conquering outer space. First there were attempts to borrow wings from birds, then they came up with an aeronautical apparatus. Later, thanks to the development of science, airplanes and spaceships were built.

Every year on April 12 we celebrate Cosmonautics Day. Thisdate set to commemorate first flight man into outer space.

In our time of high technology, scientists every day observe space, other planets and stars. In the last century alone, many discoveries have been made. Today we know about our native galaxy - the Milky Way, about the solar system, all its planets and the place of our Earth in the system, how meteorites and comets, stars and planets are formed. We must try to unravel what the Universe is to the end! I would like to believe that besides our Earth, there is another planet on which intelligent beings live.

It’s not for nothing that people have been noticing strange flying objects and glows in the sky since ancient times. It is possible that these aliens want to find contact with us, to study our civilization, culture and way of life. Anomalous phenomena and mysterious crop circles, weren’t it our brothers in mind who left us messages that no one can decipher to this day? What if, when we look through a telescope and observe space, someone is also watching us?

In any case, we still have to learn many more interesting secrets of the Universe.

Everything unknown attracts you. That is why the starry sky attracted people so much. For a long time, inquisitive minds have tried to unravel the riddle of the universe, to study space, the universe. Many scientists paid with their lives for their work, as religion and science went separately. However, subsequent generations did not abandon their attempts to explore the mysteries of the heavens.

For many centuries, humanity's interest in the sky has not dried up. The very first explorers of the starry sky were astrologers. They were engaged in predicting fate based on the position of the stars; today they are called astrologers. Science moved forward, a new branch of knowledge appeared - astronomy, which studied celestial bodies.

With the invention of new equipment - the telescope, people learned that the sun is a star, the moon is a satellite of the Earth and that the Earth is not the only planet. For a long time, space flight was a fantasy. Printed works of art O cherished dream progressive humanity, scientists worked tirelessly to develop aircraft. And already at the beginning of the 20th century, the first rocket capable of overcoming gravity was designed.

But, unfortunately, such an important invention was left without due attention due to world wars, which significantly interfered with the development of astronautics. The dream was still a dream.

As developing countries recovered from the effects of war, space exploration continued. The famous Soviet scientist Sergei Korolev created and launched the first artificial Earth satellite. This event became a worldwide sensation, and soon people started thinking about sending a living creature into space.

The first visitors to outer space were ours true friends– dogs. And only then did they decide to send a person beyond the Earth. April 12, 1961 will forever go down in history as the day the dream of all mankind came true. Yuri Gagarin became the first person to open the road to space. After which he became an idol throughout the world, and today everyone knows the name of this great man.

The great powers began to compete in space exploration, and a few years later the famous American Neil Armstrong entered the territory of the Moon, his first steps were followed by the whole world. And finally, the dream came true, today flights into space have become regular. There is even an opportunity to visit space as a tourist. Projects are being created to build hotels in Earth's orbit and it seems that very soon science fiction will become reality.

Source: www.sdamna5.ru

People are just grains of sand in a vast and vast space. Our whole life, all our affairs, problems and joys, ups and downs happen on one small ball, lonely rotating around a star. We still don’t know much about space; years, centuries, millennia will pass and this long beautiful road to space will open for humanity. I really want to believe that this will be the case.

When Yuri Gagarin flew into space for the first time in world history on the Vostok spacecraft, the world shook. This very great event for humanity is a significant attempt by man to pave his way into space.

Today the world has become completely different. The International Space Station, with its brave astronauts on board, orbits the Earth 16 times a day. Space agencies different countries Very often, near-Earth satellites are launched, and SpaceX plans to deliver a person to Mars by 2026!

We do not cease to improve our knowledge about space and the development of technologies, and someday this knowledge will reach levels that humanity cannot even dream of now. We do not have the opportunity to fly to the nearest stars, we even have difficulty going beyond our native solar system. The infinitely long and beautiful road to space is still closed to us.

To send the necessary rockets into low-Earth orbit, a lot of money is needed, which is why the further development of astronautics in general depends on money. I think that we need to look for inexpensive and at the same time quite practical ways to launch space rockets and shuttles. It is a pity that the eternal problem of all humanity is the lack of cash– also touched on space topics.

I really want to believe that there are smart and inventive people on our planet, thanks to whom we can learn about what the cosmos is hiding today.

We will definitely overcome all problems, be it the level of technology development, price or something completely different; there can be a great many obstacles on the way to achieving the goal. Right now we certainly don't have enough the highest level development of astronautics, but I believe that the brilliant minds of mankind will someday be able to open for us a real and long-awaited road to space.

Source: snipeclass.ru

On a clear summer night, looking into the starry sky, a person involuntarily freezes before the grandeur and beauty of space. The real depth of the sky is accessible to man precisely at night, when countless scatterings of stars, mysterious and distant, shine in the darkness.

Since ancient times, man has tried to explain what is behind the clouds, why the stars shine, why they fall from the sky. The world above a person’s head appears huge and requires study, just like the world under his feet.

Most of the ancients considered the cosmos to be a deity, giving proper names planets and stars. People made hypotheses about what this heavenly world was like. They endowed celestial bodies with human qualities; it seemed to them that everything in the world revolved around the Earth.

So, now the versions about flat earth, a turtle and three elephants. Today we know about the place of our Earth in the solar system, and all its planets. Scientists-astronomers can look into distant millions of world years and know where comets and meteorites come from. It is no longer a secret how stars and planets form and how they die.

They have even begun to implement a program for the exploration of neighboring planets. Remember how the whole world watched the recruitment of volunteers for the Mars exploration space program Mars One? Despite the fact that there would be no opportunity to return, more than ten thousand people wanted to become pioneers. I think this is just the beginning of humanity’s space odyssey.

And who knows, perhaps after a while a person will be able to fly on vacation to another planet with the same ease as to another state.

People learned that the Earth is not alone in this world by peering into the sky. The luminous points in the sky seemed at first like something unknown. But gradually it became clear that these are stars that are so similar to our native Sun, and everything next to the stars is space. If you try to figure out what the word “space” means, many other questions arise. For example, space and the Universe are the same thing, or different concepts, where space begins, what it is filled with, and whether there is intelligent life like man there. And then, trying to find answers, the realization comes that space is something different than the things familiar to people. Something that goes beyond consciousness.

What did this word mean in ancient times?

"Cosmos" translates as " order, orderliness" With Greek language. This is exactly what Pythagoras once called the Universe. Then back in ancient Greece various philosophical teachings tried to imagine the structure of the whole world.

The Universe was imagined as the Earth, around which there are other planets, including the Sun. But gradually knowledge accumulated, opportunities expanded, and people began to make more and more discoveries of the alien world.

After some time, the man seemed to have accomplished the incredible - he was able to visit that very “space”. But having visited, I realized how many mysteries this heavenly world still conceals. Now “cosmos” means outer space - these are all areas of the universe between celestial bodies. It is commonly believed that outer space is empty, but this is not at all true.

What's in space?

Outer space or outer space is filled with small amounts of hydrogen, interstellar matter and electromagnetic radiation. But these components are so rarefied that it makes it possible to call outer space relatively empty.

It turns out that outer space begins where the atmospheres of planets and stars end. Outer space can be divided into

1. Interplanetary,
2. Interstellar,
3. Intergalactic.

At what altitude does space begin?

A clear boundary between the earth's atmosphere and outer space does not exist, since the specific gravity of air decreases gradually with distance from sea level.

It is the density of air that serves as an approximate guideline for the beginning of space. At an altitude of 100 km it has an extremely low value, which does not allow aircraft move at a speed of less than 7.9 km/s. If the speed is less, then the body will not be able to move in a circular orbit and will fall to the ground; in physics, this value is called the minimum cosmic speed, and the line located at an altitude of 100 km is called Karman line.

However, the value of 100 km is not considered absolute, because above 100 km there is terrestrial air. The influence of atmospheric winds ends completely at an altitude of 118 km, then the influence of cosmic particle flows begins.

Interplanetary space

Interplanetary space is the areas between planets of the same system. For example, between the planets of the Solar System this space is filled with an interplanetary medium in which neutral gas, cosmic rays, solar wind, and interplanetary dust are present. But the density of all elements of this environment is very low - only 5 units per unit, and the further from the Sun, the less density.

The interplanetary medium of our system is heated to 99.727 °C, all constituent particles are affected by magnetic fields. The interplanetary medium has its own boundaries, which coincide with the boundary of the Solar system, is located at a distance of 110-160 astronomical units from the Sun and is called - heliopause. It also outlines the solar system, forming, in turn, the heliosphere. Further beyond the heliosphere, interstellar space begins.

Interstellar space

Interstellar space- this is the so-called “void” between systems and stars in the same galaxy. However, this space is not completely empty, although the density of its constituent particles is several times less than in interplanetary space and is only 1000 atoms per. The distance between stars is filled with interstellar gas and dust.

Dust particles are mainly atoms of various elements:

• Gland;
• Carbon;
• Silicon;
• Nitrogen;
• Oxygen.

This dust and gas form nebulae that can be observed in the interstellar medium. Interstellar space ends where the galactic gas flow collides with intergalactic matter. Galaxies are separated from each other by intergalactic space, which is even more rarefied than interstellar and interplanetary space, and is almost close to vacuum.

Why do people explore space?

Each country invests a lot of effort and money in the scientific exploration of space. Every nation is fighting to be a pioneer in the space industry. But why is this necessary?

What are the prospects for space exploration:

1. It is known that the Earth’s energy resources are running out, and the world is facing the problem of global hunger, shortage of gas, oil and water. It will take billions of years to replenish all these reserves. Space exploration gives hope to humanity to find a solution to this problem. For example, he will move to another planet or another system;
2. The study of space allows a person to imagine what may become of us after some time. Knowing the history of the development of other planets, one can predict the future of the Earth;
3. While exploring space, humanity simultaneously made many other important scientific discoveries: satellite TV, Internet and GPS;
4. People make interesting and useful discoveries that can help solve many problems in the future. For example, helium-3 found in lunar soil could be a solution to the above-mentioned energy problem.

Since the word “space” is not currently used by science, it can be interpreted in different ways. When asked what the word “space” means, everyone will answer in their own way. But in any case, space is an incomprehensible concept for the human mind. Like space and time. Try to imagine infinity or four-dimensional space. It seems impossible, it is impossible to imagine space. And only a small part, captured in the night starry sky, opens the curtain for us to that mysterious world that is located outside of planet Earth.

On Cosmonautics Day, in addition to the festive mood, social networks the whining begins. Even if we discard the fringes who publish trash, and the good ones, smart people sometimes they start to whine. Someone is imagining the canonization of Gagarin in the future and is starting to get upset today. Someone mourns the domestic space program, which is especially convenient to do against the backdrop of Musk’s recent successes. For someone without a Mars base, Cosmonautics Day is not a holiday. Alas, it is not a fact that a person will land on Mars in this century, and dreams really diverge from reality. At the same time, I am sure that anti-cosmism (the idea that humanity does not need to go into space, tasks on Earth are more important) is doomed, but that’s all existing problems We'll get over it someday. Simply because space is wonderful. I will try to develop and argue this idea.

Lost childhood dreams

Nowadays they often like to remember that in Soviet times, children dreamed of becoming cosmonauts, but today, supposedly, no one is interested in this. I wouldn't be upset that so few kids today say they want to be an astronaut. Firstly, the flight of the first satellite and the first man made space fashionable. Like any fashion, the effect could not last indefinitely. Secondly, it is unlikely that the children understood what the work of an astronaut was. At best, they could dream of a ceremonial meeting, like the first cosmonauts. But the work has changed since then, and no one is given parades anymore. Third, there is such a thing as a “socially acceptable response.” The child does not know what to answer, but quickly understands that the answer is “astronaut!” is supported by adults, and begins to answer this way without thinking. Well, fourthly, children's dreams pass along with childhood. For example, I loved playing tram and trolleybus driver, but the closest thing to this that can be found in me as an adult is a love of technology.
At the same time, there is what can be called a “real dream”. Some event enters a person’s life and changes it. For example, the moving star of the first satellite changed the life of twelve-year-old Mike Mullane (became an astronaut) or fourteen-year-old Homer Hickam (became a NASA engineer). Fortunately, for space, such a trigger can be not only news about a great cosmic achievement; books, films and other options are also suitable. It seems to me that such revolutions in life individuals occur relatively rarely and constantly over time (i.e., the number of such people per year will be approximately the same). And today someone “got sick” with space, and tomorrow it will happen to someone else. Finally, don't forget that astronauts make up a very small proportion of people who work in space. We also need scientists, engineers, workers, managers and many other specialties.

A dead end and not a dead end

Do you remember that the assault on Venus on the photon planetary plane “Hius” in the book “The Land of Crimson Clouds” by the Strugatsky brothers took place at the end of the twentieth century? A to beginning of XXI century, according to the Strugatsky chronology, the solar system was already fully developed, with factories on Venus and scientific stations on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Needless to say, this did not materialize. In four years, astronautics went from the first satellite to the first person in orbit; it took another eight years to jump to the Moon, but after 1969 the scale and number of records decreased noticeably. Yes, we have to say that manned astronautics has “frozen” in Earth’s orbit, no “shishdostanium” has been found in space that would justify the allocation of ever-increasing resources, and technology has come up against the limitations imposed by the physics of our world. But this state cannot be called a dead end. We don't play computer game and we don’t know in which direction to conduct research, the result of which will bring us closer to space. Therefore, humanity, represented by scientists, is trying to knock on all doors at once. Today it turned out that it turned out to be cheap and profitable to send automatic machines into space that can work for years and decades, weigh less, and are not so pitiful. As a result, unmanned scientific missions are now operating in the orbits of Venus, Saturn, the asteroid belt, and in orbit and on the surface of Mars. Yes, this is a movement away from the road that science fiction writers and dreamers came up with, but this is a movement, not a dead end.

At the same time, there is a lot of attractiveness in astronautics.

Space is beautiful

It so happens that the space views are beautiful. Whether it's capturing images of the Earth from orbit, landscapes of the solar system, or astrophotography, photos and videos are eye-catching and pleasing to the eye. And, just think, there are still people who have not seen this beauty.

Earth from orbit. Even an environmental activist who hates technological progress can show this video and try to explain that we would not have noticed what a beautiful planet we have if it weren’t for space exploration.

The solar system is also beautiful. For example, there is chaos on Mars, a type of terrain that does not occur on Earth.

And these are real photographs, inspired by movement thanks to computer technology.

Space is useful

A serious reversal along the path of space exploration can only happen with a global cataclysm. Because today astronautics has firmly entered the everyday spheres of our lives and has even become profitable there. Navigators in smartphones and special devices are space. Weather forecast is space. Television is also space. Satellite phones are not widely used now, but they are in demand in their niche. Space can save the life of a lost tourist or a pilot who has had an accident in the wilderness if they have the foresight to take a satellite messenger with them. Reconnaissance satellites do not bring direct profit, but are needed for state security, so countries will not spare money on them.

Space is interesting

A hundred years ago it was believed that Mars appeared before Earth, and Venus - later. Accordingly, they expected to see the ruins of ancient civilizations on Mars, and dinosaurs or savages on Venus. Through the telescope they even managed to see channels on Mars, which in their topology were more like a network railways than on geological faults. And the opaque atmosphere of Venus left a wide field for imagination. Everything changed with the advent of interplanetary stations, which were able to look at these planets up close. Yes, dreams and fantasies have crumbled, we know that on Mars, at best, there may be life no more complicated than bacteria, and the giant furnace of Venus is probably dead. But it is better to know the truth than to fantasize. Besides, who knows, maybe understanding the catastrophic greenhouse effect of Venus can save us from repeating this sad scenario on Earth?

The Solar System has the only satellite with an atmosphere - Titan (a satellite of Saturn). Even from Earth's orbit we could not look under its thick and opaque layer. Scientists thought that in the cold conditions of the outer solar system, the surface of Titan should be shapeless and homogeneous. But in 2005, the Huygens station dove into the opaque atmosphere, and it turned out that the relief of Titan is quite similar to that of Earth with mountains, rivers, and dunes. Only at a temperature of -180°C, the role of stone is played by water ice, and the role of water is played by liquid methane. Orbital observations from the Cassini station discovered lakes of liquid methane. A similar story happened with Pluto, which pleased us with a varied topography, but with the participation of liquid nitrogen.

And, for example, on Mars there is a phenomenon that is impossible on Earth. The poles of Mars consist of water and carbon dioxide ice. And when spring comes, carbon dioxide ice begins to melt. But, unlike water ice, it does not turn into liquid, but goes straight into gaseous state. Areas with increased pressure form below, which break through the crust on the surface, and a gas geyser shoots out from the depths, taking the soil with it and forming beautiful fluffy figures. But phenomena familiar to us also exist on Mars, for example, there are numerous dust devils recorded there, which form on Earth in warm sunny weather.

Such stories can be told for a very long time. You can talk about every celestial body in the solar system for hours and then spend several more weeks talking about stars, nebulae, quasars, black holes and other objects deep space. We wouldn't know all this if it weren't for astronautics. And think about how much interesting discoveries There's still more waiting for us!

Space is a complex technology

As one of the branches of human activity, astronautics works with very complex and interesting technology. Just think, next year it will be forty years since the launch spacecraft Voyager, and these probes are still working. Once again, probes are now flying in working order in space, launched in 1977, when many readers were not yet alive. Voyagers even continue to collect and transmit to Earth scientific information about what is happening more than fifteen light hours away from us. In 10-20 years, the transmitters may turn out to be too weak to be heard on Earth; they were not designed for such a range and operating life, but it is not a fact that the probes will fail by then. Similar examples are shown by Mars rovers, for example, Opportunity has exceeded the warranty period of 90 days by more than 50 times.

In astronautics, in addition to the highest reliability, there is also unsurpassed accuracy. For example, the domestic telescope "Radioastron" at the beginning of 2016 received images with a resolution of 21 microarcseconds. This is comparable to the size of a matchbox on the surface of the Moon when viewed from Earth (anticipating questions, the telescope operates in the radio range, so there is no point in photographing the Moon). This resolution allows RadioAstron to look at black holes 900,000 light-years away almost as the characters in Interstellar saw them.

Space is big projects

More than 400 thousand people worked on the American manned lunar program Apollo. And now the International space station weighing more than 400 tons, which was collected by space agencies around the world. At the same time, the new block connecting to the station could be manufactured on the other side of the planet, but this did not prevent it from falling into place without problems. And people have been on the ISS continuously (of course, replacing each other) for more than fifteen years.

Space is wonderful people

Selection for astronauts eliminates people with weak psyches and whiners. There are no beauty standards for astronauts, but for some reason it turns out that even outwardly cosmonauts are pretty, whether at the dawn of the space age or now.

Space is a glorious story

The history of astronautics is breathtaking. Castles in the air of dreamers and science fiction writers. First experiments. Conquest of technology, physics and materials by pioneers of astronautics. Elegance of design solutions. Successes and failures. Heroes who became the first and those who gave their lives in the name of progress.

Did you know, for example, that Gagarin could have died at least three times on his first flight? Moreover, if in the first case he was saved by the flawlessly working technique, then in two cases he himself, using his professionalism and training, corrected the situation. And in the American lunar program, the landing on the Moon included two stages, when equipment failure would have led to the death of the astronauts, because there were no backup options.

Conclusion

No matter who you are, the cosmos is ready to shower you with its treasures. Funny stories, heights of pathos and real tragedies. Fascinating technology and wonderful people. Distant beauty and pragmatic benefit. Space is wonderful!

Space is fraught with many unknown secrets. The gaze of humanity is constantly turned to the Universe. Each sign we receive from space provides answers and at the same time raises many new questions.

This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age

Have you already turned 18?

What cosmic bodies are visible to the naked eye from

Group of cosmic bodies

What is the name of the closest

What are celestial bodies?

Celestial bodies are objects that fill the Universe. Space objects include: comets, planets, meteorites, asteroids, stars, which necessarily have their own names.

The subjects of astronomy are cosmic (astronomical) celestial bodies.

The sizes of celestial bodies existing in universal space are very different: from gigantic to microscopic.

The structure of the stellar system is considered using the example of the Solar system. Planets move around a star (Sun). These objects, in turn, have natural satellites, dust rings, and an asteroid belt has formed between Mars and Jupiter.

On October 30, 2017, residents of Sverdlovsk will observe the asteroid Iris. According to scientific calculations, an asteroid in the main asteroid belt will approach Earth by 127 million kilometers.

Based on spectral analysis and general laws Physics have established that the Sun consists of gases. The view of the Sun through a telescope shows granules of the photosphere creating a gas cloud. The only star in the system produces and emits two types of energy. According to scientific calculations, the diameter of the Sun is 109 times greater than the diameter of the Earth.

At the beginning of the 10s of the 21st century, the world was gripped by another doomsday hysteria. Information was spread that the “planet devil” was bringing the apocalypse. The Earth's magnetic poles will shift as a result of the Earth being between Nibiru and the Sun.

Today, information about the new planet fades into the background and is not confirmed by science. But, at the same time, there are statements that Nibiru has already flown past us, or through us, changing its primary physical indicators: comparatively reducing its size or critically changing its density.

What cosmic bodies form the Solar System?

The solar system is the Sun and 8 planets with their satellites, the interplanetary medium, as well as asteroids or dwarf planets, united in two belts - the near or main belt and the distant or Kuiper belt. The largest Kuiper planet is Pluto. This approach gives a specific answer to the question: how many large planets are there in the Solar System?

The list of known large planets of the system is divided into two groups - terrestrial and Jovian.

All terrestrial planets have a similar structure and chemical composition core, mantle and crust. This makes it possible to study the process of atmospheric formation on the planets of the inner group.

The fall of cosmic bodies is subject to the laws of physics

The speed of the Earth is 30 km/s. The movement of the Earth together with the Sun relative to the center of the galaxy can cause a global catastrophe. The trajectories of planets sometimes intersect with the lines of motion of other cosmic bodies, which poses a threat of these objects falling onto our planet. The consequences of collisions or falls to Earth can be very severe. Parasitizing factors resulting from the fall of large meteorites, as well as collisions with an asteroid or comet, will be explosions generating colossal energy and strong earthquakes.

Prevention of such space disasters is possible only if the efforts of the entire world community join together.

When developing defense and countermeasure systems, it is necessary to take into account that the rules of behavior during space attacks must provide for the possibility of the manifestation of properties unknown to humanity.

What is a cosmic body? What characteristics should it have?

The Earth is considered as a cosmic body capable of reflecting light.

All visible bodies in the solar system reflect the light of stars. What objects belong to cosmic bodies? In space, in addition to clearly visible large objects, there are a lot of small and even tiny ones. The list of very small space objects begins with cosmic dust (100 microns), which is the result of gas emissions after explosions in the atmospheres of planets.

Astronomical objects come in different sizes, shapes and positions relative to the Sun. Some of them are combined into separate groups to make them easier to classify.

What kind of cosmic bodies are there in our galaxy?

Our Universe is filled with a variety of cosmic objects. All galaxies are empty spaces filled with different forms of astronomical bodies. From school course in astronomy we know about stars, planets and satellites. But there are many types of interplanetary fillers: nebulae, star clusters and galaxies, almost unstudied quasars, pulsars, black holes.

Large astronomically, these are stars - hot light-emitting objects. In turn, they are divided into large and small. Depending on their spectrum, they are brown and white dwarfs, variable stars and red giants.

All celestial bodies can be divided into two types: those that provide energy (stars) and those that do not (cosmic dust, meteorites, comets, planets).

Each celestial body has its own characteristics.

Classification of cosmic bodies of our system according to composition:

• silicate;
• ice;
• combined.

Artificial space objects these are space objects: manned spacecraft, inhabited orbital stations, inhabited stations on celestial bodies.

On Mercury, the Sun moves at reverse side. According to the information received, terrestrial bacteria are expected to be found in the atmosphere of Venus. The Earth moves around the Sun at a speed of 108,000 km per hour. Mars has two satellites. Jupiter has 60 moons and five rings. Saturn is compressed at the poles due to its rapid rotation. Uranus and Venus move around the Sun in the opposite direction. On Neptune there is such a phenomenon as.

A star is a hot gaseous cosmic body in which thermonuclear reactions occur.

Cool stars are brown dwarfs that do not have enough energy. The list of astronomical discoveries is completed by the cool star from the constellation Bootes CFBDSIR 1458 10ab.

White dwarfs are cosmic bodies with a cooled surface, inside which the thermonuclear process no longer occurs, and they consist of a high-density substance.

Hot stars are celestial bodies that emit blue light.

Temperature main star Bug Nebula -200,000 degrees.

A trace in the sky that glows can be left by comets, small shapeless space formations left from meteorites, fireballs, and various remnants artificial satellites that enter the solid layers of the atmosphere.

Asteroids are sometimes classified as small planets. In fact, they look like stars of low brightness due to the active reflection of light. Cercera, from the constellation Canis, is considered the largest asteroid in the universe.

What cosmic bodies are visible to the naked eye from Earth?

Stars are cosmic bodies that emit heat and light into space.

Why are planets visible in the night sky that do not emit light? All stars glow due to the release of energy when nuclear reactions. The resulting energy is used to contain gravitational forces and for light emissions.

But why do cold space objects also emit a glow? Planets, comets, and asteroids do not emit, but reflect starlight.

Group of cosmic bodies

Space is filled with bodies of different sizes and shapes. These objects move differently relative to the Sun and other objects. For convenience, there is a certain classification. Examples of groups: “Centaurs” - located between the Kuiper belt and Jupiter, “Vulcanoids” - presumably between the Sun and Mercury, 8 planets of the system are also divided into two: the inner (terrestrial) group and the outer (Jupiterian) group.

What is the name of the cosmic body closest to the earth?

What is the name of the celestial body orbiting a planet? The natural satellite Moon moves around the Earth, according to the forces of gravity. Some planets of our system also have satellites: Mars - 2, Jupiter - 60, Neptune - 14, Uranus - 27, Saturn - 62.

All objects subject to solar gravity are part of the huge and incomprehensible solar system.