Terrestrial Planets
- Created by: Adeola Akin
- Created on: 09-11-18 14:43
View mindmap
- The Terrestrial Planets
- Mercury
- Closest to the Sun.
- Smallest and least massive planet.
- Has a similar size to the moon. Also has a heavily cratered appearance.
- Was impacted with a large planetesimal - strips away large most of the rocky crust.
- The most elliptical orbit of all the planets
- orbital period is 88 days and its rotational period is 58.64 days
- Axis tilt of 0.0 degrees
- NO MOONS
- Orbital Resonance is tidal to tidal forces that a satellite experiences.
- Due to mercury's large eccentricity, its rotational rate is synchronized with its orbital speed at perihelion which is 15 times faster that its average velocity.
- Caloris Basin is a large crater formed by the impact of a large asteroid.
- Weird or Jumbled terrain. Astronomers believe that is was created by seismic waves due to the Caloris impact.
- Scarps are cliffs that were caused by the planet cooling and then shrinking.
- Mercury has polar ice (water) caps. Only planets to not have these is venus.
- 3:2 Orbital Resonance because the sun tries to Tidally lock the planet.
- Inactive surface
- Mercury has a large iron core.
- Only planet with a double sunrise.
- Venus
- Venus has no moon.
- Apart from the Sun and the Moon, Venus is the brightest object in the sky.
- It is impossible to see through Venus cloud cover as there is permanent unbroken cloud cover.
- Has the most circular orbit.
- Orbital period is 224.7 days and has a rotational period of 243 days.
- Size mass and density is similar to that of Earth
- Has almost no magnetic field.
- Spacecraft observations include: US Mariner flybys measured Venus mass. ascertained the atmospheric composition. Radar images of the surface.
- US Pioneer mission flew probes into the atmosphere - found info on the variation of the temperature, pressure and chemical composition with altitude.
- Completed a complete radar mapping of the Venusian surface.
- Clouds composed of sulfuric acid.
- Atmosphere is primarily composed of 96% CO2 and 3.5% N2.
- The pressure is 100x greater that on the earth's surface because of its very thick atmosphere.
- Surface exceeds 750K due to the runaway greenhouse effect.
- Venus is very smooth and has two elevated continental regions and only occupy 8% of the surface.
- No plate tectonic activity but there may be active volcanoes.
- The highest peak on Venus is a mountain range names Maxwell Monters which rises 14 Km about the level of Venus deepest impressions.
- Active surface and is highly volcanic.
- Hottest planets in the solar system
- Green house effect - certain gasses in the atmosphere trap solar radiation
- Radar mapping and atmospheric probes. Only visual information comes from the soviet venera landers.
- The surface is smooth with 2 elevated land masses.
- The tallest point on Mars is known as Maxwell Moneters.
- Mars
- 2 Natural Satellites.
- Thin atm is 96% co2.
- Moderately eccentric
- In the habitable zone. temparature and radiation exposerure is ok for life.
- rrotational period 24hrs and 39 mins
- Had large quantitys of running water. in the past.
- axis tiit of 23.98
- Weather patterns; fog dust stroms and claps
- 2 parts to the polar ice caps. Seasonal cap which is made up of c02 and the residual cap is made up of h2o.
- Most earth like planets
- Mercury
Comments
No comments have yet been made