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7.14: Characteristics of the Solar System’s Rocky Planets

Last updated

Nov 20, 2024
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- 7.13: Martian Moons
- 8: The Gas Giant Planets

Lumen Learning
Lumen Learning

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Comparison of the Rocky Planets

Mercury

Characteristic — Current State

Impact Craters — Yes
Tectonic Craters — Yes; not active
Volcanoes — Yes; not active
Atmosphere — No real atmosphere
Water — Yes; water and ice in craters at the poles
Erosion — No
Dunes — No
Polar Caps — No
Satellites — No
Life — Unknown

The Bottom Line…

Looks like the Moon; heavily cratered
No real atmosphere
No seasons

Image of Mercury. — Public Domain | Image courtesy of NASA / JPL-CALECH.

Venus

Characteristic — Current State

Impact Craters — Yes
Tectonic Craters — Yes
Volcanoes — Yes; over 1,600 volcanoes – most on one body in the Solar System
Atmosphere — Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4), High Pressure, Clouds, Odd Polar Vortex
Water — No
Erosion — Yes
Dunes — Yes
Polar Caps — No
Satellites — No
Life — Unknown

The Bottom Line…

Called Earth’s twin
Extreme Greenhouse effect
Rains sulfuric acid
Polar Vortex

Image of Venus. — Public Domain | Image courtesy of NASA / JPL-CALECH.

Earth

Characteristic — Current State

Impact Craters — Yes
Tectonic Craters — Yes
Volcanoes — Yes
Atmosphere — Nitrogen (N), Oxygen (O ₂), Clouds, Rain, Snow
Water — Vapor, Liquid, and Ice → Primarily a water planet
Erosion — Yes
Dunes — Yes
Polar Caps — Yes
Satellites — One, Moon
Life — Yes

The Bottom Line…

Water Planet
Big moon – double planet
Life everywhere

Image of Earth. — Public Domain | Image courtesy of NASA / ESA.

Moon

Characteristic — Current state

Craters
Evidence of past volcanic, tectonic activity
No atmosphere
Water ice found in a lunar south pole crater
Probably formed from a collision with Earth
Looks like Mercury…

Image of the Moon. — CC BY-SA 3. 0 | Image courtesy of Wikimedia Author: Gregory H. Revera.

Mars

Characteristic — Current State

Impact Craters — Yes; a very large impact crater Borealis Basin (largest known in the Solar System), 6,600 miles across
Tectonic Craters — Yes, still active?
Volcanoes — Yes, not active; One of the largest volcanoes in the Solar System; Olympus Mons
Atmosphere — Carbon Dioxide (CO ₂), Low Pressure, Clouds, Snow, Dust devils, Dust storms, Slight traces of Methane (CH ₄)
Water — Both liquid & water ice
- Subsurface liquid water aquifers?
- 2% water in soil
Erosion — Yes
Dunes — Yes
Polar Caps — Yes
Satellites — Two; Deimos and Phobos
Life — Unknown; we are actively searching for life

The Bottom Line…

Is liquid water still flowing?
Very light compared to Venus and Earth (less dense)
Life?

Image of Mars. — Public Domain | Image courtesy of NASA / JPL-CALECH.

Deimos and Phobos

Characteristic — Current state

Craters
No Atmosphere
Very small
Captured asteroids or result of collisions with Mars

Image of Deimos and Phobos from Mars. — Public Domain | Images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.

Consider this…

How did elementary school kids used to remember the order of the planets from the Sun? A simple mnemonic: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas! (Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto) But with the demotion of Pluto as a full planet, the pizzas went away, so now it is My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos!

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Moon

Mars

Deimos and Phobos

Consider this…

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