Terrestrial Planets Essay

Madison Brown

Final Examination

Astronomy Final

The geology of solar terrestrial planets mainly deals with the geological aspects of the four terrestrial planets of the Solar System, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, and one terrestrial dwarf planet, Ceres. Only one terrestrial planet, Earth, is known to have an active hydrosphere.

Terrestrial planets are substantially different from the giant planets, which might not have solid surfaces and are composed mostly of some combination of hydrogen, helium, and water existing in various physical states. Terrestrial planets have a compact, rocky surfaces, and Venus, Earth, and Mars each also have an atmosphere. Their size, radius, and density are all similar.

By the current count of astronomers, our

Jupiter, Saturn,

Uranus, and Neptune are all composed primarily of gas and are known as the outer planets.

A gas giant is a large planet composed mostly of gases, such as hydrogen and helium, with a relatively small rocky core. These four large planets, also called jovian planets after

Jupiter, reside in the outer part of the solar system past the orbits of Mars and the asteroid belt.

While the inner four planets are called terrestrial planets. That means that they are like the earth in some ways. The terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the earth 's moon have similar compositions and densities. These planets are close to the sun, rocky, and dense.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are characterised by low masses, small radii, and large

densities in comparison to the gas giant planets of the outer solar system. Their chemical compositions are dominated by rock-forming elements and metals such as iron and nickel, the latter concentrated in central cores. Gravitational and magnetic field measurements indicate that terrestrial planet interiors usually are strongly differentiated and subdivided like that of the

The benefits to studying other worlds are endless but one that stands out to me is that it is a way to find new natural resources. We are burning through the ones we have on our planet very fast, and out in space there is virtually unlimited resources. It is all just a matter of collecting it and bringing it back, which granted will not be an easy task. It could help reduce the price of oil and can help save our home planet. Studying and exploring space will help us better protect and understand the world we live in. I do believe that benefits in the long run do outweigh the costs.

Some people may not understand why it is important to study our Solar System because they are not seeing immediate or amazing results.Yes it does cost a lot. Nasa has a very huge budget that could be going towards other things, but I feel in the long run it will all be worth it. The tiny discoveries that we make today can help lead us to bigger ones in the future that could help save

our