Solar System Research Paper

1. The moons that exist in our solar system have very diverse properties and characteristics. It can be very easy to compare and contrast them with one another; however, it becomes difficult to categorize them in a way that is useful and precise for discussing the satellites in our solar system. By studying the geological activity of planets and their moons we can better understand the evolution of the solar system. It offers insight as to what bodies in the solar system have been through and are still going through today. Surface features such as impact craters, unusual/uneven terrain, volcanoes and various other forms of tectonic activity provide critical evidence of geological activity. Some of the satellites in our solar system have very

For example, some major moons in our solar system that would serve as good representatives for this category would be Saturn’s moon Enceladus and Neptune’s moon Triton. Enceladus has a variety of ridges, faults and smooth plains. There is an area near the moons south pole where the terrain is cracked and twisted, which shows clear evidence of tectonic activity. There are also parts that have no craters or marks, which indicates more recent resurfacing. Triton has a region that contains irregular pits and hills near the bottom with a cratered terrain, and a region near the top with veinlike features. The rest of Triton has a geologically young surface, which is indicated by its lack of craters. The difference in the moons terrain shows that certain features occurred much more recently than others. We can study the terrains to determine when the features occurred, which tells us that some have occurred within the recent

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, has a very high number of impact craters on its area of dark (therefore old) terrain. This type of cratering reflects the period of intense bombardment that occurred during the early history of the solar system. Another region consists of younger (but still very old) ridges and grooves. Ganymede has shown no signs of undergoing any extensive resurfacing since impacts have molded its surface. A moon that belongs to Uranus called Ariel is covered with faults and signs of early tectonic activity. Specifically, old large craters seem to be missing from the moon, which might suggest that they were destroyed by early