AST 1002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Terrestrial Planet, Caloris Planitia, Dune
Document Summary
Terrestrial planets terrestrial planets - mercury, venus, earth, mars; have similar size and structure. Earth is the largest these rocky planets orbit the inner portion of the solar system too small and too hot to capture massive hydrogen atmospheres. Surface - covered with craters, esp in the caloris basin caused by a rock/planetoid 1k mi the rock sent shockwaves across the planet; went thru the surface. Has very chaotic terrain caused by seismic waves from the impact. Odd radial cracks within caloris basin; indicate lava. Has scarps (cliffs) formed all over mercury as it cooled some are hundreds of miles long and up to a mile high. Temperature - has the biggest swing in temp of any planet. At noon, it can be as high as 820 f and at night it can be as low as -300 . Has ice on the poles; no tilt.
