AST 2002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Erosion Surface, Galilean Moons, Lithosphere
Document Summary
The solar system exhibits clear patterns of composition and motion; these patters are far more important and interesting than numbers, names, and other trivia. Large bodies in the solar system have orderly motions. Planets fall into two major characteristics: small, rocky terrestrial planets, large, hydrogen- rich jovian planets. Swarms of asteroids and comets popular the solar system. Several notable expectations to these trends stand out. Planets are very tiny compared to distances between them. Sun: over 99. 8% of solar system"s mass, made mostly of h/he gas (plasma, converts 4 million tons of mass into energy each second Mercury: made of metal and rock; large iron core, desolate, cratered; long, tall, steep cliffs, very hot and very cold: 425 c (day), -170 c (night) Venus: nearly identical in size to earth; surface hidden by clouds, hellish conditions due to an extreme greenhouse effect, even hotter than mercury: 470 c, day and night, very dense atmosphere.
