Terrestrial planets are the four closest to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. They have solid surfaces, weak magnetic fields, and no or few moons. Gas planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus, which are much larger and composed of gases and liquids. They have strong magnetic fields, multiple moons, and rings. Each terrestrial planet has unique characteristics, such as Mercury being the smallest and Venus having a dense atmosphere causing a greenhouse effect. Earth is the only known planet with life, and Mars has two moons and may have water on its surface.
A terrestrial planet is a term used to describe the four planets of the solar system closest to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These four planets are composed mostly of rock and have solid surfaces. The word terrestrial comes from the Latin word terra, which means land or soil.
In addition to a rocky and solid composition, the terrestrial planets share some similar characteristics:
They are close to the Sun.
They either have no moons or few moons.
They all have weak magnetic fields.
They all have close orbits.
None of the planets have rings around them.
The other four major planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus, in the solar system are referred to as gas planets or Jovian planets, after the planet Jupiter which is the largest planet in the solar system. Gaseous planets are much larger than terrestrial planets and are composed mostly of gases and liquids.
Unlike the terrestrial planets, some characteristics of the gaseous planets are:
They are all further away from the Sun.
They have multiple moons.
They all possess strong magnetic fields.
There is a greater distance between the eye sockets.
They all have some form of rings that orbit each planet.
Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet and is the planet in the solar system closest to the Sun. The surface temperature of the planet varies from a maximum of 840° Fahrenheit (450° Celsius) to a possible minimum of -275° Fahrenheit (-170° Celsius). Mercury is named after the Roman god Mercury, who was considered the swift messenger among the gods because the planet seemed to move so fast across the sky.
Venus is the second planet from the Sun and its size is very similar to that of the Earth. Venus is surrounded by a dense and heavy atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide layer allows heat to enter the planet but does not allow heat to leave, causing a greenhouse effect. The net result of this is that the high temperature of Venus, which is 900° Fahrenheit (482° Celsius), is actually higher than that of Mercury.
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is the only planet known to harbor life in the universe. Earth is the largest terrestrial planet and the fifth largest planet in the solar system. Like the other terrestrial planets, the Earth is surrounded by an atmosphere. The Earth also has a moon.
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the last terrestrial planet in the solar system. Mars is named after the Roman god of war and may have been so named because of its red appearance. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and is the only terrestrial planet other than Earth to have moons orbiting it.
Martian surface temperatures can range from as low as -207° Fahrenheit (-133° Celsius) to as high as 80° Fahrenheit (27° Celsius). Like Venus, Mars has an atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide. However, the greenhouse effect on Mars is much less than that of Venus. On July 31, 2008, the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that its Phoenix Mars Lander had identified water in a Martian soil sample.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
