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Planetary surfaces are found throughout the Solar System, from the inner terrestrial planets, to the asteroid belt, the natural satellites of the giant planets and beyond to the Trans-Neptunian objects. Surface conditions, temperatures and terrain vary significantly due to a number of factors including Albedo often generated by the surfaces itself.
The geology of the dwarf planet, Ceres, was largely unknown until Dawn spacecraft explored it in early 2015. However, certain surface features such as "Piazzi", named after the dwarf planets' discoverer, had been resolved.[a] Ceres's oblateness is consistent with a differentiated body, a rocky core overlain with an icy mantle.
A type of solid planet with an icy surface of volatiles. In the Solar System, most planetary-mass moons (such as Titan, Triton, and Enceladus) and many dwarf planets (such as Pluto and Eris) have such a composition. Europa is sometimes considered an icy planet due to its surface ice, but its higher density indicates that its interior is mostly ...
A theoretical planet with a solid, icy surface. OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb: Iron planet: A planet that consists primarily of an iron-rich core with little or no mantle, such as Mercury. K2-137b, LHS 3844 b (candidates) Lava planet: A theoretical terrestrial planet with a surface mostly or entirely covered by molten lava. Kepler-10b, Kepler-78b: Ocean ...
Generally, a planet's shape may be described by giving polar and equatorial radii of a spheroid or specifying a reference ellipsoid. From such a specification, the planet's flattening, surface area, and volume can be calculated; its normal gravity can be computed knowing its size, shape, rotation rate, and mass. [97]
Analysis of planetary surfaces and surface features is a major component of planetary science Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology ) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth ), celestial bodies (such as moons , asteroids , comets ) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System ) and the processes of their ...
In the 1990s, it was determined that Uranus and Neptune were a distinct class of giant planet, separate from the other giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, which are gas giants predominantly composed of hydrogen and helium. [1] Neptune and Uranus are now referred to as ice giants. Lacking well-defined solid surfaces, they are primarily composed ...
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