Physics of Terrestrial Planets and Moons: An Introduction and Overview

Abstract

This volume of the Treatise on Geophysics discusses fundamental aspects of the science of the planets. The solar system (outside of the Sun) contains a myriad of bodies ranging from masses of a few hundred Earth masses (the giant gas and ice planets), to bodies of a sizeable fraction of the Earth's mass (the terrestrial planets and major satellites), to dust particles. There are planets orbiting the Sun and satellites that orbit planets. Small bodies can be found in orbit around the Sun and in orbit around planets and other small bodies such as asteroids. The number of satellites is small in the inner solar system where terrestrial planets termed after their compositional similarity to the Earth are to be found (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars). The outer solar system with the gas and ice giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) has − as of the time of this writing – about 150 satellites. For many of the smaller ones of these, only the orbital parameters are known, but for most of the larger ones, ice is a major component aside from rock.