A terrestrial planet, telluric planet, rocky planet or inner planet is a planet that is primarily composed of silicate rocks. Within the solar system, the terrestrial planets are the closest planets to the Sun. The terms are derived from Latin words for Earth (Terra and Tellus), and an alternative definition would be that these are planets which are, in some notable fashion, "Earth-like".
Terrestrial planets are substantially different from gas g...
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A terrestrial planet, telluric planet, rocky planet or inner planet is a planet that is primarily composed of silicate rocks. Within the solar system, the terrestrial planets are the closest planets to the Sun. The terms are derived from Latin words for Earth (Terra and Tellus), and an alternative definition would be that these are planets which are, in some notable fashion, "Earth-like".
Terrestrial planets are substantially different from gas giants, which might not have solid surfaces and are composed mostly of some combination of hydrogen, helium, and water existing in various physical states.
Terrestrial planets all have roughly the same structure: a central metallic core, mostly iron, with a surrounding silicate mantle. The Moon is similar, but lacks an iron core. Terrestrial planets have canyons, craters, mountains, and volcanoes. Terrestrial planets possess secondary atmospheres — atmospheres generated through internal volcanism or comet impacts, as opposed to the gas giants,...
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