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Terrestrial bodies
Cratering and Volcanism
Surfaces of planets and moons
A lot of good material, including pictures and movies, at
http://www.solarviews.com/
Small bodies: Phobos, Deimos
• Heavy cratering, irregular shapes
• Some variety in surface texture – why?
Phobos
(R=11.1 km)
Deimos
(R=6.3 km)
• Hyperion (Saturn)
Small bodies
 R=300 km
• Phoebe (Saturn)
 R=220 km
 very dark surface
• Amalthea
(Jupiter).
R=90.5 km
Intermediate-size satellites of Saturn
(R=200-800 km)
Mimas
Dione
Tethys
Rhea
Enceladus
Mimas
Tethys
Dione
http://www.maniacworld.com/Saturn-Dione-Flyby.htm
Iapetus
• Bright side mainly water ice
• Dark side has spectrum
similar to a class of asteroid
 Matches mixture of organic
compounds from
carbonaceous meteorites,
ice and hydrated silicates
Enceladus
Enceladus
• Presence of nitrogen suggests high internal temperatures
to cause the decomposition of ammonia (850 K).
 Models suggest a period of early, intense heating due to
short-lived radioactive isotopes
 Continued heating due to long-lived isotopes and tidal forces
Triton and Pluto (R~1200 km)
• Triton and Pluto: tenuous atmospheres – why?
• Both probably large members of Kuiper belt
Pluto
Break
The Moon (R=1738 km)
The Moon
Io and moons of Jupiter
Almathea
Europa
Io
Callisto
Ganymede
Io
• Most volcanically active world in the solar
system
• Subdued topography, with isolated mountains
to Jupiter
Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
Europa
(smaller than Moon)
Ganymede (larger than Mercury)
Callisto
Europa