Lecture 28: Mercury and Venus

A selection of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to the lecture on Mercury and Venus.

Mercury

The closest planet to the Sun, with a diameter of 4878 km and a mass of 0.055 times that of Earth.

Caloris Basin

The largest impact crater on Mercury, characterized by stretch marks from surface rebounding.

Tidal forces

The gravitational effects from the Sun causing Mercury to rotate on its axis three times for every two orbits.

MESSENGER

NASA's mission launched in 2004 to study Mercury, marking the first mission to use Earth and Venus flybys for orbit insertion.

Orbital eccentricity

A measure of how much the orbit of a planet deviates from a perfect circle, with Mercury having an eccentricity of 0.206.

Volcanism

The geological process related to the eruption of molten rock from a planet's interior, evident on Venus.

Ishtar Terra

One of the two major continents on Venus, situated in the northern highland region.

Erosion

The process through which materials are worn away and transported, influencing planetary surfaces, like the Grand Canyon on Earth.

Lithosphere

The outer layer of a planet, which may be thicker or more rigid on Venus, affecting tectonic activity.

Differentiation

The process by which denser materials sink towards a planet's core, while lighter materials rise to form the crust.