Introduction 6 Chapter1 Mercury 9 An Introduction to Mercury 10 The Challenges with Observing the Planet 12 Mercury’s Orbit and Rotation 14 Mercury’s Atmosphere 17 The Planet’s Magnetic Field and Magnetosphere 19 The Surface of Mercury 21 Plains 24 Scarps 25 The Composition of the Surface 28 The Planet’s Later Development 28 How Mercury Formed 30 Chapter2 Venus 34 Understanding Venus 35 Venus’s Atmosphere 39 CONTENTS
The Surface of Venus 44 Venus’s Surface Composition 47 Surface Features 48 Mountain Belts of Venus 50 Rifts 51 Coronae 52 Tesserae 53 Impact Craters 54 The Interior of Venus 56 Venus’s Volcanoes 58 Chapter3 Earth 63 Earth’s Atmosphere 67 Earth’s Hydrosphere 74 Earth’s Outer Shell 77 The Interior of Earth 79 Earth’s Geomagnetic Field and Magnetosphere 82 Earth’s Development 85 Impacted by Planetesimals 86
Chapter4 Mars 90 Basic Features of Mars 92 Mars’s Atmosphere 95 Composition and Surface Pressure 97 The Surface of Mars 101 Valleys and Lakes 105 Outflow Channels and Oceans 106 Polar Sediments Ground Ice and Glaciers 107 Searching for Life on Mars 108 The Interior of Mars 112 The Moons of Mars 114 Conclusion 116 Glossary 118 Bibliography 121 Index 126
