terrestrial planet
Sign in to saveplanet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals. Within the Solar System, the terrestrial planets are the inner planets closest to the Sun, i.e. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
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A terrestrial planet is a planet made mainly of rock or metal, rather than gas. In our Solar System, the four terrestrial planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars—are the ones closest to the Sun, and understanding them helps us learn about how planets form and what conditions might support life.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
The four terrestrial planets of the Solar System: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars Shown to scale A terrestrial planet is a class of planet that is composed primarily of silicate, rocks, or metals. It may instead be referred to as a tellurian planet, telluric planet, or rocky planet. Within the Solar System, the terrestrial planets accepted by the International Astronomical Union are the inner planets closest to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Among astronomers who use the geophysical definition of a planet, two or three planetary-mass satellites – Earth's Moon, Io, and sometimes Europa – may also count as terrestrial planets. The large rocky asteroids Pallas and Vesta are sometimes included as well, albeit rarely. The terms "terrestrial planet" and "telluric planet" are derived from Latin words for Earth (Terra and Tellus), as these planets are, in terms of structure, Earth-like. Terrestrial planets are generally studied by geologists, astronomers, and geophysicists.
Terrestrial planets have a solid planetary surface, making them substantially different from larger gaseous planets, which are composed mostly of some combination of hydrogen, helium, and water existing in various physical states.