What Is Mercury's Largest Terrestrial Planet?

Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet, or second-smallest if one counts Pluto, and is also the closest to the sun and therefore the hottest planet in the solar system. Despite its small size, its density is almost as high as Venus and Earth, which are significantly larger in terms of area, signifying Mercury’s much larger core to size ratio. It is also presumed to have an iron-rich core beneath the surface due to its weak magnetic field. Mars is relatively moon-like in appearance, with many craters on its surface and a network of “scarps” that intersect the many impact craters. It also has essentially no atmosphere, so the side facing the sun gets boiling hot but the side facing away drops to an extreme low of -279 degrees Fahrenheit. The greenhouse effect has been well documented since the 1980s, with scientists and even public figures debating its causes, effects, and legitimacy throughout it all. Despite this, Venus and its greenhouse warming from a buildup of CO2 is directly observable and applicable to Earth’s global warming issues. If we subtract the measurable heat that is directly a result of Venus being closer to the sun, we are able to measure how much Venus’ …show more content…
Dry riverbeds were discovered from probes sent to the planet, along with channels that could only be created from water’s natural erosion of the land over time. Although surface water no longer exists, water ice was discovered by the Mars Phoenix Lander by digging beneath the top most layer of dirt on the Northern Polar Cap and revealed a small pocket of water ice or snow. Scientists are still trying to learn what the source of the past water was, with many theorizing that in the past some areas of ice melted either due to geothermal activity or a meteorite hitting the planet. There is also evidence of rainfall on ancient Mars that riverbeds