Planetary interior structure comparison
This graphic shows a comparison of different Solar System bodies as a log normalized ratio from the surface of the body.
Much like the old "How New Yorkers see the world" cartoon, this graphic looks from the surface of the body towards the core. Surface* features (to left) are deliberately over-emphasized, and core structure (at right) is under-emphasized.
The graphic is designed to compare the composition - phase state of materials that make up these particular solar system bodies.
For many of the bodies, detailed information is lacking, so a best guess was generated based on available data. Due to the log-scale emphasis on near-surface structure, unknowns near the surface have the highest error. (For example ice shell thickness of the ice covered Ocean Worlds of our Solar System.)
For planets with a variable surface covering (Earth, Titan), the bar is split in the relative areal% of that covering material.
*For gas and ice giants, the 'surface' is the 0.1 MPa level in the atmosphere.
Copyright @2017 Michael J. Malaska
Planetary interior structure comparison
This graphic shows a comparison of different Solar System bodies as a log normalized ratio from the surface of the body.
Much like the old "How New Yorkers see the world" cartoon, this graphic looks from the surface of the body towards the core. Surface* features (to left) are deliberately over-emphasized, and core structure (at right) is under-emphasized.
The graphic is designed to compare the composition - phase state of materials that make up these particular solar system bodies.
For many of the bodies, detailed information is lacking, so a best guess was generated based on available data. Due to the log-scale emphasis on near-surface structure, unknowns near the surface have the highest error. (For example ice shell thickness of the ice covered Ocean Worlds of our Solar System.)
For planets with a variable surface covering (Earth, Titan), the bar is split in the relative areal% of that covering material.
*For gas and ice giants, the 'surface' is the 0.1 MPa level in the atmosphere.
Copyright @2017 Michael J. Malaska