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Because the four inner planets are more rocky than gaseous, while the "gas giant" planets may or may not have any kind of a rocky core.

And the word "terra" means earth or rock. So, "terrestrial".

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14y ago
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14y ago

The inner planets,Mercury to Mars, are rocky worlds. After the asteroid belt,probably a smashed or failed planet, are the outer giants of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. These are all 'gas giants' and since they all appeared to have a similar composition to that of Jupiter they were called the Jovian planets. Jovian is 'Of Jupiter' and it's moons are known as the 'Gallilaens' after their discovery by Gallileo.

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12y ago

The inner planets are known as the 'Terrestrial Planets' because of their composition. It is theorized that when the solar system formed, and the sun in its infant stages, each of the planets formed around it, much like the rings of Saturn. As each ball rotated and picked up more and more material (to include gasses such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen) the sun grew in intensity, and when it was truly born as the star we know and love, it released a colossal amount of energy, forcing most of those gasses to the outer reaches of the solar system, leaving smaller, heavier, rockier balls at the center, and lighter, larger, gaseous balls outside the 'blast.' That's why we have the 4 rocky planets inside the asteroid belt, and the 4 gaseous ones outside it.

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7y ago

To put it simply, the 4 inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) are made of rock, so they all have land, terrestrial is an adjective that means land. The 4 outer planets are made of gas, so they have no land.

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12y ago

Terrestrial planets are denser, smaller, and rockier planets than those of gas planets. They reside in the inner solar system because during the formation of the solar system, the spinning disk that formed the solar system caused all of the denser objects to collect together in the center. These denser objects are composed of rock and metal, and these are terrestrial planets.

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7y ago

They are not. The inner planets are called terrestrial planets. These planets, including Earth have solid, rocky surfaces. The root of the word terrestrial, Terra, is Latin for "earth."

The outer planets are traditionally referred to as Jovian planets, sometimes called gas giants. The term Jovian otherwise refers to the planet Jupiter.

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13y ago

The inner planets are known as terrestrial planets because they are rocky like earth

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7y ago

The inner planets are small and highly dense. The outer planets are gas giants.

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9y ago

The inner planets are called terrestrial planets because they consist of a solid surface, unlike the gas giants. The terrestrial planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

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Danny Hanz

Lvl 2
3y ago

the inner planets are called terrestrial planets because of the rocky surfaces.

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Q: Why are the inner planets called terrestrial planets?
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Related questions

What are the inner planets sometimes call?

the inner planets are sometimes called Terrestrial Planets


What are the inner three planets sometimes called?

terrestrial planets


Which planets are often called the terrestrial panets?

The inner planets are known as terrestrial planets, because you can stand on them and they have a solid surface. The inner planets are: * Mercury * Venus * Earth; and * Mars


What are the inner plants called terrestrial planrts?

The inner planets are called terrestrial because they are Earthlike: small and rocky planets as opposed to the outer planets which are giant gaseous planets,The word terrestrial comes from the Latin word terra, meaning Erth.


Which planets are called terrestrial planets?

A terrestrial planet is a planet that has a solid surface made of rock.


Mercury Venus Earth and Mars are?

Terrestrial planets. They are also called Inner Planets.


Why the inner explain planets are known as terrestrial planets?

The inner planets are known as terrestrial planets because they are rocky like earth


What are large planets called gas or terrestrial?

large planets are called the outer planets or the JOVIAN PLANETS which are made up of gases and viscous liquids... terrestrial planets are the inner planets! inner planets- MERCURY VENUS EARTH MARS outer planets- JUPITER SATURN URANUS NEPTUNE


Inner planets that are composed mainly of rock and metal are called?

Terrestrial


What do you call the four inner planets in our solar system?

They are known as terrestrial planets. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.


Which planets are called the terrestrial planets?

Terrestrial planet is another way of saying rocky planet. The inner rocky planets are; Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.


Is a Jovian planets is call Inner?

Inner planets are terrestrial planets outer are jovian planets