What Do We Know about the Climate of Terrestrial Planets?

Abstract

Confronted to the often heard criticisms pronounced by Earth scientists, that “we know Mars better than the Earth” — a way to complain that valuable research money is deviated from useful science (that of the Earth) to less useful science (that of the Solar System) — planetary scientists react and position their research, stating that “studying terrestrial planets can help better understanding the problems of the Earth”. Indeed, at a time when numerous planetary systems are found around other stars, comparative planetology offers a potentially powerful tool for solving some of the problems facing planetary scientists.