[X] My Assistant

[jasedm]

As of today, we have photographs and maps of many of the surfaces of the larger solid bodies of the solar system (including two shrouded in dense atmospheres) I was wondering what are the largest expanses of unknown terrain (by this I mean not imaged at a resolution better than 15km or so) remaining in the solar system today, and came up with the following.

The figures are inevitably approximate, are in square kilometres and I'm ignoring our own planet's ocean-floors.

Mercury (the 30-ish% not photographed by Mariner or radar-imaged from Arecibo) - 22,500,000
Pluto/Charon - 21,310,000
Titan (the remaining 25-ish% not yet imaged from Cassini) - 20,825,000
Eris - (dwarf planet/TNO) - 18,100,000
Neptune system (~half of Triton plus Proteus and Nereid) - 13,600,000
Uranus system (Over half of each of the moons Miranda through Oberon) - 13,400,000
Jupiter system (pole areas of the galileans) 11,600,000
2005fy9 - (TNO) - 10,200,000
2003el61 - (TNO) - 6,970,000
Sedna - (TNO) - 6,970,000
Quaoar - (TNO) - 4,990,000
Ceres/Vesta - 3,722,000 (I've lumped these together for obvious reasons)

For comparison, these add up to just over the dry-land surface of Earth (which is 148,940,000 square km)

Incidentally, pre-Cassini, Titan alone comes out at 83,300,000 square km

Interesting to note that the top three will have been imaged at good or very good resolution in the next ten to fifteen years.
We may get a mission each to Uranus and Neptune in my lifetime, but I don't expect my children will get to see what Eris looks like up-close in theirs.

[djellison]

Interesting to note that the top three will have been imaged at good or very good resolution in the next ten to fifteen years.

And the bottom ones as well.

Doug