7 Terms
Home > Industry/Domain > Astronomy > Planetary science
Planetary science
The scientific study of planets including Earth, moons, and planetary systems of the Solar System in particular and the processes that form them.
Industry: Astronomy
Add a new termContributors in Planetary science
Planetary science
mesosiderite
Astronomy; Planetary science
A class of stony-iron meteorites consisting of metal and fragments of igneous rocks. These meteorites formed as breccias, but most have been recrystallized during metamorphism.
nucleus
Astronomy; Planetary science
Kilometer-sized "dirty snowball" composed of dust (refractory material) and primarily water-ice which gives rise to all of the features observers associate with comets. As the nucleus approaches the ...
fireball
Astronomy; Planetary science
The streak of light and loud noise of a large meteor passing through the Earth's atmosphere.
dark mantle deposits
Astronomy; Planetary science
Deposits of dark glass on the Moon, possibly products of volcanic fire fountaining.
ion microprobe
Astronomy; Planetary science
A Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS), a precision instrument used to quantitatively analyze the elements and isotopes of materials at microscopic scales.
