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

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Planetary science

soil

Astronomy; Planetary science

The upper layers of sediment on Earth that support plant growth.

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.

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.