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

Fine-grained, dark-colored extrusive igneous rock with less than about 52 weight percent silica (SiO 2 ). Because of its low silica content, basalt has a low viscosity (resistance to flow. ) Basalt ...

gamma ray

Astronomy; Planetary science

Gamma rays are like the light we see with our eyes, the x-rays used to probe our bodies in search of problems, and the radio waves that our television sets translate into inane shows. The only ...

lunar meteorites

Astronomy; Planetary science

Meteorites that have been identified through their chemistry and minerals as being from the Moon. (See Lunar Meteorites compiled by Randy Korotev from Washington University, St. Louis. )

solar flare

Astronomy; Planetary science

A region of exceptional brightness in an atmospheric layer of the Sun, often associated with sunspots of complex magnetic fields.

Phoenix Mars Mission

Astronomy; Planetary science

NASA lander mission; it is the first Mars "Scout class" mission to study the planet's north-pole ice cap, and the geologic history of water and habitability potential in the polar ice-rich soil. ...

nucleosynthesis

Astronomy; Planetary science

Element formation by reactions inside stars.

Mariner 9

Astronomy; Planetary science

U. S. Mission to Mars, launched in 1971, achieved global imaging of the surface, including the first detailed views of the Martian volcanoes, Valles Marineris, the polar caps, and the satellites ...