20 Terms
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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
iron
Astronomy; Planetary science
An element with atomic number 26; symbol: Fe. Iron is one of the most abundant elements in the rocky planets. It is the most abundant element in the metallic cores of the inner planets.
spinel
Astronomy; Planetary science
MgAl 2 O 4 , magnesium aluminum oxide mineral, with Cr able to substitute for Al.
pyroclastic eruption
Astronomy; Planetary science
Explosive eruption of lava producing and ejecting hot fragments of rock and lava.
secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS)
Astronomy; Planetary science
A precision measurement technique used to quantitatively analyze the elements and isotopes of materials at microscopic scales (with a typical spatial resolution of 1 micrometer). A SIMS instrument is ...
Pre-Nectarian
Astronomy; Planetary science
The geologic history of Earth's Moon has been divided into five broad time periods, or systems. From oldest to youngest, these are pre-Nectarian, Nectarian, Imbrian, Eratosthenian, and Copernican. ...
Noachian Epoch
Astronomy; Planetary science
The geologic history of Mars has been divided into three broad time periods, or Epochs. From oldest to youngest, these are Noachian, Hesperian, and Amazonian (named after places on Mars). These ...
