Planetary science

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

Planetary science, also known as planetology or planetary astronomy, is the science of planets, or planetary systems, and the solar system. Incorporating an interdisciplinary approach, planetary science draws from diverse sciences and may be considered a part of the Earth sciences, or more logically, as its parent field. Research tends to be done by a combination of astronomy, space exploration (particularly unmanned space missions), and comparative, experimental and meteorite work based on Earth. There is also an important theoretical component and considerable use of computer simulation. Astrogeology is a major component of planetary sciences.

Planetary science studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas giants, their composition, dynamics and history.

[edit] Terminology

When the discipline concerns itself with a celestial body in particular, a specialised term is used, as shown in the table below (only heliology, geology, selenology, and areology are currently in common use):

Body	Planetary science	Source of root
Sun	heliology	Greek Helios
Mercury	hermeology	Greek Hermes
Venus	cytherology	Greek Cytherea
Earth	geology	Greek Gaia
( Moon	selenology	Greek Selene )
Mars	areology	Greek Ares
Ceres	demeterology	Greek Demeter
Jupiter	zenology	Greek Zeus
Saturn	kronology	Greek Chronos
Uranus	uranology	Greek/Latin Uranus
Neptune	poseidology	Greek Poseidon
Pluto	hadeology	Greek Hades
Eris	eridology	Greek Eris

[edit] Basic Concepts

• Asteroid
• Brown dwarfs
• Comets
• Earthquake
• Equatorial bulge
• Extrasolar planets
• Gas giant planets
• Icy moons
• Kuiper belt
• Magnetosphere
• Planet
• Planetary differentiation
• Planetary system
• the Pluto debate
• Precession
• Solar-terrestrial interaction
• Space weather
• Space weathering
• Star system
• Sun
• Synchronous rotation
• Super Jupiter
• Terrestrial planets