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

Elements that are not incorporated into common rock-forming minerals during magma crystallization, hence they become enriched in the residual magma and in the rocks finally formed from it. Examples ...

Asteroid belt

Astronomy; Planetary science

The region of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, from 2. 1 to 3. 3 AU, where most asteroids are found.

Lithology

Astronomy; Planetary science

The description of the physical characteristics of rocks including color, mineral compositions, grain sizes, grain shapes, texture or fabric (relationship between grains).

Presolar grain

Astronomy; Planetary science

Preserved in primitive meteorites, presolar grains are stardust that formed in stellar outflows or ejecta in the molecular cloud, out of which our Solar System formed.

Meteoroid

Astronomy; Planetary science

A 10 µm to 1-meter-size natural solid object moving in interplanetary space. Meteoroids may be primary objects or derived by the fragmentation of larger celestial bodies, not limited to asteroids. ...

Cosmochemistry

Astronomy; Planetary science

Interdisciplinary science that overlaps with geochemistry, geology, astronomy, astrophysics, and geophysics to discover the materials and fundamental processes in the solar nebula and our Solar ...

Sputtering

Astronomy; Planetary science

In the context of space weathering on the surfaces of airless planetary bodies, sputtering is the process in which atoms on the surface are knocked free by high-speed atomic particles in the solar ...