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planetary science |
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planetary science or planetology, study of planets and planetary systems planetary system, a star and all the celestial bodies bound to it by gravity, especially planets and their natural satellites . Until the last decade of the 20th cent. ..... Click the link for more information. as a whole. Planetary science applies the theories and methods of traditional disciplines such as astronomy, geology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics to the study of the origin, composition, and distribution of matter in planetary systems, especially the evolution and structure of planets planet [Gr.,=wanderer], a large nonluminous ball of rock or gas that orbits a star. The term, once limited to any of the eight solid, nonluminous bodies (major planets) that revolve around the sun, has been extended to include similar bodies discovered revolving ..... Click the link for more information. and their natural satellites satellite, natural, celestial body orbiting a planet, dwarf planet, asteroid, or star of a larger size. The most familiar natural satellite is the earth's moon ; thus, satellites of other planets are often referred to as moons. ..... Click the link for more information. . The study of planetary systems initially focused on the earth and moon. It was extended to include the other solar planets and their satellites with advances in astronomy, and increased in significance as the lunar and planetary probes of the last half of the 20th cent. returned more and more data. Planetary science burst out of the confines of the solar system with the discovery of extrasolar planets in 1995, of extrasolar multiple-planet systems in 1999, and of an extrasolar planet nearly as old as the universe in 2003. Planetary science is also concerned with the study of life on other planets (see exobiology exobiology or astrobiology, search for extraterrestrial life within the solar system and throughout the universe. Philosophical speculation that there might be other worlds similar to ours dates back to the ancient Chinese and Greeks. ..... Click the link for more information. ). How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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An Air Force Academy graduate, a B-52 pilot, a Central Intelligence Agency scientist, and a holder of a doctorate in planetary sciences, the author was selected for astronaut training in 1990. Keck Foundation professor of geology at the California Institute of Technology, has been named chairman of the division of geological and planetary sciences. com, a new subscription Web site for researchers and professionals involved in the earth and planetary sciences. |
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Planetary Sciences
