Planetary Science, or Planetology, is a rapidly growing branch of science which describes the study of planets, celestial objects that are like planets, and anything which affects their shape, composition, appearance, or behaviour. As the study of planets includes the study of their structure and composition, atmosphere and climate cycles, their natural satellites and their interactions and relations with them and their star, planetary science overlaps greatly with some of the more traditional scientific disciplines.
The planet we know best is, of course, the one we are living on. Other planets can be studied remotely, using telescopes to observe them from a distance, while Space agencies around the world send robotic spacecraft to orbit, fly past or land on our planetary neighbours, and a dozen men have visited the moon.
We've published 15 articles and 22 specialist blog posts about planetology so far, featuring 179 unanswered planetology questions! But we're not done yet as we still have another 80 planetology research areas in our database to write about, so come back soon!
Recent Planetology News
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Gaze Down Into the eye of Hurricane Ian, Seen From Orbit
4th October, 2022
NASA and NOAA satellites — as well as astronauts on the ISS — captured some stunning imagery of Hurricane Ian, as seen from orbit. Our lead image shows an eerie view of the hurricane’s eye on September 28. The Landsat 8 satellite passed directly over Ian’s eye as the storm approached southwest Florida. The natural-color …
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A Small Piece of “Foreign Object Debris” Fell off Ingenuity’s Leg During its 33rd Flight
3rd October, 2022
We hope this is just as inconsequential as having a piece of toilet paper stuck to your shoe, but images from the Ingenuity helicopter show it had a piece of debris fluttering from its leg during its most recent flight. A blog post from NASA said a small piece of foreign object debris (FOD) was …
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Earthlike Worlds With Oceans and Continents Could be Orbiting red Dwarfs, Detectable by James Webb
2nd October, 2022
“Go then, there are other worlds than these.” Or so Stephen King said in his famous Dark Tower series. As of yet, none of those worlds are known to be like Earth. But, according to some new simulations by researchers at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), finding a genuinely Earth-like world might be …
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We don’t know what causes lightning, how much of it there is, nor how to predict it. As global temperatures increase, so does lightning; as lightning increases, so do global temperatures. Its impact on atmospheric chemistry is still being explored.
Geoengineering the climate would mean venturing into new technology with huge consequences. But what might those consequences be and is there an alternative solution to anthropogenic climate change?
Chemists are exploring ways to mimic nature’s selective, low-temperature biochemical reactions that make delicate and reactive structures. Previously, chemists had copied high temperature geological reactions.
The search for alien life catches many people's imagination and has always been a very public branch of science. So with all this investigation, why has our search revealed nothing? Are we truly alone in the Universe?
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It’s been observed since Babylonian times, yet we know little about what goes on inside this giant red planet.
Can't find what you're looking for? Browse the branches of planetology that interest you most.
Atmospheric Science is a catch-all term for the study of planetary atmospheres, including the climate and weather.
Exoplanetology is the study of planets orbiting stars other than our Sun.
Geochemistry is the use of Chemistry to study the composition and mechanisms of major geological systems such as Earth.
Geology is the study of terrestrial structures and the processes acting upon them.
Geophysics refers to the study of the physics of the Earth and its environment in space, including its gravitational and magnetic fields, and its atmosphere.
Hydrology is the study of water in the environment.
Planetary Astronomy is the study of planets, moons, and planetary systems through measurements taken from afar.
![Image credit: ©Photo by Crisco 1492 [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia](https://www.thingswedontknow.com/img/sci/640px-mount_merapi_in_2014.jpg "Volcanoes")
Atmospheric Science is a catch-all term for the study of planetary atmospheres, including the climate and weather.
