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Planetary science, also known as planetology or planetary astronomy, is the science of planets and the solar system, and incorporates an interdisciplinary approach drawing from diverse sciences. Planetary science 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.
Planetary science studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas giants, their composition, dynamics and history.
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):
Basic Concepts:
planet
asteroids
brown dwarfs
comets
earthquake
equatorial bulge
extrasolar planets
gas giant planets
icy moons
Kuiper belt
magnetosphere
the Pluto debate
precession
solar-terrestrial interaction
space weather
the Sun
synchronous rotation
super Jupiter
terrestrial planets
See also
Astrogeology
Category:Planetology
Category:space science
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