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TWDK Planetology Planetary Science doodle by Giles Meakin

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 10 articles and 22 specialist blog posts about planetology so far, featuring 124 unanswered planetology questions! But we're not done yet as we still have another 92 planetology research areas in our database to write about, so come back soon!

Recent Planetology News

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Planet Earth Report –“Coronavirus ‘Once-in-a-Century’ Pathogen to Extraterrestrial Origin of Protein”
29th February, 2020
Headline news by leading science journalists about the extraordinary discoveries, technology, people, and events changing our knowledge of Planet Earth and the future of the human species.
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“Big Life” –Habitable Exoplanet Twice Size of Earth Detected
27th February, 2020
Potentially habitable exoplanet detected, opening search for life to planets significantly larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.
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Mars Insight Spacecraft –“Reveals Remnants of Red Planet’s Ancient Switched-Off Magnetic Field”
26th February, 2020
  Today Mars is a frigid desert world with a carbon dioxide atmosphere 100 times thinner than Earth’s, the result of red planet’s protective magnetic field switching off half a billion years ago.
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Planet Earth Report –“Signs Super-Powerful AI is About to Destroy Civilization to Gallup Polls UFO Reality”
25th February, 2020
Headline news by leading science journalists about the extraordinary discoveries, technology, people, and events changing our knowledge of Planet Earth and the future of the human species.

Our latest planetology articles

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Image credit: ©Photo by Crisco 1492 [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia
Volcanoes
Volcanic eruptions can be hugely devastating events, wiping out towns and villages in the wake of the magma flows or ash clouds.
Image credit: © ©John Fowler (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
Extraterrestrial life
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?
Image credit: diego_torres (CC0 Public Domain via Pixabay)
Water
Water is vital for our survival, but how much do we really know about it?
Image credit: ©Wikimedia commons
Structure of the Earth
We still don't know a lot about what is right underneath our feet, let alone what’s lurking miles down.
Image credit: ©© Jurvetson (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
Origin of life
The Origins of Life - Where and how did life begin?
Image credit: gallery4share
Climate change
Scientists agree that human activities are causing climate change, but the finer details are still unknown.

Show all planetology articles

Our latest planetology blog posts

Our blog posts focus on a specialist topic.
Many are written by scientists about their ongoing research, others by the TWDK team.

TWDK red science flask
TWDK red science flask
Is there a ninth planet in our Solar System?
Thursday 22nd of September 2016
TWDK red science flask
How were Mars’ moons formed?
Friday 1st of July 2016
TWDK red science flask
100,000 Years Later
Saturday 6th of February 2016
TWDK red science flask
Location, Location, Location
Monday 21st of September 2015
TWDK red science flask
Collapsing Ice Shelves
Friday 5th of December 2014
More blog posts about planetology...

Delve deeper into Planetology

Can't find what you're looking for? Browse the branches of planetology that interest you most.

TWDK magnifying glassAtmospheric Science is a catch-all term for the study of planetary atmospheres, including the climate and weather.

TWDK magnifying glassExoplanetology is the study of planets orbiting stars other than our Sun.

TWDK magnifying glassGeochemistry is the use of Chemistry to study the composition and mechanisms of major geological systems such as Earth.

TWDK magnifying glassGeology is the study of terrestrial structures and the processes acting upon them.

TWDK magnifying glassGeophysics refers to the study of the physics of the Earth and its environment in space, including its gravitational and magnetic fields, and its atmosphere.

TWDK magnifying glassHydrology is the study of water in the environment.

TWDK magnifying glassPlanetary Astronomy is the study of planets, moons, and planetary systems through measurements taken from afar.

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