Menu
Home Explore People Places Arts History Plants & Animals Science Life & Culture Technology

Planetary science

Albedo
Ratio of reflected radiation to incident radiation
Asteroid
Minor planet that is not a comet
Atmosphere
Layer of gases surrounding an astronomical body held by gravity
Axial tilt
Angle between the rotational axis and orbital axis of a body
Carbon planet
Hypothetical type of planet that contains more carbon than oxygen
Centaur (small Solar System body)
Solar System body
Chthonian planet
Hypothetical class of celestial objects resulting from the stripping away of a gas giant's hydrogen and helium atmosphere and outer layers
Clearing the neighbourhood
Criterion for a celestial body to be considered a planet
Community of Metros
Rapid transit benchmarking organization
Coreless planet
Extrasolar terrestrial planet without a core
Definition of planet
History of the word "planet" and its definition
Drake equation
Probabilistic argument to estimate the number of alien civilizations in the galaxy
Dwarf planet
Small planetary-mass object
Earth analog
Planet with environmental conditions similar to those on Earth
Exomoon
Moon beyond the Solar System
Exoplanet
Planet outside the Solar System
Extraterrestrial vortex
Vortex on non-Earth planets with atmospheres
Galactic habitable zone
Region of a galaxy in which life might most likely develop
Gas giant
Giant planet mostly made of light elements
Geometric albedo
Albedo subtype
Giant planet
Planet much larger than the Earth
Habitable zone
Orbits where planets may have liquid water
Hot Jupiter
Class of high mass planets orbiting close to a star
IAU definition of planet
Formal definition of a planet in the context of the Solar System as ratified by the IAU in 2006
Ice giant
Giant planet primarily consisting compounds with freezing points exceeding 100°K
Impact event
Collision of two astronomical objects
Iron planet
Extrasolar terrestrial planet
Magnetosphere
Region around an astronomical object in which its magnetic field affects charged particles
Meteor shower
Celestial event caused by streams of meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere
Meteoroid
Sand- to boulder-sized particle of debris in the Solar System
Methods of detecting exoplanets
Minor planet
Astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that isn't a planet or a comet
Natural satellite
Astronomical body that orbits a planet
Planetary core
Innermost layer(s) of a planet
Planetary differentiation
We XS e
Planetary habitability
Extent to which a planet is suitable for life as we know it
Planetary mass
Measure of the mass of a planet-like object
Planetary science
Science of planets and planetary systems
Planetesimal
Solid objects thought to exist in protoplanetary disks and in debris disks
Postal Alpha Numeric Encoding Technique
Type of barcode
Protoplanet
2nd phase of a formation of a planet
Rare Earth hypothesis
Hypothesis that complex extraterrestrial life is improbable and extremely rare
RBS 70
Swedish man-portable air-defense system
Ring system
Ring of cosmic dust orbiting an astronomical object
Rogue planet
A planetary-mass object that orbits the galaxy directly
Satellite system (astronomy)
Set of gravitationally bound objects in orbit
Sungrazing comet
Comet that is extremely close to the sun during part of its orbit
Super-Earth
Type of planet
Terrestrial planet
Planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals.
Trojan (celestial body)
Smaller celestial body that shares a stable orbit with a much larger one