Earth science is an all-embracing term for the eclectic sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences. The formal discipline of Earth sciences may include the study of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, oceans and biosphere, as well as the solid earth.
1.7 The Surface of the Moon: Impact Craters and Lunar Mare When Galileo first pointed his telescope toward the moon, he saw two different types of terrain, dark lowlands and brighter, highly cratered highlands. Because the dark regions resemble Seas …
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1.6 Earth’s Moon: Diameter, Density, Gravity, and the Terrain that makes the Face of the Man in the Moon Today Earth has hundreds of satellites, but only one, the moon, is natural. Although other planets have moons, our planet satellite …
1.5 The Atmospheres of the Planet: Gas Giants (thick) vs Terrestrial Planets (thin) The Jovian planets have very thick atmospheres of hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia. By contrast, the terrestrial planets, including Earth, have meager atmospheres at best. There are …
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1.4 Gas Planets, Rocky Planets, Icy Planets: The Chemical Composition of the Solar System The substances that make up the planets are divided into three compositional groups: gases, rocks and ices, based on their melting points. Gases – hydrogen and …
1.3 Terrestrial and Jovian Planets: Geology of the Solar System The planets fall quite nicely into two groups: the terrestrial, Earth-like planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, and the Jovian, Jupiter-like planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto was recently …
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