What is Astrogeology?
Astrogeology is like the Earth sciences, but for other bodies in our solar system. The field is sometimes called planetary geology, exogeology, or xenogeology. There is far less data available for the scientific study of other planets as there is for Earth, but that doesn’t stop scientists from trying to make inferences about them. The field astrogeology has specific names for the study of each body in the solar system: Heliology for the study of the Sun, hermeology for Mercury, cytherology for Venus, selenology for the Moon, areology for Mars, zenology for Jupiter, kronology for Saturn, uranology for Uranus, poseidology for Neptune and hedeology for Pluto. Astrogeology also encompasses the study of comets and asteroids. The creation of the field is usually attributed to Eugene Shoemaker, a prominent astronomer and geologist. Some astrogeology studies receive funding from the U.S. Geological Survey and space-related groups such as NASA. The Astrogeology Research Program was founded in
Astrogeology is like most of the earth sciences but is the study of other bodies within our solar system. It can be referred to as planetary geology, exogeology, or xenogeology. Within Astrogeology there are names for each one of the studies of the planets Heliology is the study of the Sun, Hermeology is for Mercury, Cytherology is for Venus, Selenology is the study of the Moon, Areology is the study of Mars, Zenology is the study of Jupiter, Kronology is the study of Saturn, Uranology is the study of Uranus, and Hedeology is the study of Pluto. How strange it appears that there could be a use for geology in astronomy but it would appear so. For years people have assumed that the correlation between these to arts of study would never be put together but that was quickly changed when a local geologist to this area began to show the world just how valuable geology could be to the world of astronomy. The use of geology in astronomy is more commonly referred to as either astrogeology or ex
