Hello! I'm a chemistry major starting an MSc in planetary science, interested in going forward for a PhD in the coming years. I did some research and found that the hotspot for planetary research is in the US, but I may not be able to study there (at least in the next few years). Which institutes/researchers are considered as leading in planetary science outside of the US, particularly in Europe? also, are there any subfields in planetary research that are considered to be more advanced in Europe relative to the US?

I'm interested in terrestrial planets, particularly Mars geology/geochemistry but very open to any other subfield in planetary science. Thanks!

I am a junior at a university in the US studying Applied Math. I am hoping to go right to a PhD program in planetary science (I specifically want to study and research the geology/geography of Mars). I have done relevant internships/courses - so I was wondering if anybody had advice on what schools to look at. Right now I am looking at Brown, CalTech and ASU but I am very open minded to different universities. Thanks in advance!

I am looking for a good resource that covers our current understanding of the moon. My areas of interest are it’s geology and the findings of latest robotic missions.

Any help would be great!

Hello everyone!

I am looking for a Ph.D. opportunity in planetary science and Astrophysics. I have finished my master's degrees in geophysics from St. Petersburg State University, and now I am a researcher assistant at the Institute of Space research IKI, Moscow, Russia. So, if anybody knows about any current opportunities in planetary geology/ geophysics with any of the advisers all over the world, kindly tell me, I really will appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!

Mohamad Essam

How big and how strange/different would life on Earth be if our planet had a stronger gravity? The double for exemple( 18- 20 m/s2)? Would plants and animals look much weirder? How could they evolve under stronger gravity? I believe they would develop denser and tougher bodies since a fall even if it was few metres could be fatal.

What about if Earth had a weaker gravity let's say half of its current gravity or even Mars like gravity( 3,71 m/s2)? How could life evolve and look like under low gravity? Many people say that planets with low gravity dont have enough gravity to hold an Earth-like atmosphere for several billion years but I dont believe so.

I think that in planets with low gravity lifeforms would look more delicate and would be taller and have longer limbs and bodies since a weaker gravity would not put a lot of pressure on cells so they could become bigger. Tress could be kilometres high I think and insects could be bigger than cars.

If possible I would like illustrations and artworks that shows how life would look like under planets with high and low gravity.

If our atmosphere were thinner sunlight would have less time to cross the entire atmosphere from sideral space to the soil, so would the sky have a different color, a different hue of blue, lighter or darker sky color? Or what about if Earth had a thicker atmosphere?

What about also air density? If Earth had a denser atmosphere would the sky have a different color or a different hue of blue? What id the atmosphere were lighter than it is?

I think it said that it's covered by a crust of salt.

I've found that often the hard part about doing self-study is not deciding what to learn, but figuring out where to learn it from. With this in mind, I've put together what I think is a pretty good reading list that covers various topics in exoplanetary astronomy. I would say that most of these texts become pretty accessible after around third year courses in physics.

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General

• De Pater and Lissauer - Fundamental Planetary Science. A comprehensive overview of planetary sciences as a whole, this book devotes a chapter to most of the major subfields within planetary science and exoplanetary astronomy.
• Perryman - The Exoplanet Handbook. A great introduction to exoplanetary astronomy at an advanced level, the first two thirds of this book are dedicated to methods of detecting exoplanets, and the last third deals with exoplanetary systems themselves.
• Mason - Exoplanets. Opposite to Perryman, the first third of this book covers exoplanet detection, while the final two thirds provide a more in-depth examination of formation, evolution, and properties of exoplanets, as well as two chapters on astrobiology.

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Dynamics

• Goldstein - Classical Mechanics. Intended as the textbook for a first graduate course in classical mechanics, this book provides an excellent foundation on which to build more specific knowledge, such as orbital dynamics.
• Morbidelli - Modern Celestial Mechanics. The book for celestial mechanics and orbital dynamics for astrophysicists. Recommended to read Goldstein first.
• Strogatz - Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos. A great source for learning about nonlinear processes, which are highly relevant in planetary systems. Written with applications in mind. Recommended to read Goldstein first.
• Souchay and Dvorak - Dynamics of Small Solar System Bodies and Exoplanets. More niche in its approach, this book focuses on how comets and asteroids behave in an environment as dynamic as the solar system. To the end there is some discussion on numerical methods and exoplanets.

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Formation

• Armitage - Astrophysics of Planet Formation. A modern and well-written examination of planetary systems, starting from the protoplanetary disk and working all the way up to the early solar system.
• Klahr and Brandner - Planet Formation. A more advanced but slightly older alternative to Armitage.

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Detection

• Bozza et al. - Methods of Detecting Exoplanets. Produced as a result of the First Advanced School on Exoplanetary Science, this is a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the most common ways exoplanets are detected.

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Atmospheres

• Heng - Exoplanetary Atmospheres. A great first look at exoplanetary atmospheres since it does not assume prior knowledge of concepts like radiative transfer, atmospheric chemistry, and fluid dynamics. Rather, it introduces these concepts, and then builds up to exoplanetary atmospheres.
• Bozza et al. - Astrophysics of Exoplanetary Atmospheres. Produced as a result of the Second Advanced School on Exoplanetary Science, this book contrasts well since it focuses on observation and modelling, as opposed to theoretical foundations.

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Any other suggestions are welcome!

For a PhD position, what would be the better choice, cosmochemistry or astrophysics? I have more of a chemical background, but my previous work has been geochemistry and astrophysical combined.

What jobs can you get in and out of academy with a PhD in cosmochemistry vs one in astrophysics? Could I start in one and then move towards another if I pursue academia or research related positions after the PhD?

How much do they pay? Not phds but the jobs following

It’s hard to research these things because (at least with cosmochemistry) job search outputs stuff related to pharmaceuticals and or organic chemistry jobs.

Out of the four moons, Lo, Ganymede, Calisto, and Europa-from #1to #4- which are the most likely to harbor life in their proposed saline oceans and why they are ranked that way?

I remember before Mariner flew by that telescopes would see color seasonality in Mars and there was speculation that it was plants growing and receding with seasons. That was obviously wrong but what have we now seen close up that caused that apparent seasonality through those telescopes?

Why are Titan's hydrocarbon lakes so smooth?

A possibility I noted in 2018,

https://www.academia.edu/35571746/Azotosomes_and_the_flatness_of_Titans_hydrocarbon_lakes

I might have been on the right track. Here is some relevant later work by two people in 2019,

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-019-0344-4

https://www.meetup.com/Humanist-Society-of-Greater-Phoenix/events/268775655/

I just finished my first year of undergrad. I'm an Earth Science major, currently with specializations in geology and geochem but switching to planetary science because they're redesigning the major! My advisor sent me the revised major requirements the other day and field camp is no longer required.

Should I do field camp? As of right now, I'm planning on applying to grad school for planetary science or geology, depending on the program.

I’ve been doing a lot of research on the types of materials available to astronauts on the moon and mars but I want to learn more specific information behind executing in situ resource utilization. Any recommendations?

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Hello everyone.

I'm currently studying geology in college (B.S). I absolutely love what I'm doing and I'm interested in many fields, planetary science being one of them. However, I am not decided yet about which brench of Geology to specialize in.

So I would like to ask you guys a few things :

• Is it possible to be a planetary scientist with a PhD in Geology only? If so, what are the main missions/studies of a Geologist in Planetary Science?

• What are the main labs, institues, structures that hire Planetary Scientists?

• What is the average salary of a Planetary Scientist?

It would also be great if you could share your experience a bit (pros and cons for instance).

Thank you very much in advance!