Planetary science Planetary science (rarely planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), moons, and planetary systems, in particular those of the Solar System and the processes that form them. It studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas giants, aiming to determine their composition, dynamics, formation, interrelations and history. It is a strongly interdisciplinary field, originally growing from astronomy and earth science,[1] but which now incorporates many disciplines, including planetary astronomy, planetary geology (together with geochemistry and geophysics), atmospheric science, oceanography, hydrology, theoretical planetary science, glaciology, and exoplanetology.[1] Allied disciplines include space physics, when concerned with the effects of the Sun on the bodies of the Solar System, and astrobiology. There are interrelated observational and theoretical branches of planetary science. History[edit] Disciplines[edit] Planetary astronomy[edit] Geomorphology[edit]
Elemental Magical entity who embodies/personifies one of the four classical elements History[edit] The elements of earth, water, air, and fire, were classed as the fundamental building blocks of nature. This system prevailed in the Classical world and was highly influential in medieval natural philosophy. Paracelsus[edit] In his 16th-century work A Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies, and Salamanders, and on the Other Spirits, Paracelsus identified mythological beings as belonging to one of the four elements. The concept of elementals seems to have been conceived by Paracelsus in the 16th century, though he did not in fact use the term "elemental" or a German equivalent.[5] He regarded them not so much as spirits but as beings between creatures and spirits, generally being invisible to mankind but having physical and commonly humanoid bodies, as well as eating, sleeping, and wearing clothes like humans. In De Meteoris he referred to the elementals collectively as Sagani.[6] Comparison with Jainism[edit]
Space physics History[edit] In the late 1870s, Henri Becquerel offered the first physical explanation for the statistical correlations that had been recorded: sunspots must be a source of fast protons. They are guided to the poles by the Earth's magnetic field. In the early twentieth century, these ideas led Kristian Birkeland to build a terella, or laboratory device which simulates the Earth's magnetic field in a vacuum chamber, and which uses a cathode ray tube to simulate the energetic particles which compose the solar wind. A theory began to be formulated about the interaction between the Earth's magnetic field and the solar wind. See also[edit] References[edit] Kallenrode, May-Britt (2004).
Classical element Segment of the macrocosm showing the elemental spheres of terra (earth), aqua (water), aer (air), and ignis (fire). Robert Fludd. 1617. Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything can consist or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of everything are based. Ancient[edit] Cosmic elements in Babylonia[edit] In Babylonian mythology, the cosmogony called Enûma Eliš, a text written between the 18th and 16th centuries BC, involves five gods that we might see as personified cosmic elements: sea, earth, sky, wind. Greece[edit] The Greek classical elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Aether) date from pre-Socratic times and persisted throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, deeply influencing European thought and culture. Plato characterizes the elements as being pre-Socratic in origin from a list created by the Sicilian philosopher Empedocles (ca. 450 BC). Egypt[edit]
High-energy astronomy High energy astronomy is the study of astronomical objects that release EM radiation of highly energetic wavelengths. It includes X-ray astronomy, gamma-ray astronomy, and extreme UV astronomy, as well as studies of neutrinos and cosmic rays. The physical study of these phenomena is referred to as high-energy astrophysics.[1] Astronomical objects commonly studied in this field may include black holes, neutron stars, active galactic nuclei, supernovae, supernova remnants, and Gamma ray bursts. Missions[edit] Some space and ground based telescopes that have studied high energy astronomy include the following:[2] External links[edit] References[edit]
Sylph Alchemy and literature[edit] As alchemy derived from the Swiss German alchemist Paracelsus, alchemists and related movements, such as Rosicrucianism, continued to speak of sylphs in their hermetic literature. The first mainstream discussion of sylphs comes with Alexander Pope.[citation needed] In Rape of the Lock, Pope satirizes French Rosicrucian and alchemical writings when he invents a theory to explain the sylph. Willow, in Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom of Landover series is a sylph and the wife of protagonist Ben Holiday. Fairy link[edit] Because of their association with the ballet La Sylphide, where sylphs are identified with fairies and the medieval legends of fairyland, as well as a confusion with other "airy spirits" (e.g., in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream), a slender girl may be referred to as a sylph. Sylph has passed into general language as a term for minor spirits, elementals, or faeries of the air. See also[edit] References[edit]
Gravitation Gravitation, or gravity, is a natural phenomenon by which all physical bodies attract each other. It is most commonly recognized and experienced as the agent that gives weight to physical objects, and causes physical objects to fall toward the ground when dropped from a height. During the grand unification epoch, gravity separated from the electronuclear force. Gravity is the weakest of the four fundamental forces, and appears to have unlimited range (unlike the strong or weak force). The gravitational force is approximately 10-38 times the strength of the strong force (i.e., gravity is 38 orders of magnitude weaker), 10-36 times the strength of the electromagnetic force, and 10-29 times the strength of the weak force. History of gravitational theory Scientific revolution Modern work on gravitational theory began with the work of Galileo Galilei in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Newton's theory of gravitation Equivalence principle Formulations of the equivalence principle include:
Paracelsus Swiss physician, philosopher, theologian, and alchemist (c. 1493–1541) Paracelsus (; German: [paʁaˈtsɛlzʊs]; c. 1493[1] – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim[11][12]), was a Swiss[13] physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance.[14][15] He was a pioneer in several aspects of the "medical revolution" of the Renaissance, emphasizing the value of observation in combination with received wisdom. He is credited as the "father of toxicology".[16] Paracelsus also had a substantial impact as a prophet or diviner, his "Prognostications" being studied by Rosicrucians in the 1600s. Biography[edit] Early career[edit] The Louvre copy of the lost portrait by Quentin Matsys,[26] source of the iconographic tradition of "fat" Paracelsus.[27] Basel (1526–1528)[edit] In 1526, he bought the rights of citizenship in Strasbourg to establish his own practice. I cannot offer thee Later career[edit]
Physical cosmology Physical cosmology is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the Universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation, evolution, and ultimate fate.[1] For most of human history, it was a branch of metaphysics and religion. Cosmology as a science originated with the Copernican principle, which implies that celestial bodies obey identical physical laws to those on Earth, and Newtonian mechanics, which first allowed us to understand those physical laws. Physical cosmology, as it is now understood, began with the development in 1915 of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, followed by major observational discoveries in the 1920s: first, Edwin Hubble discovered that the Universe contains a huge number of external galaxies beyond our own Milky Way; then, work by Vesto Slipher and others showed that the universe is expanding. Cosmology draws heavily on the work of many disparate areas of research in theoretical and applied physics. with
Alchemy The Emerald Tablet, a key text of Western Alchemy, in a 17th-century edition Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose practitioners have, from antiquity, claimed it to be the precursor to profound powers. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied, but historically have typically included one or more of the following goals: the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone; the ability to transform base metals into the noble metals (gold or silver); and development of an elixir of life, which would confer youth and longevity. Overview[edit] Alchemy is the art of liberating parts of the Cosmos from temporal existence and achieving perfection which, for metals is gold, and for man, longevity, then immortality and, finally, redemption. Modern discussions of alchemy are generally split into an examination of its exoteric practical applications and its esoteric aspects. Relation to the science of chemistry[edit] Scientific apparatus in the alchemist's workshop, 1580 Q.
Astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that is the study of celestial objects (such as moons, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies), the physics, chemistry, and evolution of such objects, and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth, including supernovae explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cosmic background radiation. A related but distinct subject, cosmology, is concerned with studying the universe as a whole.[1] Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Prehistoric cultures have left astronomical artifacts such as the Egyptian monuments and Nubian monuments, and early civilizations such as the Babylonians, Greeks, Chinese, Indians, Iranians and Maya performed methodical observations of the night sky. However, the invention of the telescope was required before astronomy was able to develop into a modern science. During the 20th century, the field of professional astronomy split into observational and theoretical branches. Etymology[edit] History[edit] Scientific revolution[edit]
Styx Etching of G. Doré The Styx (/stɪks/; Ancient Greek: Στύξ [stýkʰs], "Hate, Detest") is a river in Greek mythology that formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld (often called Hades which is also the name of this domain's ruler). According to Herodotus the river Styx originates near Feneos.[1] The gods were bound by the Styx and swore oaths on it. In ancient times some believed that placing a coin in the mouth[3] of the deceased would help pay the toll for the ferry to help cross the Acheron river which would lead one to the entrance of the underworld. The variant spelling Stix was sometimes used in translations of Classical Greek before the 20th century.[4] By metonymy, the adjective stygian (/ˈstɪdʒiən/) came to refer to anything dark, dismal, and murky. Goddess[edit] Science[edit] See also[edit] Notes[edit] External links[edit]