Planetary Science

How do terrestrial planets, gas giants and icy worlds differ in composition and structure? What can moons, asteroids and comets reveal about the early history of our solar system? How have recent missions changed our understanding of places like Mars, Europa or Titan? What makes some worlds more geologically active than others today? Which solar system body fascinates you the most, and what questions do you have about it?

How does comparing Earth with Venus, Mars or gas giants help us understand planetary climates and evolution? What roles do distance from the star, atmosphere thickness and composition play in shaping surface conditions? How do greenhouse effects operate differently on planets like Venus compared to Earth? What can exoplanet atmospheres teach us about our own planet’s past and future? How might studying other planets change the way we think about Earth’s uniqueness or fragility?

How do astronomers detect planets around other stars using techniques like transits and radial velocity? What kinds of biases exist in our current exoplanet discoveries—what are we more likely to detect and why? How has the discovery of thousands of exoplanets changed scientific ideas about planetary systems? What are 'habitable zones,' and what are the limits of using this concept to judge a planet’s potential for life? Which recent exoplanet findings have captured your attention, and what made them stand out?

What basic conditions do scientists usually consider necessary for life as we know it? How do environments like hydrothermal vents or subsurface oceans expand our ideas of where life could exist? What kinds of evidence would be most convincing that life exists or once existed beyond Earth? How might discovering even simple life elsewhere affect philosophical, religious or cultural beliefs on Earth? Do you think intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is likely or unlikely, and why?

How have robotic missions, landers and rovers transformed our knowledge of other worlds? What are the benefits and limitations of robotic exploration compared with sending humans? How do engineering, politics and international collaboration shape which missions get approved and funded? What ethical questions arise about contaminating other worlds with Earth microbes or altering their environments? If you could design the next major planetary mission, where would it go and what would it try to discover?