- Industry: Astronomy
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Planetary Science Research Discoveries (PSRD) is an educational site sharing the latest research by NASA-sponsored scientists on meteorites, asteroids, planets, moons, and other materials in our Solar System. The website is supported by the Cosmochemistry Program of NASA's Science Mission ...
A term used in digital image processing to describe a unique, single picture element (or, a single data point on an image) which has a unique color (or brightness) value.
Industry:Astronomy
Theory formulated in the late 1960s that states the Earth's crust and upper mantle (a layer called the lithosphere) is broken into moving pieces called plates. The formation of mountains and volcanoes, and the occurrence of earthquakes have been explained using this theory.
Industry:Astronomy
Sudden motion or trembling of Earth caused by the abrupt release of slowly accumulated elastic energy in rocks.
Industry:Astronomy
The degree to which fine details in an image are separated or resolved.
Industry:Astronomy
Rocks or processes involving the formation and solidification of hot, molten magma.
Industry:Astronomy
Fine-grained, dark-colored extrusive igneous rock with less than about 52 weight percent silica (SiO<sub>2</sub>). Because of its low silica content, basalt has a low viscosity (resistance to flow. ) Basalt is composed primarily of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene; other minerals such as olivine and ilmenite are usually present. Basalt is the most common volcanic rock on the terrestrial planets.
Industry:Astronomy
Gamma rays are like the light we see with our eyes, the x-rays used to probe our bodies in search of problems, and the radio waves that our television sets translate into inane shows. The only difference among these types of electromagnetic radiation is the wavelengths of the waves and how fast they vibrate. Gamma rays are the most energetic (and vibrate the most); radio waves are the least energetic and vibrate the least.
Industry:Astronomy
Meteorites that have been identified through their chemistry and minerals as being from the Moon. (See Lunar Meteorites compiled by Randy Korotev from Washington University, St. Louis. )
Industry:Astronomy
The study of heat and its transformation to mechanical and other forms of energy.
Industry:Astronomy
U. S. Mission to Mars, launched in 1971, achieved global imaging of the surface, including the first detailed views of the Martian volcanoes, Valles Marineris, the polar caps, and the satellites Phobos and Deimos. The spacecraft gathered data on the atmospheric composition, density, pressure, and temperature and also the surface composition, temperature, gravity, and topography of Mars. Mariner 9 website.
Industry:Astronomy