Research into the solar system, known as planetology, planetary science, or planetary astronomy, covers a diverse section of the sciences, with areas of study ranging between microscopic grains and the gas giant planets. This, combined with the general comparisons with analogous systems on the Earth involves interdisciplinary work. Research tends to be done by a combination of ground based observations, remote spacecraft observations, and both experimental and theoretical work based on Earth. It shares many interests with the Earth Sciences.

When the discipline concerns itself with a celestial body in particular, a specialised term is used, as shown in the table below (only Heliology, Geology and Selenology are in common use):

Body	Term
Sun	Heliology
Mercury	Hermeology
Venus	Cytherology
Earth	Geology
Moon	Selenology
Mars	Areology
Jupiter	Zenology
Saturn	Kronology
Uranus	Uranology
Neptune	Poseidology
Pluto	Hadeology

Basic Concepts:

• brown dwarfs
• gas giant planets
• terrestrial planets
• icy moons
• asteroids
• comets
• earthquake
• equatorial bulge
• Kuiper belt
• magnetosphere
• the Pluto debate
• precession
• the Sun
• solar-terrestrial interaction
• space weather
• synchronous rotation
• extrasolar planets
• super Jupiter

General subfields within astronomy