Difference between Astrophysics and Planetary Science?

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
1 reply · 3K views
lightningmil
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
What are the main differences between Astrophysics* and Planetary Science? What are their roles? And, which of the two is responsible for the first cloud map of a planet outside of our solar system?
http://www.space.com/23043-alien-planet-cloud-map-image-kepler-7b.html

*I mean just the Planet Formation and Evolution part.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Planetary science is properly a subset of astrophysics.
Neither and both are "responsible" for the cloud map of an exo-planet.
Who gets the credit depends on where it was first published... but, since the map is from direct observation, I'd say it was "astronomy".