One of the main objectives of Nature Astronomy is to foster the development of comparative planetology studies, including exoplanets.
This field, whose purpose is to study how analogous phenomena of various kinds – physical, chemical, morphological and so forth – manifest themselves in different planets, has a key role in studying the main processes driving planetary formation, behaviour and evolution, as the following examples show.
These two essays by Bruce Gibb, from Nature Chemistry, provide an overview of Solar System organic chemistry.
- The first part focuses on the most inhospitable bodies in the Solar System and on ocean worlds.
- The second part (available for free for a limited time) discusses the giant planets and finally Titan, the Solar System body that hosts the most complex chemistry together with Earth.
Solar luminosity increases on geologic timescales: the present-day Sun is ~30% brighter than it was during Earth's early history. This Nature paper by Leconte and colleagues use an advanced 3D General Circulation Model to show how the climate of Earth-like planets reacts to increasing insolation.
This Editorial from Nature Geoscience discusses and compares recent planetary papers that highlight seasonal effects on the climate of various Solar System bodies, and the importance of long-term monitoring.