Year of Space | The Geological Society of London

Our 2021 Year of Space lecture series

The Geology of Other Planets – a geological journey through our Solar System and beyond

Take a journey through the wonders of our Solar System with a team of expert planetary geologists and scientists! This lecture series will take you on a journey all the way from Mercury to Pluto and beyond, and show you how geologists here on Earth can examine rocks from space and the Earth itself to unpick the mysteries of our Solar System.

Explore the exciting series below.

The planets of the Solar System displayed on a black background slightly overlapping each other

Our Solar System – How Geology Began

Professor Sara Russell from the Natural History Museum takes us on a geological voyage around our Solar System, describing how the Solar System came to be as it is today and looking at rocks and landscapes on other planets.

Mercury

Explore volcanoes on Mercury and the history of formation through our past missions to our Solar System's smallest planet with Professor Dave Rothery from the Open University.

Venus

Explore the landscapes and geology of Venus with Dr Peter Grindrod from the Natural History Museum.

Mars

Explore the landscapes and rocks of Mars with planetary geologist Dr Matt Balme from The Open University.

Asteroids and Comets

Take a journey through the asteroid belt and learn about what comets are made of with Professor Alan Fitzsimmons from Queen's University, Belfast.

The Geology of the Moon

Dr Katie Joy from the University of Manchester takes us on a journey of lunar landscapes and rocks and how the Moon formed.

The Geology of Titan

Explore the geology of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, with Ralph Lorenz of the John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Maryland.

The Icy Moons

Explore the geology of the Icy Moons with Dr Claire Cousins, University of St Andrews.

The Geology of Pluto

Dr Veronica Bray from the University of Arizona explores the geology of Pluto.

The Geology of Planets Beyond our Solar System

Discover the geology of the extra solar planets with Dr Oli Shorttle of the University of Cambridge.