The Center for Planetary Research at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

was created in February 2001 when the

planetary science Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of ...

groups from the

Niels Bohr Institute The Niels Bohr Institute () is a research institute of the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics, and biophysics. Overview The institute was foun ...

(Danish: Niels Bohr Institutet) (also known as Niels Bohr Institute for Astronomy, Physics and Geophysics; short ''NBIfAFG'') and the

Danish Space Research Institute Danish Space Research Institute (DSRI) (Danish language, Danish: ''Dansk Rumforskningsinstitut'', short ''DRI'' or ''DRKI'') was the space agency of Denmark from 1966 to 2005. It was a Danish sector research institute formed in 1966 under the Danish ...

(DSRI) anish: Dansk Rumforskningsinstitut, short ''DRI'' or ''DRKI''were merged. It no longer existed in August 2011. Together with associated national and international groups it aimed to strengthen planetary research in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and to provide a platform for the education of planetary researchers. It spanned a broad range of disciplines from

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

, and space instrumentation to

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

Purposes

The purposes were: * To gather and develop initiatives in planetary science * To participate internationally in planetary science missions through development of instruments for ESA and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

missions * To use existing and ongoing observations to model the conditions on the

planet A planet is a large, Hydrostatic equilibrium, rounded Astronomical object, astronomical body that is generally required to be in orbit around a star, stellar remnant, or brown dwarf, and is not one itself. The Solar System has eight planets b ...

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

s, and

meteorite A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...

s, thereby gaining knowledge on their formation,

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

, and present conditions. * To create an active, international research environment.

Partnerships

The Center for Planetary Research was partnered with 3 institutes, the

Natural History Museum of Denmark The Natural History Museum of Denmark () is a natural history museum located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen The museum became an organizational entity in 2004 with the merger of Copenhagen's Zoological ...

, the

and the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. The engage in research and information exchange, with the Center of Planetary Research acting as part of the University of Copenhagen. Research at the institute if funded in part by the Danish National Research Foundation and the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

References

External links

* {{authority control Space science organizations Research institutes in Denmark