areography

/ ˌɛərɪˈɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the description of the physical features, such as the surface, atmosphere, etc, of the planet Mars

Word History and Origins

Origin of areography¹

C19: from Greek Areos Mars + _-graphy

Example Sentences

Areography, ā-re-ō′gra-fi, n. description of the physical features of the planet Mars.

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In 1659, Huyghens laid the foundation stone of areography by observing some dark spots, and determining from their apparent movements that the planet had a rotation on its axis, which it accomplished in about the same time as the Earth.

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Gradually, as telescopes improved and observers increased in number, the principal features of the planet were disclosed and charted, and ``areography,'' as the geography of Mars was called, took its place among the recognized branches of astronomical study.

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But it was not before 1877 that a fundamentally new discovery in areography gave a truly sensational turn to speculation about life on ``the red planet.''

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