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The planet Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are sometimes called the Gas Giants because so much of the mass of these planets consists of a gaseous atmosphere. These bodies generally lie far from the sun. The low-percentage objects are among the smallest bodies in the solar system.
- 10 Things: Planetary Atmospheres - NASA Science
3. Venus ’ atmosphere, like Mars’, is nearly all carbon...
- The Composition of Planetary Atmospheres - NASA
– Which planet has the atmosphere with the greatest number...
- 10 Things: Planetary Atmospheres - NASA Science
- On Earth, we live in the troposphere, the closest atmospheric layer to Earth’s surface. “Tropos” means “change,” and the name reflects our constantly changing weather and mixture of gases.
- Mars has a very thin atmosphere, nearly all carbon dioxide. Because of the Red Planet’s low atmospheric pressure, and with little methane or water vapor to reinforce the weak greenhouse effect (warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from the planet toward space), Mars’ surface remains quite cold, the average surface temperature being about -82 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 63 degrees Celsius).
- Venus’ atmosphere, like Mars’, is nearly all carbon dioxide. However, Venus has about 154,000 times more carbon dioxide in its atmosphere than Earth (and about 19,000 times more than Mars does), producing a runaway greenhouse effect and a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead.
- Jupiter likely has three distinct cloud layers (composed of ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide and water) in its "skies" that, taken together, span an altitude range of about 44 miles (71 kilometers).
- Overview
- The atmospheres of other planets
Astronomical bodies retain an atmosphere when their escape velocity is significantly larger than the average molecular velocity of the gases present in the atmosphere. There are 8 planets and over 160 moons in the solar system. Of these, the planets Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have significant atmospheres. Pluto (a dwarf planet) may have an appreciable atmosphere, but perhaps only when its highly elliptical orbit is closest to the Sun. Of the moons, only Titan, a moon of Saturn, is known to have a thick atmosphere. Much of what is known of these planets and their moons has resulted from the Pioneer, Viking, Mariner, Voyager, and Venera space probes.
The atmosphere of Venus is about 96 percent carbon dioxide, with surface temperatures of about 737 K (464 °C, or 867 °F). Clouds on Venus are made of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and move in an easterly circulation of about 100 metres per second (224 miles per hour). Venus itself rotates only once every 243 Earth days. Surface pressures on Venus are about 95,000 millibars. (By contrast, Earth has a sea-level pressure of about 1,000 millibars.)
Mars, in contrast, has a thin atmosphere composed of about 95 percent carbon dioxide, with the remainder being mostly diatomic nitrogen. Traces of water vapour also occur. Mars has a mean surface air temperature estimated at 210 K (−63 °C, or −82 °F), and surface pressures hover near 6 millibars. Both water and carbon dioxide clouds are observed on Mars, and it has well-defined seasons. In addition to periodic regional and global dust storms, cyclonic storms and clouds, associated with the boundary between cold air (from the polar cap) and warm air (from the mid-latitudes), have been observed on the planet. The rotation rate of Mars is close to the rotation rate of Earth. Evidence of river channels on Mars indicates that liquid water was present and atmospheric density was much higher in the planet’s geologic past.
Along with Earth, Venus and Mars have atmospheres that were primarily formed as a result of volcanic gas emissions, although the evolution of these gases on each planet has been very different. On Mars, for example, temperatures are currently so low that most of the water vapour emitted by volcanoes has apparently been deposited as ice within the crustal soils. The closer proximity of Venus to the Sun, and the resultant higher temperatures, may have led to the loss of most of the water from that planet—most likely through the dissolution of water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen gas was lost to space; oxygen was combined with other elements through oxidation; and carbon dioxide (produced by volcanic emissions) accumulated to high concentrations. In contrast, much of the carbon dioxide in Earth’s early atmosphere became part of the crustal materials, and the buildup of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere is a result of photosynthesis by plants. The development of Earth’s habitable atmosphere, as contrasted with the torrid climate of Venus, appears to be directly related to Earth’s distance from the Sun. Current analysis suggests that Earth’s atmosphere would have evolved to the form found on Venus if the planet had been only 5 percent closer during the evolution of the atmosphere.
On the remainder of the planets, the atmospheres appear to have retained the primordial nature associated with their formation. The air on Jupiter and Saturn, for example, is made up of nearly 100 percent diatomic hydrogen (H2) and helium (He), with small contributions of methane (CH4) and other chemical compounds. Much less is known regarding the atmospheres of the somewhat smaller Jovian planets Uranus and Neptune, although both are thought to be similar to those of Jupiter and Saturn.
On both Jupiter and Saturn, colourful cloud bands and other regional phenomena that are located at different altitudes and latitudes circulate at speeds up to several hundreds of metres per second relative to each other. The large velocity shears associated with this motion create turbulent eddies on these planets—most notably Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. The bright zones on these planets correspond to the tops of upwelling clouds in the cold upper atmosphere, whereas the more colourful bands correspond to the relatively warm lower atmosphere and may be associated with the occurrence of sulfur and phosphorus compounds. Both aurora displays and intense lightning have been observed on Jupiter and Saturn.
Astronomical bodies retain an atmosphere when their escape velocity is significantly larger than the average molecular velocity of the gases present in the atmosphere. There are 8 planets and over 160 moons in the solar system. Of these, the planets Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have significant atmospheres. Pluto (a dwarf planet) may have an appreciable atmosphere, but perhaps only when its highly elliptical orbit is closest to the Sun. Of the moons, only Titan, a moon of Saturn, is known to have a thick atmosphere. Much of what is known of these planets and their moons has resulted from the Pioneer, Viking, Mariner, Voyager, and Venera space probes.
The atmosphere of Venus is about 96 percent carbon dioxide, with surface temperatures of about 737 K (464 °C, or 867 °F). Clouds on Venus are made of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and move in an easterly circulation of about 100 metres per second (224 miles per hour). Venus itself rotates only once every 243 Earth days. Surface pressures on Venus are about 95,000 millibars. (By contrast, Earth has a sea-level pressure of about 1,000 millibars.)
Mars, in contrast, has a thin atmosphere composed of about 95 percent carbon dioxide, with the remainder being mostly diatomic nitrogen. Traces of water vapour also occur. Mars has a mean surface air temperature estimated at 210 K (−63 °C, or −82 °F), and surface pressures hover near 6 millibars. Both water and carbon dioxide clouds are observed on Mars, and it has well-defined seasons. In addition to periodic regional and global dust storms, cyclonic storms and clouds, associated with the boundary between cold air (from the polar cap) and warm air (from the mid-latitudes), have been observed on the planet. The rotation rate of Mars is close to the rotation rate of Earth. Evidence of river channels on Mars indicates that liquid water was present and atmospheric density was much higher in the planet’s geologic past.
Along with Earth, Venus and Mars have atmospheres that were primarily formed as a result of volcanic gas emissions, although the evolution of these gases on each planet has been very different. On Mars, for example, temperatures are currently so low that most of the water vapour emitted by volcanoes has apparently been deposited as ice within the crustal soils. The closer proximity of Venus to the Sun, and the resultant higher temperatures, may have led to the loss of most of the water from that planet—most likely through the dissolution of water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen gas was lost to space; oxygen was combined with other elements through oxidation; and carbon dioxide (produced by volcanic emissions) accumulated to high concentrations. In contrast, much of the carbon dioxide in Earth’s early atmosphere became part of the crustal materials, and the buildup of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere is a result of photosynthesis by plants. The development of Earth’s habitable atmosphere, as contrasted with the torrid climate of Venus, appears to be directly related to Earth’s distance from the Sun. Current analysis suggests that Earth’s atmosphere would have evolved to the form found on Venus if the planet had been only 5 percent closer during the evolution of the atmosphere.
On the remainder of the planets, the atmospheres appear to have retained the primordial nature associated with their formation. The air on Jupiter and Saturn, for example, is made up of nearly 100 percent diatomic hydrogen (H2) and helium (He), with small contributions of methane (CH4) and other chemical compounds. Much less is known regarding the atmospheres of the somewhat smaller Jovian planets Uranus and Neptune, although both are thought to be similar to those of Jupiter and Saturn.
On both Jupiter and Saturn, colourful cloud bands and other regional phenomena that are located at different altitudes and latitudes circulate at speeds up to several hundreds of metres per second relative to each other. The large velocity shears associated with this motion create turbulent eddies on these planets—most notably Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. The bright zones on these planets correspond to the tops of upwelling clouds in the cold upper atmosphere, whereas the more colourful bands correspond to the relatively warm lower atmosphere and may be associated with the occurrence of sulfur and phosphorus compounds. Both aurora displays and intense lightning have been observed on Jupiter and Saturn.
- Roger A. Pielke
Dec 4, 2022 · The atmosphere of Mars is around 90% carbon dioxide, yet the atmosphere itself is too thin to induce any kind of significant greenhouse effect, and so the surface remains bitterly cold. Jupiter Image of Jupiter taken by Hubble. Image credit: NASA/ESA. Jupiter is the largest, most massive planet in the solar system. Despite its large size, its ...
The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth. It helps make life possible by providing us with air to breathe, shielding us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation coming from the Sun, trapping heat to warm the planet, and preventing extreme temperature differences between day and night. Without the atmosphere, temperatures ...
The atmosphere has a mass of about 5.15 × 10 18 kg, [3] three quarters of which is within about 11 km (6.8 mi; 36,000 ft) of the surface. The atmosphere becomes thinner with increasing altitude, with no definite boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. The Kármán line, at 100 km (62 mi) or 1.57% of Earth's radius, is often used as ...
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– Which planet has the atmosphere with the greatest number of kilograms of oxygen? Answer: Only two planets have detectable oxygen: Earth and Mercury. Though mercury has the highest percentage of oxygen making up its atmosphere, the number of kilograms of oxygen is only 1000 kg x 0.42 = 420 kilograms. By comparison,
