The Size of the Planet Matters
|
Mercury
(small) |
Venus
(medium sized) |
Jupiter
(very large) |
|
|
|
|
| Hydrogen (H) |
less than 1 hour |
days |
over the age of the Universe |
|
|
|
|
| Helium (He) |
roughly 1 day |
100 times the age of the solar system |
over the age of the Universe |
|
|
|
|
| Oxygen (O) |
800 million years |
over the age of the Universe |
over the age of the Universe |
|
|
|
|
Scientists think that the original air of many earth-like planets drifted away, and the air they have today came out from inside the planet.
This table shows the time it takes for some of the molecules of the air to escape from a planet. The table shows that as the planets get bigger, it is harder for the molecules to escape.
The table shows that the average time for any molecules to escape from Jupiter's gravity is much too long. The same is true for all the Giant planets. Therefore probably all the molecules in Saturn's atmosphere are the same ones drawn to the planet when it was forming.
Return to atmosphere
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