• Question: @what will the atmosphere be like without gravity

    Asked by Mark to Barbara on 24 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Barbara Shih

      Barbara Shih answered on 24 Mar 2015:


      Without gravity, there will be no atmosphere. Gravity is what keeps a planet’s gaseous atmosphere from spreading out into the space, away from the planet. Gravity is related to mass; the bigger the mass, the more gravitational effects it has on its atmosphere. For example, the moon is very small and its gravity is not able to hold on to gases (therefore has no atmosphere).
      Here is a link with more detailed explanation.
      http://quest.nasa.gov/aero/planetary/atmospheric/gravity.html

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