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mee
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If Mars used to have a denser atmosphere in the past, could Earth have had one as well?
Are you referring to comments stating that Mars once had a denser atmosphere than it has NOW, which is almost nothing? Mars lost most of it's atmosphere due perhaps to the loss of it's magnetic shield. Earth has a magnetic shield which helps prevent loss of the atmosphere. You might enjoy this explanation.mee said:If Mars used to have a denser atmosphere in the past, could Earth have had one as well?
Evo said:Are you referring to comments stating that Mars once had a denser atmosphere than it has NOW, which is almost nothing? Mars lost most of it's atmosphere due perhaps to the loss of it's magnetic shield. Earth has a magnetic shield which helps prevent loss of the atmosphere. You might enjoy this explanation.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast31jan_1.htm [Broken]
Venus is an odd one. I know you study Venus extensively. Would the following explanation of the Bow Shock for Venus be correct?Andre said:I agree that this is the gist of the article, however planet Venus has no measurable magnetic field whatsoever, orders of magnitude smaller than Mars, futhermore it encounters a much more powerfull solar magnetic 'wind' and yet it has the densest atmosphere of all terrestrial planets.
Clearly, occam razor doesn't work that way.
DaveC426913 said:1] Earth did have a denser atmo in the past.
2] Mars has too small a gravity to hold its atmo. Venus is the same size as Earth.
3] It is suspected that Mars had a denser atmo in the past because otherwise it is very difficult to explain the overwhelming evidence of long-lasting, very large quantities of water on its surface. If its atmo had always been near vacuum as it is now, water could not have remained liquid the way it did.
croghan27 said:Just what is a 'magentic bubble?' I have seen magnets work - one end attracks and the other repells ... positive or negative as the case may be. If you put them in some iron filings you can even see the + and - factors in operation.
But what is a 'bubble', and why does it ward off, or reject the solar wind? What is the solar wind that it can be rejected?
DaveC426913 said:The solar wind is comprised of ions; they're magnetically charged. Google 'magnetosphere' to see how they are deflected.
The Early Earth Atmosphere refers to the gaseous layer that surrounded the Earth during its early history, approximately 4.5 billion years ago. This atmosphere was significantly different from the one we have today.
Yes, it is believed that the Earth's atmosphere was much thicker and denser in its early stages due to the intense volcanic activity and the release of gases from the Earth's interior. However, the exact composition and density of the early atmosphere are still a topic of ongoing research.
The early Earth atmosphere was mainly composed of carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrogen, and traces of other gases such as methane and ammonia. These gases were released from volcanic eruptions and chemical reactions in the Earth's interior.
The Earth's atmosphere has undergone significant changes over time. In the early stages, the atmosphere was mainly composed of carbon dioxide and water vapor. As the Earth cooled, these gases combined with other elements to form oceans and eventually, life. Through the process of photosynthesis, plants began to release oxygen into the atmosphere, which ultimately led to the formation of the oxygen-rich atmosphere we have today.
Studying the early Earth atmosphere is crucial for understanding the origin and evolution of our planet. It can also provide insights into the conditions that allowed life to develop and thrive on Earth. Additionally, studying the early atmosphere can help us understand how other planets in our solar system and beyond may have evolved.