Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: thedoc on 22/02/2011 18:07:39

Title: Does the moon have no atmosphere?
Post by: thedoc on 22/02/2011 18:07:39

Why does the moon have no atmosphere at all?
Ray from Rylstone Australia
Asked by Ray Etherton, via Facebook


                                       

Go to the show page. (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/show/2011.02.20/)

                                       

[chapter podcast=3022 track=11.02.20/Naked_Scientists_Show_11.02.20_7956.mp3](https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenakedscientists.com%2FHTML%2Ftypo3conf%2Fext%2Fnaksci_podcast%2Fgnome-settings-sound.gif&hash=f2b0d108dc173aeaa367f8db2e2171bd)  or Listen to the Answer[/chapter] or [download as MP3] (http://nakeddiscovery.com/downloads/split_individual/11.02.20/Naked_Scientists_Show_11.02.20_7956.mp3)

Title: Why does the moon have no atmosphere?
Post by: thedoc on 22/02/2011 18:07:39

We posed this question to Peter Braesicke from the University of Cambridge...
Peter -   I think the Moon is just too small.  There's not enough gravity there to keep an atmosphere and so, because the Earth is much, much bigger, it is able to keep the atmosphere gravitationally together and so, that's why we enjoy the benefit of the atmosphere.

Title: Why does the moon have no atmosphere?
Post by: CPT ArkAngel on 23/02/2011 07:10:43

yes, the mass of the moon is too small. The moon's gravity is too weak to keep gas or even liquid particles on its surface, due to ambient energy coming from the sun and from its core, in particular during its young age when it was very hot. The energy accelerates the particles to speeds beyond the escape velocity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_velocity

Title: None
Post by: John Handshoe on 24/10/2014 04:45:04

Actually, the moon does have an atmosphere.  See this article from NASA.  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LADEE/news/lunar-atmosphere.html#.VEnKaOeKv6o