Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: acecharly on 28/08/2012 11:22:05
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Is it possible that a cloud of gas traveling through our solar system could blow the atmosphere of our planet?
Any thoughts
Cheers Ace
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There is a cloud of gas flowing through our solar system - the solar wind: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind
Fortunately, the Earth's magnetic field deflects the Solar Wind around the Earth; Mars has no magnetic field, and it is thought that the solar wind has contributed to the very thin atmosphere of Mars (< 1% of Earth's atmospheric pressure).
The Heliosphere is a large region around the Sun which is inflated by the Solar Wind, and provides some protection for the Solar System from clouds of gas coming in from interstellar space. This region is now being explored by the Voyager spacecraft, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliosphere
There are clouds of neutral hydrogen falling into galaxies, but the Sun's current position near the plane of the Milky Way means that the gas would be slowed somewhat before it hit us.
It is expected that the Sun will one day become a red giant star, which will dispose of Earth's atmosphere. But before that, a nearby supernova could do considerable damage, as could a large comet.
My conclusion: It is certainly possible, but we don't have any hot suspects at the moment.
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I've noticed more bright objects in the sky since almost 5 years such as the sun, stars, moon. Maybe the atmosphere has changed a bit, who knows.
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I've noticed more bright objects in the sky since almost 5 years such as the sun, stars, moon. Maybe the atmosphere has changed a bit, who knows.
In many parts of the world, there has been an effort to reduce pollution, so that atmosphere may in fact be changing making making night-time objects more visible.
Another type of pollution of particular concern to astronomers is called "light pollution". If you have moved to a darker locale, perhaps there is less light pollution. Camping in the open air in a secluded place on a moonless night can often present spectacular views of the night sky.
Anyway, what you are seeing likely has nothing to do with the interaction of Earth's atmosphere with other stellar phenomena, but rather changes in how humans are interacting with the atmosphere.
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@CliffordK
Hi there, what you think about Geo Engineering relative to atmosphere?