atmosphere
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.5|The atmospheric gases around Earth Rayleigh scattering|scatter blue light (shorter wavelengths) more than light toward the red end (longer wavelengths) of the [[visible spectrum; thus, a blue glow over the horizon is seen when observing Earth from outer space. The Moon is visible in the background.]]
AI overview
Earth's atmosphere is the layer of gases that surrounds our planet, which scatters blue light more than red light—an effect that creates the blue glow visible from space. This atmospheric layer matters because it affects how light behaves around Earth, influencing what we see when observing our planet from outer space.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Occurrence and compositions
- Origins
- Compositions
- Exoplanets
- Atmospheres in the Solar System
- Conditions
- Structure
- Terrestrial planets
- Gas giants
- Circulation
- Escape
- Terrain
- Fields of study
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|upright=1.5|The atmospheric gases around Earth Rayleigh scattering|scatter blue light (shorter wavelengths) more than light toward the red end (longer wavelengths) of the [[visible spectrum; thus, a blue glow over the horizon is seen when observing Earth from outer space. The Moon is visible in the background.]]
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. The name originates . An object acquires most of its atmosphere during its primordial epoch, either by accretion of matter or by outgassing of volatiles. The chemical interaction of the atmosphere with the solid surface can change its fundamental composition, as can photochemical interaction with the Sun. A planet retains an atmosphere for longer durations when the gravity is high and the temperature is low. The solar wind works to strip away a planet's outer atmosphere, although this process is slowed by a magnetosphere. The further a body is from the Sun, the lower the rate of atmospheric stripping.