• Question: why is earths atmosphere different to other planets?

    Asked by to Edward, Ian, Mathew, Naomi, sakshisharda on 20 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Naomi Osborne

      Naomi Osborne answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Great question!

      This is partly because of how Earth was made after the big bang. All the planets were formed from a disc of swirling gas and dust which clumped together – and what clumped together varies for each planet which is why they have different compositions.

      Secondly, the distance Earth is from the sun is in a habitable zone – not too hot, or not too cold. It’s this constant temperature which keeps gases in our atmosphere from escaping (like it does on Mercury because it’s too hot) or condensing into rocks because it’s too cold (like on Mars). Our atmosphere was formed from gas given off from volcanoes, but has been changed by bacteria and then plants into what it is today.

    • Photo: Sakshi Sharda

      Sakshi Sharda answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Earths atmosphere is different from other planets because we are at the right distance from the sun, just as Naomi mentions. But the composition of the atmosphere is what makes our planet livable. Initially our atmosphere was dominated by carbon dioxide and almost no oxygen. However, after the formation of the pigment called chlorophyll, photosynthetic or green plants emerged on the earth. These caused a change in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide (because they take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen) and we are able to breathe today. We are possibly the only ones to have oxygen in our atmosphere, thanks to plants! 🙂

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