ASTR 101 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Magic 2Ch, Reducing Atmosphere, Galilean Moons
Document Summary
The primary atmosphere for every terrestrial world was composed mostly of light gases that accreted during initial formation. These gases are similar to the primordial mixture of gases found in the sun and jupiter. 5. 7% he and everything else less that 0. 1%. From the kinetic theory of gases, we know that the mean velocity of a bunch of atoms is set by the temperature of the planet"s surface. Remember our microscopic description of macroscopic quantities such as pressure and temperature. Higher temperatures translate into higher velocities for the atoms. Now consider of mix of elements in an atmosphere. Some atoms/molecules are low in mass (h, he) some are heavy (co2, h2o, etc). light elements are. The moving the heavy elements and can reach escape velocity. faster than. The second variable is the surface temperature of the planet. The inner worlds are closer to the sun, therefore warmer.
