MadSci Network: Astronomy |
Explain why so little hydrogen is detected in the Earth's atmosphere. If the Earth were at Jupiter's distance from the Sun, would you expect it to have more atmospheric hydrogen? Would it have as much as Jupiter? I think I know part of the answer, but please correct me or add to it. The earth's atmosphere has only a little hydrogen since hydrogen is very light and it tends to move farther away from Earth (that's why Jovian planets have more hydrogen). If Earth were at Jupiter's distance from the Sun, I will expect it to have more atmospheric hydrogen, since the distance from the Sun is farther than the distance from Earth to Sun. However, I won't expect it to have as much hydrogen as Jupiter since its mass and volume is less than Jupiter.
Re: Earth at Jupiter's Distance (pls see below for the entire question)
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