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Why do outer planets have a thicker atmospheres than the inner planets?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Gravity is the force that keeps an atmosphere in place, surrounding a planet. Since there is no actual roof or container holding in the atmosphere, gas can always leak away into outer space, if it is not held in place by gravity. So the stronger the gravitational force, the more atmosphere can be retained. Large planets have a lot of hydrogen in their atmosphere, but hydrogen leaks away from smaller planets. Large planets attracted more gas when they were originally formed, as well. Remember that the solar system itself, and everything in it, originally condensed out of an interstellar cloud of gas and dust.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoThere is no simple relationship, but the general tendency is that more massive planets have more gravitational attraction, and are able to maintain a denser atmosphere. The amount of atmosphere a planet has may also depend on it closeness to the Sun / to the planet's star, and to its evolutionary history.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agono, these are the gas giants, or four outer gas planets. The terrestrial planets are the four inner planets, which are much smaller.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoBecause the outer planets are made up of mostly gas and dust particles
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoIt varies. Mercury has almost no atmosphere at all, while Venus has a thick atmosphere. It is not as thick as the atmosphere of a gas giant.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoNo. Only Venus has a really thick atmosphere. Mars has only a thin atmosphere and Mercury has almost no atmosphere.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoyes
Anonymous
mars
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How are the inner planets different from the outer planets in size and make up?
Outer planets are made up of gas and dust particles, have thicker atmospheres and are bigger due to their place in orbit around the sun, while inner planets are mostly solid particles, warmer, and closer to the sun because of their gravitational attraction to it.
Which planets have a thick atmosphere?
Define thick - all 4 outer planets plus Venus have thicker atmospheres than Earth.
Which planets in the solar system are referred to as the inner planets and outer planets?
The 4 Inner planets (mostly rocky and solid):MercuryVenusEarthMarsThe 4 Outer planets (mostly dense gaseous atmospheres):JupiterSaturnUranusNeptuneNotes:Pluto, a dwarf planet, was an outer planet before it got reclassified, but resembles the inner planets.The inner and outer planets are separated by the asteroid belt.When dwarf planets are included, Ceres counts as an inner planet and all the other dwarf planets count as outer planets.
Characteristics of outer planets?
The four outer planets; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are all much larger than the inner planets. These outer planets have no real surface, they are composed mainly of Hydrogen and helium gas, which gets thicker and thicker until the extreme pressures closer to the core of the planets change the state of the gases. The outer planets are much colder than the inner planets due to their distance from the sun, they take much longer to orbit the sun due to this distance. The outer planets are a lot larger than the inner planets.
Do outer planets have atmospheres?
Yes
Do inner planets have thicker atmospheres than outer planets?
no
How are the inner planets different from the outer planets in size and make up?
Outer planets are made up of gas and dust particles, have thicker atmospheres and are bigger due to their place in orbit around the sun, while inner planets are mostly solid particles, warmer, and closer to the sun because of their gravitational attraction to it.
Which planets have a thick atmosphere?
Define thick - all 4 outer planets plus Venus have thicker atmospheres than Earth.
Which planets in the solar system are referred to as the inner planets and outer planets?
The 4 Inner planets (mostly rocky and solid):MercuryVenusEarthMarsThe 4 Outer planets (mostly dense gaseous atmospheres):JupiterSaturnUranusNeptuneNotes:Pluto, a dwarf planet, was an outer planet before it got reclassified, but resembles the inner planets.The inner and outer planets are separated by the asteroid belt.When dwarf planets are included, Ceres counts as an inner planet and all the other dwarf planets count as outer planets.
Do only the inner planets have atmospheres?
Negative, not only do the inner planets have atmospheres, but the outer planets also have atmospheres. The masses of the outer planets are great, enough easily to hold an atmosphere. In fact it's Mercury, an inner planet, that has almost no atmosphere. True, Mercury has a less mass and the closeness to the sun make it impossible to hold on a atmosphere. As matter in fact, Mars had a atmosphere, but the solar wind had almost eaten all the atmosphere that Mars had.
What is the main difference between the inner planets and the outer planets?
The inner planets are smaller, and do not have the dense atmospheres of the outer planets. The four inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) have warmer temperatures than the exteriors of the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune).The "gas giants" have very hot lower atmospheres, caused by the intense pressure. The atmospheres are mostly hydrogen, but for Uranus and Neptune there are higher levels of water, methane, and ammonia. All of the gas giants have multiple moons and rings, the most visible being the ice rings around Saturn.they are divided by inner and outer and the outer planet are the planets that have bigger planets.
Why are inner planets different than outer planets?
Inner planets. are inner & outer planets. are outer
Characteristics of outer planets?
The four outer planets; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are all much larger than the inner planets. These outer planets have no real surface, they are composed mainly of Hydrogen and helium gas, which gets thicker and thicker until the extreme pressures closer to the core of the planets change the state of the gases. The outer planets are much colder than the inner planets due to their distance from the sun, they take much longer to orbit the sun due to this distance. The outer planets are a lot larger than the inner planets.
Do outer planets have atmospheres?
Yes
Why is the atmosphere thick in the outer planets?
The outer planets have thick atmospheres because they are so big. The bigger the planet, the stronger the gravitational pull. This means that the bigger planets pull in more gasses, which creates a bigger, thicker atmosphere.
What are two similarities about the inner and outer planets?
The inner planets, otherwise known as the terrestrial planets all are: -rocky/more dense (unlike the gaseous outer planets) -closest to the sun -smallest planets
What is the inner and outer planets and contrast the two groups of planets?
The four inner, rocky planets are also known as the terrestrial planets. These are; Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The four outer gas giant planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The inner planets are smaller and have a higher average density. The outer planets are much larger, but have no real surface - just atmosphere that gets thicker as you travel inwards. The outer planets all have a ring system (the inner planets dont) while the outer planets have captured a lot more natural satellites or moons than the inner planets.
