Bufofrog Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 6 minutes ago, beecee said: Terraforming Mars is one of the great dreams of humanity. It is? I thought it was basically a big science fiction subject. I have heard the importance of a magnetic field to keep an atmosphere, but then I think of Venus which has an absurdly dense atmosphere and almost no magnetic field. So how important can it be. If this last part is considered a hijack please disregard, that was not my intention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 The atmosphere of Venus is mostly CO2, so it’s heavier. Venus also has a strongly circulating ionosphere, which creates a magnetic field - it’s not an internal source. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beecee Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 47 minutes ago, Bufofrog said: It is? I thought it was basically a big science fiction subject. I thought much of what is/was science fiction, is always a dream...as putting boots on the Moon once was. 48 minutes ago, Bufofrog said: I have heard the importance of a magnetic field to keep an atmosphere, but then I think of Venus which has an absurdly dense atmosphere and almost no magnetic field. So how important can it be. If this last part is considered a hijack please disregard, that was not my intention. As per what swansont says, and not sure if this counts or not, but it's rotational/spin velocity is pretty slow...a day on Venus is longer (243 Earth days) then its year ( 225 Earth days) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bufofrog Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 1 hour ago, swansont said: The atmosphere of Venus is mostly CO2, so it’s heavier. Venus also has a strongly circulating ionosphere, which creates a magnetic field - it’s not an internal source. Thanks, that makes sense. Maybe the CO2 and heavier gases like H2SO4 are what is left of the atmosphere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 28 minutes ago, Bufofrog said: Thanks, that makes sense. Maybe the CO2 and heavier gases like H2SO4 are what is left of the atmosphere. That’s my understanding. There’s a little nitrogen, and the oxygen is all bound up in heavier molecules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beecee Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 4 hours ago, swansont said: That’s my understanding. There’s a little nitrogen, and the oxygen is all bound up in heavier molecules. Would the slow spin rate have any bearing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 6 hours ago, beecee said: Would the slow spin rate have any bearing? No idea. I wouldn’t be surprised if it impacted the motion of the ionosphere (the primary source of the magnetic field), since you’d expect a decent temperature gradient, but we have a decent temperature gradient here on earth. Proximity to the sun is another variable, and I don’t know how that all combines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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