Atmosphere

[TheDarkestNight]

I was wondering how exactly an atmosphere forms. I was looking around and to me it sounded like it's just gas pulled in by gravity. Also is the Moon's gravitational pull large enough to keep it's own atmosphere?

[Moontanman]

I was wondering how exactly an atmosphere forms. I was looking around and to me it sounded like it's just gas pulled in by gravity. Also is the Moon's gravitational pull large enough to keep it's own atmosphere?

 

The Earth has what is known as a secondary atmosphere, volcanic gasses left over after the hydrogen and helium escaped.

 

Gravity is what holds an atmosphere down but it's not an either or type thing. if you could somehow give the moon it's own atmosphere it could hold onto it for many thousands of years. The gases escape slowly over time, the lower the gravity the faster they escape.

[TheDarkestNight]

Does the moon have gases trapped inside it's rock?

[Moontanman]

Does the moon have gases trapped inside it's rock?

 

I am sure it does, there is evidence that at one time the moon was volcanically active, billions of years ago but for all practical purposes the moon lost any gases it might have had literally billions of years ago.

 

It does have traces of certain gasses, some might come from meteorite strikes or even active active volcanic vents but to us it's a quite good vacuum.

 

I'm not sure if there any gasses the moon might have that are heavy enough be held by it's gravity.

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here is a link

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_the_Moon