Planetary Atmospheres a Key to Assessing Possibilities for Life
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Nov 05, 2014 - A planetary atmosphere is a delicate thing. On Earth, we are familiar with the ozone hole - a tear in our upper atmosphere caused by human-created chemicals that thin away the ozone. Threats to an atmosphere, however, can also come from natural causes. If a big enough asteroid smacks into a planet, it can strip the atmosphere away. Radiation from a star can also make an atmosphere balloon, ... more

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