Why doesn't the atmosphere leak into space?

Question

...or does it?

Answer 1

The gravitational pull of earth is sufficiently strong to hold almost all oxygen and nitrogen and heavier molecules together and prevent them from escaping into outer space. Hydrogen and Helium which were originally present, leaked out a long while ago and that is why you won't find them in the earth's atmosphere, except in trace quantities.

The gravitational pull of Jupiter for example is so strong that even Hydrogen is present in Jovian atmosphere. Moon on the other hand has practically no atmosphere because the gravity is only 1/6th of that of earth. Mars too has a rather thin atmosphere because its gravity is much less compared to earth.

As one of the other answerers mentioned, a little leak may take place under some circumstances.

Answer 2

Same reason you don't leak into space, gravity holds the atmosphere to the earth.

Answer 3

this is explained in a few ways. one is the popular concept of gravity and the other is by the rms speed. hydrogen and the light gases have low molecular mass, hence high rms speed and escape(or leak) but heavy gases which make the atmosphere have low rms speed so remain close to the earth. of course this depends on gravity a bit but molecules of gas have negligible mass so according to sir newton it doesn't matter.

Answer 4

Earth's gravity is strong enough to contain the atmosphere. Just like Venus and other planets with strong enough gravity.

Answer 5

SOLAR WIND SQUEEZES SOME OF EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE INTO SPACE
Researchers using NASA's Polar spacecraft have found the first direct evidence that bursts of energy from the Sun can cause oxygen and other gases to gush from Earth's upper atmosphere into space

Answer 6

definite, Earth loses Hydrogen off of the final of the ambience simply by fact the photograph voltaic wind has severe adequate velocity to get the very low mass of of H2 molecules as much as flee velocity. The photograph voltaic wind has larger velocity at Venus, so extra massive molecules get, like water, gets blown off the final of Venus' environment, and Venus does not have a international magnetic field the two. H2 is electrically impartial, so as quickly because it gets severe adequate in the ambience for the photograph voltaic wind to impression the H2 molecules and H atoms, maximum of it somewhat is protons with severe velocity, it somewhat is adequate to blow hydrogen off the final of Earth's environment, however the oxygen is heavy adequate to sink or no longer get stripped off, yet an exceptionally small share of N2 and O2 gets gets stripped off very slowly. Water is replenished to the ambience by employing volcanoes as nicely to the water that comes from the water cycle which you found out approximately at college.

Answer 7

Gravity attracts it towards earth

u must have heard that there is no atmosphere at moon.

because there is not so powerful gravitational force.

Answer 8

Gravity holds the gases to the Earth.

Answer 9

Gravity sucks.

Answer 10

gravity