if we are spinning so fast what keeps the air from flying away?gravity?
2007-10-31 09:44:17 · 9 answers · asked by Brockdaddy 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
You betcha. Earth's gravity keeps air, water and us stuck to the surface of the planet. The spinning alone is not enough to send atmosphere into space. Also, there is the detail of the magnetic field that keeps most of the sun's radiation away from us. Without a magnetic field, the air molecules would start to break and atom by atom the atmosphere would be lost into space. This is said to be ocurring in mars (but as you may notice, mars still has an atmophere after all these years)
2007-10-31 09:51:52 · answer #1 · answered by Overgun 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Mostly it's Earth's gravity. We're not spinning fast enough for the atmosphere to be flung off.
2007-10-31 16:54:59 · answer #2 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Gravity holds the air to the Earth, yes.
2007-10-31 16:47:48 · answer #3 · answered by Arkalius 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Earths gravitational force is responsible for holding our atmosphere in place. Also, motion is relative. We are spinning fast, but the atmosphere is spinning just as fast as earths surface is. So relative to each other, they stay in the same place (not taking into account weather, etc...).
2007-10-31 16:58:43 · answer #4 · answered by Dan 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Gravity.
And just to make my answer more interesting than everyone else's, our atmosphere would be much thicker if it weren't for solar wind. The sun "blows" away portions of the atmosphere with a constant storm of charged particles, and obviously there's enough left behind to support life, but if that stupid sun weren't there, we'd enjoy a far heartier atmosphere.
Stupid sun.
2007-10-31 18:58:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, gravity.
2007-10-31 17:13:30 · answer #6 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Atmospheric gases don't exceed escape velocity.
2007-10-31 16:52:07 · answer #7 · answered by BB 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sticky stuff in the air.
2007-10-31 17:15:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
YES.
GRAVITY.
2007-10-31 17:30:00 · answer #9 · answered by zahbudar 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋