The Size of the Planet Matters
|
Mercury (small) |
Venus (medium sized) |
Jupiter (very large) |
|
|
|
|
Hydrogen (H) |
less than 1 hour |
days |
over the age of the Universe |
|
|
|
|
Helium (He) |
roughly 1 day |
100 times the age of the solar system |
over the age of the Universe |
|
|
|
|
Oxygen (O) |
800 million years |
over the age of the Universe |
over the age of the Universe |
|
|
|
|
This table shows the time it takes, on average, for a few common atmospheric gases to escape the gravity of a planet. The table shows that as the planets get larger (more massive), it is harder for the gases to escape. The table shows that the average time for any gas to escape from Jupiter's gravity is much too long. The same is true for all the Giant planets. Therefore it is likely that all the gases in Uranus' atmosphere are probably the original gases swept up by the proto-Uranus.
Return to atmosphere
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The mesosphere of Uranus is a region of balance between warming and cooling. That essentially means that nothing happens there. Except for diffusion, the atmosphere is still. Upper reaches of the atmosphere,
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As on Earth, the atmosphere of Uranus consists of a troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. The troposphere is the region where the visible clouds are to be found. The stratosphere, as
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On Uranus, as on Jupiter, the winds in the belts and zones blow first in one direction, then in the opposite direction. Wind blows east in a belt, and west in a zone. The clouds rise up in a belt, and
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The clouds of Uranus, composed of methane crystals, are found very low in the troposphere, and are difficult to distinquish below the smog haz es of the planet's atmosphere. False color is used, in the
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In this picture, the view of the north poles of the Earth and Uranus are shown together. In the view of the Earth, the sun is shining from the left, and part of the north pole is in daylight and part of
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