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II. Short Answer Questions · Q3

Q.Why moon has no atmosphere?

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✓ Free question

Step 1. Every gas has a characteristic rms speed, vrms=3kT/mv_{rms}=\sqrt{3kT/m}, set by its temperature and molecular mass.

Step 2. Every astronomical body has its own escape speed, set by its mass and radius -- the minimum speed an object needs to permanently break free of that body's gravity.

Step 3. The Moon has very low mass and a small radius compared with the Earth, giving it a correspondingly much lower escape speed than Earth's.

Step 4. For the common atmospheric gases, vrmsv_{rms} at typical temperatures comfortably exceeds the Moon's low escape speed, so molecules that are part of any gas near the Moon's surface are moving fast enough, on average, to permanently leave -- and over the Moon's long geological history, essentially all of any original atmosphere has escaped this way.

✓Final answer

Gas molecules on the Moon's surface have rms speeds well above the Moon's low escape speed, so they steadily escape into space, leaving the Moon with essentially no atmosphere.

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