The moon is a natural satellite of the Earth, when observed, many questions arise both among astronomers and ordinary people. And one of the most interesting is the following: is there an atmosphere of the moon?
Indeed, if it exists, it means that life on this cosmic body is possible, even the most primitive one. We will try to answer this question in the most detailed and reliable way, using the latest scientific hypotheses.
Is there an atmosphere on the moon?
Most people who think about it will quickly give an answer. Of course, the atmosphere of the moon is absent. However, this is actually not the case. A shell of gases is still present on the Earth’s natural satellite. But what density has, what gases are part of the lunar "air" - these are completely different questions, which will be especially interesting and important to answer.
How tight is it?
Unfortunately, the atmosphere of the moon is very rarefied. In addition, the density indicator varies greatly depending on the time of day. For example, at night, about 100,000 gas molecules fall per cubic centimeter of the lunar atmosphere. During the day, this indicator changes significantly - ten times. Due to the fact that the surface of the moon is very hot, the density of the atmosphere drops to 10 thousand molecules.
To some, this figure seems impressive. Alas, even for the most unpretentious creatures from Earth such a concentration of air will be fatal. Indeed, on our planet, the density is 27 x 10 in the eighteenth degree, that is, 27 quintillion molecules.
If you collect all the gas on the moon and weigh it, you get a surprisingly small number - only 25 tons. Therefore, once on the moon without special equipment, not a single living creature can stretch for a long time - it will be enough for a few seconds at best.
What gases are present in the atmosphere?
Now that we have established that the Moon has an atmosphere, albeit very, very rarefied, we can proceed to the next, no less important question: what gases are included in its composition?
The main components of the atmosphere are hydrogen, argon, helium and neon. Samples were first taken by the expedition as part of the Apollo project. It was then established that the atmosphere includes helium and argon. Much later, using special equipment, astronomers who observed the Moon from the Earth were able to establish that it also contains hydrogen, potassium and sodium.
A perfectly logical question arises: if the atmosphere of the moon consists of these gases, then where did they come from? Everything is simple with the Earth - numerous organisms, ranging from unicellular and ending with people, turn one gas into another 24 hours a day.
But where did the atmosphere of the moon come from if there were no living organisms there and never were? In fact, gases could have formed for a variety of reasons.
First of all, various substances were brought in by numerous meteorites, as well as by the solar wind. Nevertheless, a much larger number of meteorites falls on the Moon than on the Earth - again, thanks to the practically absent atmosphere. In addition to gas, they could even bring water to our satellite! Having a higher density than gas, it did not disappear, but simply collected in craters. Therefore, today scientists are making a lot of efforts, trying to find at least insignificant reserves - this could be a real breakthrough.
How does a rarefied atmosphere
Now that we have figured out what atmosphere is on the moon, we can carefully examine the question of what effect it has on the nearest cosmic body. However, it will be more accurate to admit that it has almost no effect on the moon. But what does this lead to?
To begin with, our satellite is completely unprotected from solar radiation. As a result, having “walked” along its surface without special, rather powerful and bulky protective equipment, it is quite possible to obtain radiation exposure in a matter of minutes.
Also, the satellite is defenseless against meteorites. Most of them, entering the Earth’s atmosphere, burn out almost completely from friction against the air. About 60,000 kilograms of cosmic dust fall on the planet per year - all of it was meteorites of different sizes. But they fall to the moon in its original form, since its atmosphere is too rarefied.
Finally, the daily temperature drops are simply huge. For example, at the equator, the soil can heat up to +110 degrees Celsius during the day, and cool down to -150 degrees at night. This does not happen on Earth due to the fact that the dense atmosphere plays the role of a kind of "blanket" that does not allow part of the sun's rays to reach the surface of the planet, and also does not allow heat to evaporate at night.
Has it always been like this?
As you can see, the atmosphere of the moon is a rather bleak sight. But was she always like that? Just a few years ago, experts came up with a shocking opinion - it turns out, no!
About 3.5 billion years ago, when our satellite was just forming, violent processes took place in the bowels - volcanic eruptions, faults, splashes of magma. During these processors, a large amount of sulfur oxide, carbon dioxide and even water was released into the atmosphere! The density of "air" here was three times higher than that which is today observed on Mars. Alas, the weak attraction of the Moon could not hold these gases - they gradually evaporated, until the satellite became the way we can see it in our time.
Conclusion
Our article is drawing to a close. In it we examined a number of important questions: is there an atmosphere on the moon, how did it appear, what is its density, what gases does it consist of. Let's hope that you remember these useful facts and become an even more interesting and erudite interlocutor.