Sun Stealing Earth's Atmosphere

National Geographic News ^ | May 29, 2009 | Anne Minard

[SunkenCiv]

Unlike, say, Mars's or Venus's, Earth's atmosphere was thought to be untouchable inside our protective magnetic field. But a new study says the sun is slowly "stealing" our atmosphere -- and at a greater rate than on Mars or Venus. Mars, for example, probably started out with a thick atmosphere similar to Earth's. But without a magnetic field to protect the Martian atmosphere, the solar wind -- actually a stream of charged particles from the sun -- has been eroding it away. Venus also lacks a magnetosphere and is being stripped of its atmospheric covering. Currently its rate of loss has outpaced that on Mars. Typically hailed as a protective buffer from the sun's brute power, Earth's magnetosphere is actually helping the sun's energized particles strip away a tiny fraction of Earth's atmosphere, the new study says. "We're, in fact, losing more oxygen and more hydrogen than even Venus is today," said Chris Russell, a professor of space physics at the University of California, Los Angeles. "We often tell our colleagues and ourselves that we are fortunate living on this planet, because we have this magnetic shield that protects us," Russell said... An international team of researchers has been tracking planetary atmospheres using the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission for Venus and Mars and NASA's Small Explorer Mission (SMEX) for Earth. SMEX also harbors an instrument for measuring magnetic activity on Earth... Earth's magnetic field funnels and guides that energy to the upper atmosphere, heating the atmosphere and allowing bits of it to escape along the very same funnels that guided the energy in... At the current rate, our present atmospheric inventory can last at least until the sun -- midway through its life now -- turns into a red giant and engulfs Earth, Russell said.

[kennedy]

We are all going to die! In less than 125 years, every man, woman and child now living on Earth will be dead!!!

It's Bush's fault.

[CharlesWayneCT]

So, when exactly is the sun scheduled to engulf us, and what is Obama doing to stop it?

[reagan_fanatic]

Colonel Sandurz: "It's Mega Maid. She's gone from suck to blow!"

[SaraJohnson]

I hate it when Freepers give the Goreistas ideas!

[JRios1968]

[Recon Dad]

This is a crisis and we must act right now. Unless we enact some blah, blah tax, etc, etc....... (so says TOTUS)

[CodeToad]

Every nutcase out there is now going to say we must ban magnets.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[dfwgator]

The Sun has a fever.