Science & Engineering

Planetary Atmospheres

Atmosphere composition and surface pressure for planets and select moons.

Major atmospheric components

BodySurface PMain gases (approx %)
Mercury~10⁻¹⁵ atm (exosphere)O₂ 42, Na 29, H₂ 22, He 6
Venus92 atmCO₂ 96.5, N₂ 3.5
Earth1.0 atmN₂ 78, O₂ 21, Ar 0.9, CO₂ 0.04
Mars0.006 atmCO₂ 95, N₂ 2.8, Ar 2
JupiterH₂ 90, He 10
SaturnH₂ 96, He 3
UranusH₂ 83, He 15, CH₄ 2
NeptuneH₂ 80, He 19, CH₄ 1.5
Titan1.45 atmN₂ 95, CH₄ 5
Pluto~10⁻⁵ atmN₂ 99, CH₄ + CO
Moon~10⁻¹⁴ atmAr, He, Ne (very thin exosphere)
Io~10⁻⁹ atmSO₂
Triton14 µbarN₂

Notes

  • Gas giants don't have a "surface" — pressure rises continuously. Quoted compositions are upper atmosphere.
  • Venus runaway greenhouse: 96.5% CO₂ keeps surface at ~465 °C despite being farther from Sun than Mercury.
  • Titan is the only moon with a substantial atmosphere — thicker than Earth's.
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