Planetary process
Atmospheric Escape
The gradual loss of a planet's atmosphere to space — light gases escaping thermally, the solar wind stripping the air from an unmagnetised planet, or impacts blasting it away. It is why Mars, which lost its magnetic field, also lost most of its once-thick atmosphere.
Highlights
- ›Why Mars lost most of its air
Worlds, layers & processes
Across comparative planetology
Knowledge connections
- Associated withMars
- Associated withVenus
- Associated withMagnetospheric Shielding
- Associated withMagnetospheric Shielding
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.