Researchers think a planet lost its original atmosphere, built a new one – Ars Technica

Enlarge/ Artist’s conception of the Earth-sized planet and its atmosphere.
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The atmosphere most planets start with is often not the same as the one they end up with. Most of the gas present at the formation of a solar system will be hydrogen and helium. But a look through the rocky planets of our Solar System shows three very different atmospheres (and one very tenuous one), with hydrogen and helium being relatively minor components. And, as we gain the ability to look…

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