Thursday, 30 Oct 2025
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • DMCA
logo logo
  • World
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Economy
  • Tech & Science
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Education
    • Celebrities
    • Culture and Arts
    • Environment
    • Health and Wellness
    • Lifestyle
  • 🔥
  • Trump
  • VIDEO
  • House
  • White
  • ScienceAlert
  • Trumps
  • Watch
  • man
  • Health
  • Season
Font ResizerAa
American FocusAmerican Focus
Search
  • World
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Economy
  • Tech & Science
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Education
    • Celebrities
    • Culture and Arts
    • Environment
    • Health and Wellness
    • Lifestyle
Follow US
© 2024 americanfocus.online – All Rights Reserved.
American Focus > Blog > Tech and Science > Mars once had an atmosphere that was thicker than Earth’s today
Tech and Science

Mars once had an atmosphere that was thicker than Earth’s today

Last updated: September 25, 2025 5:50 am
Share
Mars once had an atmosphere that was thicker than Earth’s today
SHARE

Space Exploration

Recent studies suggest that ancient Mars may have hosted an atmosphere significantly thicker than what we observe today, potentially offering a protective shield against cosmic bombardment.

By Alex Wilkins

Modern Mars possesses a thin atmosphere

Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS

The current thin Martian atmosphere may not reflect its past, when it was likely many times denser, offering a blanket against frequent asteroid impacts.

During the early formation of the solar system roughly 4 billion years ago, Mars had already developed significantly in a chaotic environment filled with gas and dust swirling around the young sun, termed the solar nebula. It was previously believed that Mars lost its gathered gases quickly after the solar nebula dissipated, resulting in a thin atmosphere today.

However, a recent study led by Sarah Joiret from Collège de France posits that Mars may have retained a substantial amount of this gas, yielding a rich, primordial atmosphere instead. Shortly after the solar nebula receded, it’s theorized that the shifting orbits of massive planets such as Jupiter and Saturn disrupted the paths of comets and asteroids, sending them toward the inner solar system where they violently interacted with rocky planets like Mars.

Evidence of this event remains abundant on Earth and other bodies, yet volcanic activity on Mars has obscured the historical record there. Joiret noted at the Europlanet Science Congress held recently in Helsinki, Finland, that “No terrestrial planet was spared bombardment by comets during this period, and Mars must have been affected too, leaving some indication of these impacts.”

The research team theorizes that a thick, hydrogen-laden atmosphere would have acted to dilute any comet-derived materials that reached Mars. By using simulations of early solar dynamics to gauge how much of this comet material should have arrived, they deduced the mass of Mars’ primordial atmosphere, estimating it could have had a pressure of 2.9 bar—almost three times that of Earth today.

See also  Lightning Strike Sets New Record for Longest Ever Measured

Nonetheless, this dense atmosphere would have been transient, existing only for about a million years, dissipating before the emergence of liquid water, stated Raymond Pierrehumbert from the University of Oxford, who was not directly involved in the study. The conditions necessary for liquid water to exist on Mars likely required a different atmospheric makeup that was not sustainable in the thick primordial environment.

Astronomy in Chile

Astronomy in Chile: The Celestial Observatory

Explore the astronomical wonders of Chile. Visit some of the leading observatories and experience stargazing under some of the clearest skies on earth.

Topics:

TAGGED:atmosphereEarthsMarsthickerToday
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Could This Tiny Island in Michigan Be America’s Best Fall Escape? Could This Tiny Island in Michigan Be America’s Best Fall Escape?
Next Article Contributors to Scientific American’s October 2025 Issue Contributors to Scientific American’s October 2025 Issue
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Posts

Lilly to buy gene-editing partner Verve for up to $1.3 billion in cardiac care push

Eli Lilly to Acquire Gene-Editing Startup Verve Therapeutics for $1.3 Billion By Christy Santhosh and…

June 18, 2025

L.A. Sheriff Weeps for Iran After U.S. Military Hits Back! (VIDEO) |

Controversial Sympathy: Sheriff Luna's Statement In a striking episode of Stinchfield, we delve into the…

June 23, 2025

Long-serving CEO of Venetian Textile Firm Rubelli Passes Reins to Sons

Rubelli's Succession: A New Chapter in Luxury Textile MILAN — The prestigious textile company Rubelli…

September 25, 2025

Can U.S. Math Research Survive NSF Funding Cuts?

Mathematics research is a field that typically requires very few materials. In order to delve…

July 18, 2025

The poverty of extreme wealth

In today's world, companies like JBS, the world's largest meat processor, are continuously linked to…

February 7, 2025

You Might Also Like

MCP stacks have a 92% exploit probability: How 10 plugins became enterprise security's biggest blind spot
Tech and Science

MCP stacks have a 92% exploit probability: How 10 plugins became enterprise security's biggest blind spot

October 30, 2025
Sorry, but interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS really is a comet, not aliens
Tech and Science

Sorry, but interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS really is a comet, not aliens

October 30, 2025
Sorry, but interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS really is a comet, not aliens
Tech and Science

Sorry, but interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS really is a comet, not aliens

October 30, 2025
Astronomers Catch a Ring System Forming Around Chiron in Real Time : ScienceAlert
Tech and Science

Astronomers Catch a Ring System Forming Around Chiron in Real Time : ScienceAlert

October 30, 2025
logo logo
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


Explore global affairs, political insights, and linguistic origins. Stay informed with our comprehensive coverage of world news, politics, and Lifestyle.

Top Categories
  • Crime
  • Environment
  • Sports
  • Tech and Science
Usefull Links
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • DMCA

© 2024 americanfocus.online –  All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?