Extraterrestrial Atmospheres

The study of extraterrestrial atmospheres is an active field of research, both as an aspect of astronomy and to gain insight into Earth's atmosphere. In addition to Earth, many of the other astronomical objects in the Solar System have atmospheres. These include all the gas giants, as well as Mars and Venus. Several moons and other bodies (notably Pluto) also have atmospheres, as do comets and the Sun. In addition, there is evidence that extrasolar planets have atmospheres. Comparisons of these atmospheres to one another and to Earth's atmosphere broaden our basic understanding of atmospheric processes such as the greenhouse effect, aerosol and cloud physics, and atmospheric chemistry and dynamics.