So, it's time for another exciting article from Scientist MysticP! How do oxygen and other molecules stay on Earth instead of floating away to say Jupiter or to the now "dwarf planet" Pluto (a completely different story)?

I'm glad that oxygen stays here so that we can breath it and live! But, why is it here and not somewhere else? I'm not telling! Okay, I'm telling. I'm just feeling a little giddy and joking today.

Well, imagine it this way. When you jump, you don't go floating off into the sun. You stay with earth. Sure some people can jump higher than others, but I have yet to hear of someone jumping off the face of earth. Gravity will always pull you, or anything else, back down. Imagine all of the little bitty air molecules as little bitty people. Some are less dense than others, which means they will "float" higher than others. Let us look at just oxygen to make this a little less complicated.

Oxygen is, of course, less dense than people, so it does not have to stay on the ground. It can float around with all its other little buddy molecules. So it's floating around, but not away. I'm not contradicting myself yet! Sure, it goes pretty high, but it does not go away.

The gravitational pull from Earth is just strong enough to keep it here, but it is weak enough to let it fly. So, our atmosphere stays intact but not right on the ground, and we stay on the ground while living in the atmosphere. I'm pretty happy that our atmosphere stays here. If not, I would like to go where it goes!

Yep, the atmosphere around Earth stays here. It never breaks away. Or does it? Do you think that maybe a molecule will break away from the gravitational pull and make it out into the depths of space? Is it possible? Join the mess in the BBS!

Your scientist,
MysticP