DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERES

Even within the Solar System we see atmospheres very different from our own, and exoplanets extend the range even further

TITAN

Saturn’s largest moon has an atmosphere thicker than Earth’s, but it’s inhospitable in the extreme. Composed predominantly of nitrogen with around five per cent methane mixed in, the temperature can be as low as -179 degrees Celsius.

GJ 1132 B

This recently discovered exoplanet is at the opposite end of the temperature range from Titan, with its surface sweltering in the region of 256 degrees Celsius. The planet’s atmosphere is composed of volcanic gases, chiefly hydrogen.

EARTH

For centuries the only atmosphere known to science, Earth’s is composed of around 78 per cent nitrogen, 21 per cent oxygen and one per cent other gases. The average temperature is around 15 degrees Celsius.