Why is there no atmosphere on the Moon? Explain it in terms of escape velocity.

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(N/A) The escape velocity of a body on the surface of a planet is given by $v_{e} = \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{R}}$.
For the Moon,the escape velocity is $(v_{e})_{\text{moon}} = \sqrt{\frac{2GM_{m}}{R_{m}}}$.
Given the mass of the Moon $M_{m} \approx 7.36 \times 10^{22} \text{ kg}$ and its radius $R_{m} \approx 1.74 \times 10^{6} \text{ m}$,the escape velocity is calculated as:
$(v_{e})_{\text{moon}} \approx 2.38 \text{ km/s}$.
The root mean square velocity of gas molecules at the surface temperature of the Moon is higher than this escape velocity. Because the thermal velocity of the gas molecules exceeds the escape velocity of the Moon,the gas molecules easily escape the Moon's gravitational pull. Consequently,the Moon cannot retain an atmosphere.

Explore More

Similar Questions

On which two factors does the escape velocity of an object projected from the Earth $NOT$ depend?

State two factors that determine whether a planet will have an atmosphere or not.

$A$ body is projected vertically upward from the surface of the earth with a velocity equal to half the escape velocity. If $R$ is the radius of the earth,the maximum height attained by the body is:

$A$ particle is kept at rest at a distance $R$ from the surface of the Earth (of radius $R$). The minimum speed with which it should be projected so that it does not return is

Difficult
View Solution

Explain escape speed. On what factors does escape velocity not depend?

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo