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Loading contentThe gradual loss of a planet's atmosphere to space — light gases escaping thermally, the solar wind stripping the air from an unmagnetised planet, or impacts blasting it away. It is why Mars, which lost its magnetic field, also lost most of its once-thick atmosphere.
Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
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