AK>>> BTW, do you know the atmosphere of which planet in the   
    AK>>> Solar system has oxygen tens time more than on Earth? It is   
    AK>>> Venus. It's true, however, that this oxygen combined with   
      
    ...   
      
    BK>>  Uh... no. Oxygen does exist in space, as stellar-spectrography   
    BK>>  has shown.   
      
    AK> Gas density of interstellar "clouds" -- a few molecules per   
    AK> a cubic inch. Physicists on Earth would be happy to have   
    AK> such vacuum in their laboratories. Actually space clouds is   
    AK> a visible nothing, and all this "nothing" consists of 99%   
    AK> of hydrogen and helium.   
      
    Yeah, but a large quantity, over a very very large space, of   
    oxygen.   
      
    AK> When a planet system is forming, initial atmospheres of the   
    AK> Earth like planets consist of ammonia, water vapor,   
    AK> nitrogen. Almost no CO2 because there was no free oxygen.   
      
    Very likely true... but... since we have never seen a planet   
    form we can't say for sure. Afterall, planets only form where   
    there is enough matter for it to accrete, and who knows what   
    energy is involved. The oxygen has to exist in some compound, so   
    just what compound does it exist in? We do know that ice meteors   
    hit the earth's atmosphere every day. That requires oxygen. If I   
    recall my Astronomy 301 that's where Earth's oxygen is believed   
    to have come from.   
      
    AK> In a few billions of years after that algae in oceans make   
    AK> a fine trick filling the atmosphere with oxygen. No flora   
    AK> -- no oxygen in atmosphere.   
      
    AK>>> It happened, BTW, not long ago, because the planets of   
    AK>>> Venus size cannot keep such huge atmospheres for a long   
    AK>>> time.   
      
    BK>>  CO2 is heavier than O2. Have you considered that in the   
    BK>>  equations?   
      
    AK> It is not very important -- CO2 is heavier just in 1.5   
    AK> times (than an air), but Venus' atmosphere is 100 times   
    AK> more dense. The source of C02 on Venus is its volcanoes   
    AK> which have transferred the rich organic residues into CO2.   
      
    Are you sure the energy of the volcanoes is not enough to do the   
    job without plants?   
      
    AK> On the Earth we also have such kind of volcanoes (emitting   
    AK> CO2) in places where ocean floor submerges under the   
    AK> continental slope (in Chile, for instance).   
      
    I believe even surface volcanoes emit CO2.   
      
    AK> [...Save energy! TURN OFF Num Lock!]   
      
    I normally do.   
      
      
      
    AK> --- FIDOGATE 5.1.7ds   
    AK>  * Origin: Pushkin's BBS (2:5020/2140.2)   
      
   BOB KLAHN bob.klahn@sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn   
      
   ... trouble with the rat race is, even if you win, you're still a rat. L Tomlin   
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