How does the size of a planet affect it?

As a lower-mass planet warms, the atmosphere expands. It becomes larger relative to the size of the planet it surrounds. That has two effects: the increased surface size means the atmosphere can absorb more energy than it used to, and it can also radiate more energy than it used to.

How does mass of the planet Earth affect its ability to sustain life?

Typically, the more massive the planet, the more massive the atmosphere it can acquire and maintain. This is important because the mass of a planet’s atmosphere will directly influence its climate. The location of the “habitable zone” around a star will therefore be a function of the mass of the planet in question.

How might living organisms be different on a planet with stronger gravity?

The size of single biological cells is inversely proportional to the strength of the gravitational field exerted on the cell. That is, in stronger gravitational fields the size of cells decreases, and in weaker gravitational fields the size of cells increases.

What is the relationship between mass and gravity of a planet?

The more massive a planet or star is, the stronger the gravitational force it exerts. It is this force that allows a planet or star to hold other objects in their orbit.

What is Earth’s size and mass?

Size of the Earth

Mass	5.9736×1024kg
Mean diameter	12,742 km
Surface area	510,072,000 km2
Density	5.515 g/cm3
Circumference	40,041 km

Why is mass important on Earth?

Mass is important because of two major factors affecting how things move in space: inertia and gravity. When an object is sitting still, it resists moving, and the more mass it has the more it resists. The amount of thrust needed to move something and how fast it ends up moving are both directly tied to its mass.

How large can a living organism get?

Assuming that the minimum observed whole-body metabolic rate of one-trillionth of a watt per nanogram is necessary for a mammal to function,3 we arrive a maximum thermally limited organism size of just over 1 million kilograms, or somewhat larger than a blue whale, Earth’s all-time record-setting animal in terms of …