Question

How does an atmosphere change the temperature of a planet?

Answer 1

The atmosphere changes the temperature of the planet because of its transparency.

On Earth, sunlight reaches the Earth, which warms it. On a planet such as Jupiter, the planet is entirely surrounded in a thick and toxic gas. This limits the amount of sunlight that can reach the surface, which also decreases the temperature.

Answer 2

The existence of atmosphere increases the average planetary temperature by more than 15°C, due to the greenhouse effect of some atmospheric compounds. The most important of them are water vapour (H2O), ozone (O3), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4).