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mk  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: A Two-Planet Species

AFAIK, and as b_b suggests, the magnetic field can protect the atmosphere from the solar wind. According to Wikipedia:

    The solar wind affects the other incoming cosmic rays interacting with the atmosphere of planets. Moreover, planets with a weak or non-existent magnetosphere are subject to atmospheric stripping by the solar wind.

Not something I knew about.