Every other celestial sky is either nearly all cloud or almost no cloud — what makes Earth’s perfect balance in achieving about half cloud so unique?

Question

Obviously water and our atmosphere are the biggest factors here, as those are unique to us and are directly correlated with clouds—but why more specifically does this balance seem so fragile?

What could cause a tip in either direction? Is it possible a planet on each extreme could become more like us?

In: Earth Science

Answer 1

Our atmosphere *is* all cloud. It’s a cloud of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. In order to survive on Earth, we’ve evolved to see the wavelengths of light that pass through our atmosphere.