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I am been making an alien planet for my xenobiology project, this planet would have an atmospheric pressure of 1.5 atm and it would be composed of the following gases:

  • Nitrogen: 83.7%

  • Oxygen: 10.4%

  • Methane: 3.1%

  • Argon: 1.2%

  • Water vapor: 1.1%

  • Carbon Dioxide: 0.4%

along with some traces gases which include:

  • Helium: 0.001%

  • Ammonia: 0.005%

  • Neon: 0.002%

  • Hydrogen Sulfide: 0.002%

  • Nitrogen Dioxide: 0.000001%

  • Ozone: 0.00005%

  • Sulfur Dioxide: 0.00001%

  • Krypton: 0.0002%

  • Xenon: 0.00001%

would this atmosphere be breathable? And what effects might the gases have on the planet?

edit: after some consideration, I decided to increase the oxygen level to make the atmosphere more breathable, this is what the chemical composition looks like now:

  • Nitrogen: 78.1%

  • Oxygen: 16%

  • Methane: 3.1%

  • Argon: 1.4%

  • Water vapor: 1.1%

  • Carbon Dioxide: 0.15%

I also included trace gases:

  • Helium: 0.001%

  • Ammonia: 0.005%

  • Neon: 0.002%

  • Hydrogen Sulfide: 0.002%

  • Nitrogen Dioxide: 0.000001%

  • Ozone: 0.00005%

  • Sulfur Dioxide: 0.00001%

  • Krypton: 0.0002%

  • Xenon: 0.00001%

I also increased the atmospheric pressure from 1.5 atm to 1.6 atm

edit 2: I also decreased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere composition above

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  • $\begingroup$ I don't know about your trace gases, but studies have found significant cognitive impairment at 0.25% CO2 (and possibly lower, though the data gets less clear.) The high methane and argon content should be safe, I think, though I wouldn't be surprised if continuous exposure to that much methane would have negative health consequences over the long term. $\endgroup$
    – Gene
    Commented Feb 23, 2023 at 20:52

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This isn't much of an answer, but this ought to answer your question. enter image description here

At 22.5 pounds per square inch, at 10% concentration, the short answer is yes, it's breathable, but barely.

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