![]() Temperatures in the upper thermosphere can range from about 500° C (932° F) to 2,000° C (3,632° F) or higher. Because of this, the top of the thermosphere can be found anywhere between 500 and 1,000 km (311 to 621 miles) above the ground. Many satellites actually orbit Earth within the thermosphere! Variations in the amount of energy coming from the Sun exert a powerful influence on both the height of the top of this layer and the temperature within it. However, the air in this layer is so thin that it would feel freezing cold to us! In many ways, the thermosphere is more like outer space than a part of the atmosphere. High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the thermosphere, raising its temperature to hundreds or at times thousands of degrees. The layer of very rare air above the mesosphere is called the thermosphere. The air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe (the air pressure at the bottom of the layer is well below 1% of the pressure at sea level and continues dropping as you go higher). The coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about -90° C (-130° F), are found near the top of this layer. Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow colder as you rise up through the mesosphere. It extends upward to a height of about 85 km (53 miles) above our planet. MesosphereĪbove the stratosphere is the mesosphere. The jet stream flows near the border between the troposphere and the stratosphere. ![]() Commercial passenger jets fly in the lower stratosphere, partly because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride. Unlike the troposphere, the stratosphere actually gets warmer the higher you go! That trend of rising temperatures with altitude means that air in the stratosphere lacks the turbulence and updrafts of the troposphere beneath. Ozone molecules in this layer absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun, converting the UV energy into heat. The infamous ozone layer is found within the stratosphere. The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground. The next layer up is called the stratosphere. Air pressure drops, and temperatures get colder, as you climb higher in the troposphere. Most clouds appear here, mainly because 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere is found in the troposphere. We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. ![]() Starting at ground level, it extends upward to about 10 km (6.2 miles or about 33,000 feet) above sea level. The troposphere is the lowest layer of our atmosphere. ![]() Layers of the atmosphere: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere. The exosphere gradually fades away into the realm of interplanetary space. Moving upward from ground level, these layers are called the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. Earth's atmosphere has a series of layers, each with its own specific traits. ![]()
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