Solar Week - Ask a Question



Come here during Solar Week (next one: March 22-26, 2021) to interact. To post a question, click on your area of interest from the topics below, and then click on the "Ask New Question" button. Or EMAIL or tweet or plant in Answer Garden your question about the Sun or life as a scientist to us -- and watch for it to appear here.  You can also visit our FAQs (frequently asked questions). In between Solar Weeks in October and March, you can view all the archives here.

PrevPrev Go to previous topic
NextNext Go to next topic
Last Post 3/30/2017 1:12 PM by  Laurel Rachmeler
atmosphere
 2 Replies
Sort:
You are not authorized to post a reply.
Author Messages

aaron d





Posts:


--
3/29/2017 7:11 AM
    how far above earth does our atmosphere go up to?
    Tags: atmosphere

    Mitzi Adams



    Basic Member


    Posts:101
    Basic Member


    --
    3/29/2017 10:19 AM
    Strictly speaking, the atmosphere never really ends, it gets thinner and thinner, but scientists have agreed to a limit of 10,000 km (6200 mi) for the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere, the Exosphere.
    NASA discusses the various parts of Earth's atmosphere at the link below:
    https://www.nasa.gov/miss...osphere-layers2.html

    Laurel Rachmeler



    New Member


    Posts:12
    New Member


    --
    3/30/2017 1:12 PM
    I always find heights a little difficult to put into context. There are 5 layers in the atmosphere. The lowest layer, the Troposphere, is where all of us humans live. It is somewhere between 4-12 miles thick. If you think about it, that's not very much. It would probably take you less than 10 minutes to drive that distance on the highway. The 4th layer, the Thermosphere, is the layer just below the Exosphere. The International Space Station and most satellites orbit in this layer. The Thermosphere extends to a height of about 440 miles, which is about the width of Nebraska.
    You are not authorized to post a reply.


    Twitter Feed

    Scientist Leaderboard

    Name # of replies
    Multiverse skin is based on Greytness by Adammer