Our planet is made up of several layers that overlap each other from the core of the Earth’s interior to the last layers of the atmosphere before reaching outer space. In fact, the atmosphere is one of the least known parts of the planet, since being the gaseous layer that covers it, it often goes unnoticed or is relegated to a background in front of the solid layers.
If you want to know what are the layers of the atmosphereAs well as knowing a little more about its most important characteristics, keep reading a HOW TO and we will tell you about it.
What is the atmosphere
The atmosphere is the gaseous layer that surrounds any celestial body. This is located in the outermost layer of the planet because, as gases are less dense than solids or liquids, the effect of gravity causes them to be located in the outermost layers, while the densest elements end up forming the solid core and the successive layers.
One of the elements that must be taken into account is that, although the atmosphere may seem very wide (in the case of the Earth, it is a gaseous layer that reaches the 10,000 kilometers thick), in fact, most of its mass is concentrated in the lower layers. In fact, 75% of its mass is located in the 11 kilometers closest to the earth’s surface.
This is because the force of gravity makes most of the gas that makes up the atmosphere stay close to the surface, so that, although we talk about 10,000 kilometers of atmosphere before reaching outer space, in reality, much of that extension is practically empty.
What are the functions of the layers of the atmosphere – and their names
The layers of the Earth’s atmosphere are five:
1. Troposphere
It is the closest layer to the surface of the Earth and is estimated to be 10 to 12 kilometers thick. Therefore, it is also the layer that contains most of the atmospheric mass. This layer is where all Meteorological phenomena that affect the climate, from wind to storms, to anticyclones and hurricanes.
2. Stratosphere
It is the layer superior to the troposphere and has an extension that goes, approximately, from 10 to 50 kilometers from the atmosphere. This layer is formed, in turn, by layers of different gases that are distributed according to their density. One of these sub-layers of the stratosphere is the ozone layer, which is what protects us from ultraviolet rays and that it is fundamental for life on Earth.
3. Mesosphere
This is the layer that extends beyond the boundary of the stratosphere. It extends from kilometer 50 to 90 of the atmosphere. It is a layer whose density is very low. However, this is the layer in which the spaceships entering back into the Earth’s atmosphere begin to feel the aerodynamic brake.
4. Thermosphere or Ionosphere
It is located between kilometers 90 and 400 of the whole atmosphere. It gets its name from the high presence of ions. It is also the layer of the atmosphere in which meteorites that fall towards our planet due to the effect of gravity begin to disintegrate and, in fact, many of them will be reduced to dust before reaching the lower layers of the atmosphere.
5. Exosphere
It is the layer of the atmosphere furthest from the Earth’s surface. It is the layer in which the gases are dispersing little by little until they practically become a place very similar to outer space.
Do all planets have an atmosphere?
Actually, atmospheres are quite common on most planets. However, there are celestial bodies that completely lack an atmosphere, such as our own moon. This is due to the gravity of each celestial body. When the gravity in question is strong enough to keep the gas trapped in its gravitational field, that is when an atmosphere forms around it.
In fact, there are planets whose main volume is made up of gas, since they have very large and dense atmospheres. This would be the case of the so-called gaseous planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn. In contrast, rocky planets, like Mars or Earth itself, tend to have smaller atmospheres.
Now that you know what the layers of the atmosphere are, you may also be interested in this other oneHOWTO article about What would happen if the Earth stopped rotating.
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