Layers of the Atmosphere & Seasons

The troposphere starts from earths surface and extends 9 to 20km. This is where weather happens and the thickness depends on the season and what part of the world your on. It is the most dense layer making up 80% of the atmospheres density, but at the same time it is the thinnest layer making up only 2% of the atmosphere's depth. The largest point in the troposphere is Mt. Everest.

This is the layer that is above the troposphere and extends from earths surface 10 to 50km. It contains a small layer of ozone (O3). The ozone layer protects us from deadly ultraviolet radiation from the sun. In between the troposphere and stratosphere is where the Jetstream is. The Jetstream is a fast flowing river of wind, that generally travels East to West. Military pilots like to take advantage of this.

The mesosphere is above the stratosphere. it extends 50 to 80km. above earth's surface. in this layer temperature plummets to about -90 degrees Celsius in the upper Mesosphere. This is the layer that meteors burn up in, producing what we call "shooting stars".

Beyond the Mesosphere is the Thermosphere which is 80 to 300km above Earth's surface. This layer is the least understood. Since the air is extremely thin we have not been able to explore the thermosphere that much. When the sun is active with sunspots or flares the temp can reach up to 1500 degrees.

This layer is inside the Thermosphere. It contains electrically charged ions, which are formed when intense radiation from the sun hits atoms and molecules. It creates the Aurora Borealis ( Northern Lights) and the Aurora Australis (southern lights). There are no exact boundary

The exosphere is above the thermosphere. This layer enters space. It is 300 to 600km above the surface of the Earth. This is the coldest layer in the atmosphere reaching -270 degrees Celsius.

The movement of an object directly around another. It take 365 and 1/4 days for Earth to make one revolution around the sun. When we are at the closest point to the sun it is known as perihelion, and when the earth is farthest away from the sun it is known as aphelion.

Rotation is another word for spinning. It takes 24 hours for Earth to make one full rotation. When you are facing away from the sun, it is night time, and when you are facing the sun the sun it is day time.

An imaginary line that passes through the North, and South Poles. Earth's Axis is at a 23.5 degree angle. At some points in Earth's revolution you have summer, winter, spring, or fall. This is because the tilt causes indirect sunlight, or direct sunlight. The axis is always pointing at the North Star.

There are two solstices every year. There is the winter solstice, and the summer solstice. The winter solstice is on December 21. This is the shortest day of the year. The summer solstice is exactly 6 months after the winter solstice on June 21.

There are also two equinoxes. There is a spring (vernal), and the fall (autumnal). The equinoxes are both equal in day time, and night time. Both days the day lasts 12 hours and the night lasts 12hours.