Atmosphere Facts

• In the atmosphere, the temperatures are very high, but there is so little gas that there is little heat.

• Temperatures rise from —120°C to 2000°C 700 km up.

• The exosphere is the highest level of the atmosphere where it fades into the nothingness of space.

• The atmosphere is a sea of colourless, tasteless, odourless gases, mixed with moisture and fine dust particles. It is about 1000 km deep but has no distinct edge, simply fading into space. As you move up, each layer contains less gas. The topmost layers are very rarefied.

• Low-level satellites orbit within the outer layers of the atmosphere.

• The atmosphere protects us from meteorites and radiation from space The stratosphere contains the ozone layer, which protects us from the Sun's UV rays Airliners climb to the stratosphere to find calm air Stratosphere The troposphere is the layer we live in A4...tmosphere

• The atmosphere is a blanket of gases about 1000 km deep around the Earth. It can be divided into five layers: troposphere (the lowest), stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.

• The atmosphere is: 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 1 percent argon and carbon dioxide with tiny traces of neon, krypton, zenon, helium, nitrous oxide, methane and carbon monoxide.

• The atmosphere was first created by the fumes pouring out from the volcanoes that covered the early Earth 4000 million years ago. But it was changed as rocks and seawater absorbed carbon dioxide, and then algae in the sea built up oxygen levels over millions and millions of years.

• The troposphere is just 12 km thick yet it contains 75 percent of the weight of gases in the atmosphere. Temperatures drop with height from 18°C on average to about —60°C at the top, called the tropopause.

• The stratosphere contains little water. Unlike the troposphere, which is heated from below, it is heated from above as the ozone in it is heated by ultraviolet light from the Sun. Temperatures rise with height from —60°C to 10°C at the top, about 50 km up.

• The stratosphere is clear and calm, which is why planes try to fly in this layer.

• The mesosphere contains few gases but it is thick enough to slow down meteorites. They burn up as they hurtle into it, leaving fiery trails in the night sky. Temperatures drop from 10°C to —120°C 80 km up.

• The stratosphere glows faintly at night because sodium from salty sea spray reacts chemically in the air.

Other Interesting Facts for Kids: |

| Acid Facts | Acid Rain Facts | Africa Facts | African Facts | Aging Facts | Agriculture Facts | Air Facts | Air Pollution Facts | Albert Einstein Facts | Algae Facts | Alp Facts | Aluminium Facts | Amazon Rainforest Facts | Amphibian Facts | Animal Facts | Animal Migration Facts | Annuals and Biennials Facts | Antartica Facts | Ant Facts | Antibody Facts | Archimedes Facts | Architecture Facts | Arcticocean Facts | Arm Facts | Artery Facts | Ash Tree Facts | Asia Facts | Asteroid Facts | Astronaut Facts | Astronomy Facts | Atlantic Ocean Facts | Atmosphere Facts | Atom Facts | Aurora Facts | Australasia Facts | Australian Facts | Australian Landmark Facts | Baboon Facts | Baby Facts | Backbone Facts | Balance Facts | Balloon Facts | Bamboo Facts | Bat Facts | Beach Facts | Beaver Facts | Bee Facts | Beetle Facts | Berlin Facts | Berry Facts | Big Bang Facts | Biome Facts | Bird Facts | Bird of Paradise Facts | Birth Facts | Black Bear Facts | Black Hole Facts | Black Smoker Facts | Blood Facts | Boat Facts | Bone Facts | Brain Facts | Butterfly Facts | Cactus Facts | Calcium Facts | Camel Facts | Camouflage Facts | Capillary Facts | Carbohydrate Facts | Carbon Facts | Car Facts | Cartilage Facts | Cave Facts | Celestial Object Facts | Central Nervous System Facts | Cereal Facts | Chameleon Facts | Cheetah Facts | Chemical Bond Facts | Chemical Compound Facts | Chicken Facts | Chimpanzee Facts | Christiaan Huygen Facts | Chromosome Facts | Circulation Facts | Citrus Fruit Facts | Climate Facts | Cloud Facts | Cluster Facts | Coast Facts | Cocoa Facts | Coffee Facts | Color Facts | Colosseum Facts | Comets Facts | Computer Facts | Cone Facts | Conifer Facts | Constellation Facts | Continental Crust Facts | Converging Plate Facts | Coordination Facts | Copernicus Facts | Copper Facts | Coral Facts | Corn Facts | Cortex Facts | Cosmic Ray Facts | Cotton Facts | Crab Facts | Crocodile Facts | Crop Facts | Crystal Facts | Cuckoo Facts | Cycadophytes and Gingkos Facts | Dark Matter Facts | Day and Night Facts | Deciduous Forest Facts | Deer Facts | Defence Facts | Desert Facts | Diagnosis Facts | Dicotyledon Facts | Dieseltrain Facts | Diet Facts | Digestion Facts | Dinosaur Facts | Disease Facts | Distance Facts | Diverging Plate Facts | Dog Facts | Dolphin Facts | Dragonfly Facts | Drought Facts | Drug Facts | Duck Facts | Eagle Facts | Ear Facts | Earth Facts | Earthquake Facts | Echo System Facts | Eclipse Facts | Ecosystem Facts | Eel Facts | Eiffel Tower Facts | Electricity Facts | Electromagnetic Spectrum Facts | Electromagnetism Facts | Electron Facts | Electronic Facts | Element Facts | Elephant Facts | Engine Facts | Enzyme Facts | Epiphyte Facts | Eucalyptus Tree Facts | Europe Facts | Evolution Facts | Excretion Facts | Exercise Facts | Extraterrestrial Facts | Eye Facts | Facts About Air Pressure | Facts About Anebula | Facts About A Space Shuttle | Facts About Cells | Facts About Energy | Facts About Heat | Facts About Light | Facts About Mars | Facts About Smell | Facts About Solids | Facts About Sound | Facts About Stars | Facts About The Nervous System | Facts About Throat | Facts About Weathering | Facts on Chemical Reactions | Facts on Inertia | Facts on Lungs and Breathing | Facts on Marie Curie | Facts on Ozone Layer | Facts on Trade | Farm Animal Facts | Farming Facts | Fat Facts | Fault Facts | Fern Facts | Fertilizer Facts | Fibre Optic Facts | Fish Facts | Fitness Facts | Flea Facts | Floating Facts | Flood Facts | Flower Facts | Fly Facts | Fog Facts | Fold Facts | Food Facts | Force Facts | Forest Facts | Fossil Facts | Fox Facts | Friction Facts | Frog Facts | Fruit Facts | Fun Facts on Human Reproductive System | Fungi Facts | Galaxy Facts | Galileo Galilei Facts | Garden Facts | Gear Facts | Gem Facts | Gene Facts | Genetic Engineering Facts | Germ Facts | Gibbon Facts | Giraffe Facts | Glacier Facts | Glass Facts | Glider Facts | Global Warming Facts | Glucose Facts | Golden Gate Bridge Facts | Gorilla Facts | Grain Facts | Gran Chaco Facts | Grand Canyon Facts | Grape Facts | Grasshopper Facts | Grassland Facts | Gravity Facts | Green Revolution Facts | Grizzly Bear Facts | Hair Facts | Halley's Comet Facts | Halogen Facts | Health and Education | Heart Facts | Heathland Facts | Hedgehog Facts | Helicopter Facts | Herb Facts | Heredity Facts | Hill Facts | Hipparchus Facts | Hologram Facts | Hong Kong Facts | Hormone Facts | Horse Facts | Hovercraft Facts | HR Diagram Facts | Human Body Facts | Hummingbird Facts | Hurricane Facts | Hydrofoil Facts | Hydrogen Facts | Hyena Facts | Ice Age Facts | Iceberg Facts | Iguana Facts | Immune System Facts | Indian Ocean Facts | Industry Facts | Insect Facts | International Organization Facts | Internet Facts | Iron Facts | Isaac Newton Facts | Jelly Fish Facts | Jetengine Facts | Johannes Kepler Facts | Joint Facts | Jupiter Facts | Kangaroo Facts | Kidney Facts | King Fisher Facts | Kiwi Facts | Lake Facts | Landscape Facts | Laser Facts | Lava Facts | Lavoisier Facts | Leaf Facts | Lemur Facts | Leopard Facts | Lichen Facts | Life Facts | Lily Facts | Lime Stone Facts | Lion Facts | Lithosphere Facts | Liver Facts | Lizard Facts | London Facts | Lung Facts | Lymphatic System Facts | Machine Facts | Magnetism Facts | Magnolia Facts | Mammal Facts | Mammoth Facts | Mantle Facts | Maple Tree Facts | Marineplants | Marsh Facts | Mating Facts | Medicinal Plant Facts | Memory Facts | Mercury Facts | Metal Facts | Meteor Facts | Mice Facts | Michael Faraday Facts | Microscope Facts | Middle Eastern People Facts | Milky Way Facts | Mineral Facts | Missile Facts | Molecule Facts | Monocotyledon Facts | Mood Facts | Moon Facts | Moscow Facts | Moss Facts | Moth Facts | Motion Facts | Mountain Facts | Moving Particle Facts | Muscle Facts | Mushroom Facts | Mussel Facts | Navigation Facts | Neptune Facts | Nerve Facts | New York Facts | Night Sky Facts | Nitrogen Facts | North America Facts | North American Facts | Nuclear Energy Facts | Nuclear Power Facts | Oaktree Facts | Observatory Facts | Ocean Facts | Octopus Facts | Oil Facts | Operation Facts | Orangutan Facts | Orbit Facts | Orchid Facts | Organic Chemistry Facts | Osmosis Facts | Ostrich Facts | Otter Facts | Owl Facts | Oxygen Facts | Pacific Ocean Facts | Palm Tree Facts | Pancreas Facts | Panda Bear Facts | Parasite Facts | Paris Facts | Parrot Facts | Particle Physic Facts | Pelican Facts | Penguin Facts | European Facts | Perennial Flower Facts | Periodic Table Facts | Pet Facts | Pheasant Facts | Photosynthesis Facts | Pinetree Facts | Plane Facts | Planet Facts | Plankton Facts | Plant Facts | Plastic Facts | Plate Tectonic Facts | Pluto Facts | Polar Bear Facts | Polar Region Facts | Political System Facts | Pollination Facts | Population Facts | Power Boat Facts | Prairie Facts | Pregnancy Facts | Pressure Facts | Puberty Facts | Pulsar Facts | Pulse Facts | Python Facts | Quantum Physic Facts | Quark Facts | Quasar Facts | Facts about Radiation | Radioactivity Fun Facts | Radiotelescope Facts | Rain Facts | Rat Facts | Redshift Facts | Reflex Facts | Relativity Facts | Rhino Facts | Rhodendron Facts | Rib Facts | Rice Facts | Rich and Poor Facts | River Facts | Rocket Facts | Rock Facts | Rome Facts | Root Facts | Rose Facts | Russian Steppe Facts | Salmon Facts | Satellite Facts | Saturn Facts | Scan Facts | Scanner Facts | Sea Facts | Sea Gull Facts | Seal Facts | Seashore Facts | Season Facts | Seed Facts | Sexual Facts | Shark Facts | Skeleton Facts | Skin Facts | Skull Facts | Skyscraper Facts | Sleep Facts | Snail Facts | Snow Facts | Soap Facts | Solution Facts | South America Facts | South American Facts | Southern Ocean Facts | Space Catalogue Facts | Space Craft Facts | Space Facts | Space Station Facts | Space Telescope Facts | Sparrow Facts | Spectrum Facts | Spice Facts | Spider Facts | Spinal Cord Facts | Squirrel Facts | Star Fish Facts | Statue of Liberty Facts | Steam Train Facts | Stephen Hawking Facts | Stingray Facts | Stonehenge Facts | Stork Facts | Stretching Facts | Submarine Facts | Submersible Facts | Sugar Facts | Sun Facts | Supernova Facts | Supersonic Plane Facts | Swallow Facts | Swamp Facts | Symbiosis Facts | Synapse Facts | Synthetic Material Facts | Taj Mahal Facts | Taste Facts | Teeth Facts | Telecomunication Facts | Telescope Facts | Television Facts | Temperature Facts | Tendon Facts | Thermodynamic Facts | The Wright Brothers Facts | Thrush Facts | Thunderstorm Facts | Thyroid Gland Facts | Tide Facts | Tiger Facts | Timber Facts | Time Facts | Tissue Facts | Tokyo Facts | Tornado Facts | Tortoise Facts | Touch Facts | Tower Facts | Trains Facts | Transplant Facts | Tree Facts | Tsunami Facts | Tulip Facts | Tundra Facts | Universe Facts | Uranus Facts | Urine Facts | Vaccination Facts | Vegetable Facts | Vein Facts | Velocity Facts | Venus Facts | Vitamin Facts | Vocal Cord Facts | Volcano Facts | Voyagers 1 and 2 Facts | Vulture Facts | Walrus Facts | Warbler Facts | Water Facts | Waterfall Facts | Wave Facts | Weather Facts | Weight Facts | Whale Facts | Wheat Facts | Wind Facts | Woodland Facts | Woodpecker Facts | Worm Facts | Xray Facts | Year Facts | Yellowstone Park Facts | Zebra Facts