The mesosphere kind of gets a bad rap. It's right in the middle, sandwiched between the stratosphere and the thermosphere. It's job is kind of exciting...the mesosphere protects us from meteors, but that's kind of small potatoes compared to the stratosphere, where the "ozone" is found and protects us from deadly UV radiation! I guess if you are playing soccer and you miss blocking the ball going into the goal that can be traumatizing. If you are the mesosphere and miss a meteor, would a "oops, my bad" be sufficient to take responsibility for that mistake? The mesosphere is the coldest atmospheric layer surrounding the earth. It becomes cold enough to freeze water vapour in its atmosphere into ice clouds. These ice clouds are blue-white and are called noctilucent clouds or polar mesospheric clouds. These clouds are more visible at sunset from the earth's poles. (Whoopee!) Noctilucent clouds are pretty, but, meh, we've seen more exciting things.... The Thermosphere on the other hand has lots of action going on! The thermosphere greatly helps in protecting the earth and making space exploration and modern forms of communication possible. It also supports and protects life on the planet. It recycles water, absorbs the sun's energy, and creates a moderate temperature. If we were to stand in the thermosphere the temperature would measure hot, but we would feel very cold because there are so few air molecules to hit our skin. All of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet waves and x-rays are absorbed in this layer, so all of us can live safely on the Earth. The mesosphere is a mere 51 miles tall, where as the thermosphere is nearly 620 miles tall. That's pretty spectacular! By far the most fascinating thing about the thermosphere is the fact that auroras―the spectacular natural light displays in the sky―are attributed to it. These lights occur when charged particles from space excite the atoms and molecules in this layer into high energy state after colliding with them. The phenomenon, which is quite popular in higher altitudes, is one of the best examples of nature at its dramatic best. The mesosphere might be the most boring layer of the atmosphere, but at least it does its job... Keep your eye on the ball, mesosphere, and don't let us down!
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |