Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 11, 2026

Upper atmosphere

Upper atmosphere is a collective term that refers to various layers of the atmosphere of the Earth above the troposphere and corresponding regions of the atmospheres of other planets, and includes:The mesosphere, which on Earth lies between the altitudes of about 50 and 80 kilometres, sometimes considered part of the "middle atmosphere" rather than the upper atmosphere The thermosphere, which on Earth lies between the altitudes of about 80 and 700 kilometres The exosphere, which on Earth lies between the altitudes of about 700 kilometres (435 mi) and 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) The ionosphere, an ionized portion of the upper atmosphere which includes the upper mesosphere, thermosphere, and lower exosphere and on Earth lies between the altitudes of 50 and 1,000 kilometres

Last revised
Jun 11, 2026
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Upper atmosphere is a collective term that refers to various layers of the atmosphere of the Earth above the troposphere1 and corresponding regions of the atmospheres of other planets, and includes:

  • The mesosphere, which on Earth lies between the altitudes of about 50 and 80 kilometres (31 and 50 mi), sometimes considered part of the "middle atmosphere" rather than the upper atmosphere
  • The thermosphere, which on Earth lies between the altitudes of about 80 and 700 kilometres (50 and 435 mi)
  • The exosphere, which on Earth lies between the altitudes of about 700 kilometres (435 mi) and 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi)
  • The ionosphere, an ionized portion of the upper atmosphere which includes the upper mesosphere, thermosphere, and lower exosphere and on Earth lies between the altitudes of 50 and 1,000 kilometres (31 and 621 mi)
See also

See also

References

References

  1. Morton, Oliver (2022-08-26). "Upper atmosphere Definition und Bedeutung". Collins Wörterbuch (in German). Retrieved 2022-08-26.