The thermosphere is a vital layer of Earth's upper atmosphere, extending high into space. Despite incredibly thin gases, it experiences extremely high...
The thermosphere is the fourth layer of Earth's atmosphere, located above the mesosphere. It's characterized by extremely high temperatures caused by solar radiation absorption, yet its gas density is very low.
It's hot because oxygen and nitrogen atoms absorb high-energy solar radiation. While individual particles move very fast (high temperature), the gases are so sparse that there are too few particles to transfer significant heat to an object, so it wouldn't feel hot.
The thermosphere is where the spectacular aurora borealis and australis occur, caused by solar particles interacting with atmospheric gases. It's also the orbital home for many low Earth orbit satellites, including the International Space Station.
Yes, the thermosphere plays a crucial protective role. It absorbs a significant portion of harmful X-ray and ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun, preventing it from reaching Earth's surface.