The Earth's atmosphere consists of five layers, each with distinct characteristics: the troposphere (where most weather occurs), stratosphere (containing the ozone layer), mesosphere (which burns meteoroids), thermosphere (where space shuttles orbit), and exosphere (the outermost layer merging with space). The atmosphere decreases in thickness with height and plays a crucial role in protecting the Earth from harmful radiation and debris. This document is based on the author's experiences assisting his son with school projects.

1. Layers of the Atmosphere

2. Atmosphere
Layers of the
Atmosphere
The planet earth is surrounded by a thick envelope of air called atmosphere.
The atmosphere is the thickest near the earth’s surface.

3. Atmosphere
Layers of the
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is divided into five layers.

4. Atmosphere
Layers of the
Atmosphere
The atmosphere’s thickness keeps on decreasing with height and it
eventually merges with space.

5. Troposphere
Layers of the
Atmosphere
The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. Most of the phenomena
we associate with day-to-day weather occur in the troposphere. It is bound by
stratosphere on the top and on bottom by the surface of the Earth.

6. Stratosphere
Layers of the
Atmosphere
Stratosphere is the second layer of the atmosphere as you go upward. It is bound by
troposphere below and mesosphere above. Mostly aircraft fly in this layer as it
is quite stable. Stratosphere is important as it contains ozone gas which
absorbs harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

7. Mesosphere
Layers of the
Atmosphere
The mesosphere starts about 50 km above the ground and goes all the way up to 85 km high. The
layer below it is called the stratosphere. The layer above it is the thermosphere. Mesosphere prevents
small rocks called meteoroids coming from space from reaching the earth’s surface by burning
them. These rocks can cause destruction on earth if they fall on it.

8. Thermosphere
Layers of the
Atmosphere
The thermosphere is the layer of the Earth's atmosphere directly above the mesosphere and directly
below the exosphere. Within this layer of the atmosphere, ultraviolet radiation causes
photoionization/photodissociation of molecules, creating the ions in the ionosphere. Space shuttles
orbit in thermosphere to maintain a stable orientation and orbit.

9. Exosphere
Layers of the
Atmosphere
The exosphere is the outermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere where the atmosphere thins out
and merges with interplanetary space. It starts at an altitude of about 500 km and goes out to
about 10,000 km. Within this region particles of atmosphere can travel for hundreds of kilometers
in a ballistic trajectory before bumping into any other particles of the atmosphere. It helps
in long distance communication through radio, mobiles, etc.

11. This presentation is a result of my experiences while I was
helping out my son with his school assignments and project
work. I am happy to share this with other students and their
parents. Hope you find this informative and useful. Thank you.
- Prashant Mahajan -
All pictures belong to their original authors, photographers.