
Earth's Atmosphere | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Mar 17, 2025 · Earth’s atmosphere is similar to a jacket for our planet. It surrounds our planet, keeps us warm, gives us oxygen to breathe, and it is where our weather happens. Earth’s atmosphere has six layers: the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, the ionosphere, and the exosphere.
Mesosphere | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
6 days ago · The middle layer. The mesosphere lies between the thermosphere and the stratosphere. “Meso” means middle, and this is the highest layer of the atmosphere in which the gases are all mixed up rather than being layered by their mass. The mesosphere is 22 miles (35 kilometers) thick.
Stratosphere | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Mar 24, 2025 · “Strat” means layer. This layer of our atmosphere has its own set of layers. There are no storms or turbulence here to mix up the air, so cold, heavy air is at the bottom and warm, light air is at the top. That’s the opposite of how the layers work in the troposphere, where we live.
Troposphere | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Jun 28, 2019 · When you feel the wind on your face, see clouds in the sky, and watch a bird flap its wings in flight, you’re experiencing the troposphere. It’s a pretty nice layer to call home. Visit other layers in Earth's atmosphere. Go out to the stratosphere.
Exosphere | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Jun 28, 2019 · The exosphere is the outermost layer of our atmosphere. “Exo” means outside and is the same prefix used to describe insects like grasshoppers that have a hard shell or “exoskeleton” on the outside of their body.
Ionosphere | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Mar 6, 2025 · The active, changing layer. An interesting layer called the ionosphere overlaps the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. It’s a very active part of the atmosphere, and it grows and shrinks depending on the energy it absorbs from the sun.
Thermosphere | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
6 days ago · This layer of Earth’s atmosphere is about 319 miles (513 kilometers) thick. That’s much thicker than the inner layers of the atmosphere, but not nearly as thick as the exosphere. The thermosphere is home to the International Space Station as it orbits Earth.
The Greenhouse Effect | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Mar 17, 2025 · Scientists have divided the atmosphere into different layers, each with a name. The layer closest to the ground, where we live and fly in jets, is called the troposphere [TRO-po-sphere]. Above that layer is the stratosphere [STRAT …
Atmosphere | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Mar 14, 2025 · NASA science games, articles and activities for kids
Earth | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Mar 24, 2025 · A tsunami is a large wave caused by movements in Earth''s outer layer, or crust. Learn more about these big waves and how NASA monitors them. Supermoon, Blood Moon, Blue Moon and Harvest Moon. Learn about the different names we have for a full moon! explore; What Is an Earthquake? Learn more about tremors on Earth—and other planets too! explore