The thermosphere is a layer of the atmosphere.
The thermosphere is one of the strata that make up the Earth 's atmosphere . This is the layer that is located beyond 85 kilometers in height and that extends, according to some experts, up to about 1,000 kilometers away from the surface of our planet.
An atmosphere is the gaseous mantle found around a celestial body . In the case of planet Earth , five different layers are recognized in the atmosphere. The closest to the planetary surface is the troposphere , followed by the stratosphere , mesosphere , thermosphere , and exosphere , in that order.
Therefore, the thermosphere - a term that is also accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy without an accent ( thermosphere ) - is located between the mesosphere and the exosphere . In this layer, X-rays , gamma rays , and ultraviolet rays cause sodium molecules and atoms to ionize , increasing the temperature . Due to this particularity, the thermosphere is also known as the ionosphere .
Ionization in the thermosphere
The phenomenon called ionization belongs to both the field of chemistry and physics, and is about the way in which ions are generated: that is, molecules or atoms with an electrical charge , given the lack or excess of electrons in relation to a neutral molecule or atom.
There are various ways to find the formation of an ion. Within this area, the chemical species that has fewer electrons than its original neutral form, and has a net positive charge, is known as a cation ; The anion represents the opposite concept, with more electrons and a net negative charge.
The International Space Station orbits in the thermosphere.
The auroras
In the thermosphere, polar auroras occur, phenomena that originate when the gas particles of the layer receive energy from the sun, and which appear in the form of luminescence during the night, generally at the poles, although also They can be seen in various parts of the planet for short periods. It should be noted that the temperature in the thermosphere can reach 1500° C.
There are two types of polar lights : the borealis , which occurs in the northern hemisphere, and the austral , in the south. The most suitable months for its observation depend on the hemisphere: in the north, from September to March; in the south, from March to September. From the European continent, it is normal for the aurora to appear above the horizon and have a reddish appearance. In all cases, it is a spectacle of nature like few others.
Space shuttles in the thermosphere
Space shuttles typically operate in the thermosphere. Since 2000 , the International Space Station has been in this atmospheric layer, where it orbits with at least two people on board uninterruptedly.
The International Space Station is dedicated to research tasks in the thermosphere. It is managed, administered and developed by international cooperation made up of the United States, Japan and Russia, among other countries. The teams of personnel that work aboard the station are rotating, and are made up of researchers and astronauts from the five space agencies participating in this project: NASA, the Japanese Space Exploration Agency, the Russian Federal Space Agency, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency .
It is important to mention that meteoroids are usually destroyed or disintegrated in the thermosphere; When this does not happen, then they will reach the surface of our planet under the name of meteorites . This protective action against the minor bodies of the solar system has been captured in various stories, many of which have been made into films. The thermosphere, on the other hand, facilitates television and radio transmissions because it reflects electromagnetic waves.