The atmosphere is a blanket of gases that surrounds and protects the Earth. It keeps us warm, blocks some of the sun’s harmful rays, and helps stop space rocks from hitting us.
All of our weather happens in the troposphere. It contains most of the air we breathe and a lot of water, including clouds.
The stratosphere contains the ozone layer. Ozone is a form of oxygen. It stops harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun reaching the Earth.
Most space rocks that enter the atmosphere burn up in the mesosphere. The top of this layer is the coldest part of the Earth’s atmosphere.
This layer protects us by absorbing a lot of the dangerous energy from the sun, such as X-rays.
The exosphere is the outermost layer before outer space begins.
Space rocks that make it through our atmosphere and hit the ground without burning up are called meteorites.
Planes fly high up, where the air is thinner. This means they can travel easier and faster, and burn less fuel.
International Space Station This space station has a crew of up to six astronauts. Each stays about six months, looking after the station and doing experiments. It orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes