Thinning Upper Atmosphere

Credit: Credit: NASA/JSC, Posted on: Monday, 23 February 2004, 06:00 CST Download full size image

From a vantage point about 360 km (225 miles) over the Earth, Space Station crewmembers photographed the crescent moon through the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere. At the bottom of the image, a closed deck of clouds is probably at about 6 km (3 miles). The shades of blue grading to black are caused by the scatter of light as it strikes gas molecules of the very low density upper atmosphere. Models predict that emissions of carbon dioxide are causing the upper atmosphere to cool and contract, and therefore reduce the density of gases in the layer spanning from 90 to 649 km (60 to 400 miles) above the surface—known as the thermosphere.




More Images

Mars
Morning Frost on Martian Surface.A thin layer of water frost is visible on the ground around NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander in this im...

Universe
Great Southern Land.This sweeping mosaic of Saturn's moon Enceladus provides broad regional context for the ultra-sha...




Aug 19, 2008, 8:28 am
Space-Age Braces

Aug 19, 2008, 8:24 am
Removing Doggie Cataracts is a Simple Procedure

Aug 19, 2008, 8:22 am
The Heart of the ADHD Debate

Aug 19, 2008, 8:17 am
Inner Cities Turn To Hip-Hop For HIV Education

Aug 19, 2008, 8:12 am
Detecting Breast Cancer With Water

Aug 19, 2008, 8:06 am
Technology Tackles Scoliosis


redOrbit Friends


Quiz Me

The Komodo dragon lives in which part of the world?
A.South-Western China
B.Madagascar
C.Australia
D.Indonesia
or View Results