• Question: how thick is the worlds atmosphere?

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      Asked by TheToppler 283 to Angus, Catherine, Jenni, Melissa, Waqar on 19 Jun 2016.
      • Photo: Melissa Ladyman

        Melissa Ladyman answered on 19 Jun 2016:

        300 miles thick.

        But, most of the gasses in the atmosphere are within 10 miles of the surface of the Earth.

        The atmosphere has 5 layers:

        Troposphere: 4-12 miles thick- this is where the clouds are found.
        Stratosphere: Ends 31 miles above Earth’s surface. Airplanes can go up into this layer, and this is where ozone is.
        Mesosphere: Ends 53 miles above the Earth’s surface. This is where meteors burn up.
        Thermosphere: Ends 56 miles above the Earth’s surface. This is so far up that most of the time it is considered space. It is where the space station orbits.
        Exosphere: This is where the atmosphere merges with space and only has particles of helium and hydrogen.

        I hope this helps!

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