The air that surrounds the earth is called the atmosphere. The atmosphere extends to a height of 434 miles above the earth and it has four layers. We live in the troposphere. This area is zero to six miles above the earth's surface. This is where the clouds form and the rest of the weather occurs.
Six to thirty miles above the troposphere is the stratosphere. This dry warm area is the location of the ozone layer. The next layer is the cold mesosphere. It is thirty to fifty miles above the ground. Temperatures can drop to -184 degrees Fahrenheit.
The outer layer is the thermosphere and includes everything over fifty miles. This is where meteors and auroras can be seen. It gets very hot in this area because the thin gases absorb the ultraviolet rays.
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