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Cosmic Combustion: Meteors Blaze in the Enigmatic Mesosphere
Of all the planets in the solar system, only the Earth has an atmosphere whose structure, composition and density have made it possible for biological life to develop. Each layer of this shell performs a key function in maintaining stable conditions on our planet. This includes the mesosphere, the middle layer of the atmosphere. What are its key features?
The mesosphere, located beyond the reach of balloons and airplanes, remains poorly studied despite its significance, unlike the exosphere. In turn, significant air resistance means that artificial satellites cannot circulate freely in it, so their usefulness in studying this layer is somewhat limited.
The most information about the mesosphere is provided to scientists by meteorological rockets equipped with appropriate research equipment. However, these can only conduct short-term soundings.
What is the mesosphere?
Speaking of the mesosphere, by this I mean the layer of the planet’s atmosphere that is not adjacent to the planet’s surface and in which the temperature decreases with increasing altitude. Earth’s mesosphere is the atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and thermosphere, ranking as the third layer. It is separated from the former by the stratopause, while the latter is separated from…
