I’m very HOT! Keep out! It’s very cold here! Ha! Ha! I’m not too cold or too hot! It’s OK here! What makes Earth‘s climate so moderate?

Ha! Ha! Just because I’m covered by a cocoon of gases which is made up of mainly nitrogen and oxygen!

Details of different layers.

10 miles Surface of the earth Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Ionosphere Exosphere miles miles 50 – 180 miles miles Contains water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide… Contains ozone molecules. Coldest part of the atmosphere. Starts to heat up and can reach up to several thousand ºF Transition zone into space.

Troposphere  Most of the clouds that we see in the sky are found in this layer.  This is the layer of atmosphere we associate with weather.  Gases in this layer help retain heat and a portion of which is radiated back to warm the surface of the Earth.  Temperature goes down when you go higher.

Stratosphere  This layer includes the ozone layer.  Ozone molecules absorb ultraviolet radiation from the Sun and protect us from its harmful effects.

Mesosphere  This is the coldest part of the atmosphere.

Ionosphere (thermosphere)  Temperatures in this layer can reach up to several thousand ºF

Exosphere  This is the outermost layer of the atmosphere.