Earth's atmosphere is a thin band of air composed of five main layers. (Image credit: NASA) To better understand the formation and composition of Earth, scientists sometimes compare our planet ...

Keep reading to learn more about Earth's different layers, its atmosphere, and what makes the "blue planet" unique. 5 fast facts about Earth. Earth isn't perfectly round; ...

The Layers of Earth's Atmosphere It's easy to imagine Earth's atmosphere as a bubble of air surrounding the planet that abruptly ends with the vacuum of space . The reality is a lot more complex ...

Our atmosphere is made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% “other” gasses, which includes carbon dioxide. The Earth’s surface is roughly 71% water and the oceans hold 96.5% of that water.

Facts of the Matter: Earth’s unique atmosphere lets water exist in all 3 phases. ... Stratus clouds form in the lower layer of the atmosphere but are most common in the second or middle layer.

This layer extends up to about 31 miles above the Earth's surface. The National Weather Service says this layer holds 19-percent of the atmosphere's gasses, but little water vapor.

Essential facts about the Earth, including its size, distance from the Sun, what's on the surface, and escape velocity. Skip to content Introducing the all-new Astronomy.com Forum!

The Earth's atmosphere is far more reactive to solar activity than scientists previously believed, with the new research showing it can pulse in near-synchronicity with the sun's powerful flares.

Ranging from September 2004 to December 2023, it spans multiple levels of the atmosphere from ground level up to the lower edge of space, about 110 kilometers above Earth's surface.