The layers of Earth's atmosphere

Every part of our daily lives is spent within the planet's atmosphere, but do you know what happens in each layer? Let's take a look.

The layer closest to the ground is called the troposphere, this layer stretches from the planet’s surface to around 7.5 miles high. This layer contains the air we need to live and 99 percent of the planet’s water vapor, it is also where the majority of weather systems appear.

Next is the thinning stratosphere. Reaching as high as 31 miles, the ozone layer rests here, protecting us from harmful UV rays emitted by the Sun. Specialized jet planes can reach this layer as can the tops of cumulonimbus clouds reach the stratosphere's lowest levels.

Fifty miles from the surface is the mesosphere. This is where most meteors burn up and at the higher reaches, temperatures are the coldest, dipping to minus-120 degrees. Noctilucent clouds also appear at this level.

The fourth layer is called the thermosphere stretching 440 miles from the surface. The International Space Station orbits Earth within this layer and temperatures actually start to rise due to a low density of molecules. The northern lights appear here.

Finally we come to the exosphere, the final boundary before the reaches of outer space. This layer reaches 6,200 miles from Earth. Most of our satellites orbit at this level where fierce solar winds whip around the planet.