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Ionosphere: Difference between revisions
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The [[Ionosphere]] is a region of Earth's upper atmosphere, from about 60 km (37 mi) to 1,000 km (620 mi) altitude, and includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere. It is ionized by solar radiation, plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the [[Magnetosphere]]. It has practical importance because, among other functions, it influences radio propagation to distant places on the Earth. | The [[Ionosphere]] is a region of Earth's upper atmosphere, from about 60 km (37 mi) to 1,000 km (620 mi) altitude, and includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere. It is ionized by solar radiation, plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the [[Magnetosphere]]. It has practical importance because, among other functions, it influences radio propagation to distant places on the Earth. | ||
Geophysically, the state of the ionospheric plasma may be described by four parameters: electron density, electron and ion temperature and, since several species of ions are present, ionic composition. ''Radio propagation, (the behavior of radio waves when they are transmitted, or propagated from one point on the Earth to another, or into various parts of the atmosphere) depends uniquely on electron density. | |||
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==Geophysics== | ==Geophysics== | ||
The ionosphere is a shell of electrons and electrically charged atoms and molecules that surrounds the Earth, stretching from a height of about 50 km (31 mi) to more than 1,000 km (620 mi). It owes its existence primarily to ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. | The ionosphere is a shell of electrons and electrically charged atoms and molecules that surrounds the Earth, stretching from a height of about 50 km (31 mi) to more than 1,000 km (620 mi). It owes its existence primarily to ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. | ||