Atmosphere of Earth

The Air Around Us

The Earth is wrapped in a special blanket called the atmosphere. This blanket is made of air, a mix of gases that we breathe. It is held close to Earth by gravity, which is the force that keeps everything on our planet.

The atmosphere helps us in many ways. It keeps us safe from tiny space rocks called meteoroids and shields us from strong solar radiation. It also makes sure our temperatures stay comfortable by trapping some heat, a process called the greenhouse effect.

Air is mostly made of two gases: nitrogen, which makes up about 78%, and oxygen, which makes up about 21%. There are also small amounts of other gases like argon and carbon dioxide. You can also find water vapor in the air, especially when it’s warm or after rain.

The atmosphere has several layers. The closest layer to us is called the troposphere, where all our weather happens, like rain and wind. Above that is the stratosphere, which has an ozone layer that protects us from harmful sun rays. Higher up are the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere, which get thinner and thinner until they fade into space.

The atmosphere is very important for life on Earth. It gives us the air we need to breathe and helps keep our planet just right for us to live.