In our solar system, planet Earth is the third planet after Mercury and Venus. Planet Earth, also known as the blue planet, is very old, reaching more than 4.6 billion years.
Planet Earth is called the blue planet because it has layers of air, namely the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere. This layer of air then makes the planet Earth look blue when viewed from space.
The distance of the planet Earth to the sun is quite close, which is about 149.6 million kilometers or in other units about 1 AU (Astronomical Unit). To be able to protect itself from the solar wind and other bad influences, planet Earth is equipped with a magnetic field called the magnetosphere.
The magnetosphere for planet Earth is like a loyal friend who is ready at all times to protect not only from harmful interference from the sun, but also ultraviolet rays and radiation from outer space.
Physical Characteristics of Planet Earth
Earth has a mass of 59.760 billion tons with a specific gravity of up to 5,500 kg per meter. The diameter of the planet Earth is 12,756 km. Planet Earth also has a gravity of 10 N/kg which is the source of the gravity of other planets.
The measure of time on planet Earth in a day consists of 24 hours and in a year consists of 365.2425 days. Seventy percent of the planet Earth consists of water and the rest is air which contains up to 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% water vapor, carbon dioxide and other gases up to 100%.
The Earth is composed of a 1,370 km-thick inner core covered in frozen nickel iron with a temperature of 4.5000 degrees Celsius. The outer core of the planet Earth is a liquid with a thickness of 2,100 km which is also covered by a silica mantle as thick as 2,800 km to make up 83% of the earth's contents and then there is the earth's crust as thick as 85 km.
The Earth's crust is the thinnest only 5 km thick and is on the ocean floor. Earth's crust consists of several parts which with plate tectonic movements can cause earthquakes.
Layers of Air on Planet Earth
The layer of air that protects planet Earth is able to cover it up to as high as 700 km. This layer of air also affects the temperature on planet Earth. Following the climate of a region, planet earth has a temperature difference between -700 - 550 degrees Celsius.
The air layer of the planet Earth is also known as the atmosphere. The movement of the atmosphere is influenced by the rotation of the earth and the heating of the sun. The structure of the atmosphere is divided into several parts, namely as follows.
1. Layer of Air on Planet Earth -Troposphere
This troposphere is the lowest layer of planet Earth. Having a thickness of 15 km from the ground surface, the layer is able to protect the planet Earth from radiation from celestial bodies, one of which is the sun.
This layer, which is very thin compared to other layers of the atmosphere, turns out to have a mixture of gases capable of supporting life on earth. Among the chemicals that make up the troposphere are 20.99% oxygen, 78.03% nitrogen, 0.00015% helium, 0.00005% hydrogen, 0.93% argon, 0.0001% krypton, and 0.03% carbon dioxide. .
The troposphere is also the place where various things related to climate occur, such as sudden changes in weather and temperature, humidity, and air pressure and wind. Within the troposphere there are four other layers, which are as follows:
- The basic air layer is approximately 2 meters above the earth's surface. Microclimate is very influential in the state of the air.
- The bottom layer of air as high as 2 km determines the climate and changes in air temperature around it.
- The advection air layer is an initial layer of 2-8 km thick which has hot and cold air colliding with each other so that the temperature conditions fluctuate.
- The tropopause air layer is located between the troposphere and the stratosphere as high as 8-12 km from sea level. The lowest degree of heat is -460 - 800 degrees Celsius. In this layer there is rain and snow.
2. Layers of Air on Planet Earth - Stratosphere
The location of this layer is about 50-60 km above the troposphere. The higher the temperature, the higher the air temperature in the stratosphere. This layer contains the ozone layer, which absorbs ultraviolet radiation so that it does not reach the surface of the planet Earth.
This layer contains dry air which consists of three parts, namely as follows:
- The isotherm air layer has an air temperature of -500 - -550 degrees Celsius. Located at an altitude of 12-35 km above sea level.
- A layer of hot air that has an air temperature of -500 - 500 degrees Celsius. Located at an altitude of 35-50 km above sea level.
- The top layer of mixed air that has an air temperature of 500 - 700 degrees Celsius. Located at an altitude of 50-80 km above sea level. At an altitude of 30 km oxygen will be converted into ozone.
3. Layers of Air on Planet Earth - Mesosphere
This layer is at an altitude of 50 - 70 km above the stratosphere. The higher the temperature, the lower the air temperature in the mesosphere. The lowest temperature is at an altitude of 80-100 km.
4. Layer of Air on Planet Earth - Thermosphere
This layer is located at an altitude of 75 - 650 km above the mesosphere. Because the gases that gather in this layer will be ionized, the thermosphere layer is also known as the ionosphere layer. The temperature in this layer will increase as the process of breaking down oxygen molecules and other gases occurs. The higher the temperature will increase.
The thermosphere consists of several parts, including the following:
- The E layer of air is also known as the Kennely and Heaviside air layers. The nature of this layer can reflect radio waves. The air temperature is around -700 - 500 degrees Celsius. This layer is located at an altitude of 100 km above sea level.
- The F layer of air is also known as the Appleton layer. This layer is located at an altitude of 150 - 400 km.
- Atomic air layer that is at an altitude of 400 - 800 km. In this layer all objects are atoms. The sun's heat will directly hit this layer with temperatures reaching up to 12000 degrees Celsius.
5. Layers of Air on Planet Earth - Exosphere
The outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere is located 500 km above the surface of Planet Earth. From this layer then we will find outer space without limits. In this layer any object will float because of the small influence of gravity. If we are in this layer, we cannot avoid the attacks of space rocks and solar radiation.
Between the exosphere and outer space there is an imaginary or imaginary line that delimits the two. The imaginary line is the magnetopause. The location of the magnetopause is determined by the balance between the pressure of the planet's magnetic field and the dynamic pressure of the solar wind.
The movement wave at the magnetopause in the direction of the solar wind in response to wind pressure is very small.
The exosphere is also a very dangerous place because it is the site of the destruction of meteors from outer space. The dust molecules in this layer can leave the atmosphere up to a height of 3,150km from the surface of the planet Earth.
Those are the layers on planet Earth. Hopefully this article about planet Earth is useful and adds to our insight.