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Why is the thermosphere so hot and cold?

Best Answers

Even though the thermosphere is extremely hot, its low density means that it cannot efficiently convey that energy to objects moving through it. It has high heat, but low quantity. A mercury thermometer suspended within the thermosphere would read a temperature below freezing, as heat loss would exceed any energy the scattered particles of the thermosphere could transmit to the mercury. read more

The thermosphere is so hot because it absorbs a large amount of the ultraviolet and x-ray radiation coming to Earth from the sun, converting it to heat. Its temperature is extremely variable, based on both the time of day and the sun's activity. read more

Mesosphere is cold due to the distance from surface. It get less heat from lower regions, but lost more due radiation outward. Thermosphere is theoretically hot due collisions from outer space particles, but the density is so low, can't measure it by "normal" methods. read more

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