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mesosphere

[ mez-uh-sfeer, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh- ]

noun

  1. (in the classification of the earth's atmosphere by chemical properties) the region between the ionosphere and the exosphere, extending from about 250–650 miles (400–1050 km) above the surface of the earth.
  2. (in the classification of the earth's atmosphere by thermal properties) the region between the stratosphere and the thermosphere, extending from about 20–50 miles (32–80 km) above the surface of the earth.


mesosphere

/ ˌmɛsəʊˈsfɛrɪk; ˈmɛsəʊˌsfɪə /

noun

  1. the atmospheric layer lying between the stratosphere and the thermosphere, characterized by a rapid decrease in temperature with height
  2. the solid part of the earth's mantle lying between the asthenosphere and the core
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


mesosphere

/ mĕzə-sfîr′ /

  1. The region of the Earth's atmosphere lying above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, from a height of about 50 km (31 mi) to about 80 km (50 mi) above the Earth's surface. In the mesosphere temperatures decrease with increasing altitude due to the decreasing absorption of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. At the top of this region temperatures are around −95°C (−135.4°F). Most of the meteors that enter Earth's atmosphere burn up while passing through the mesosphere.
  2. See also exosphereSee illustration at atmosphere


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Derived Forms

  • mesospheric, adjective
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Other Words From

  • mes·o·spher·ic [mez-, uh, -, sfer, -ik, mes-, mee-z, uh, -, -s, uh, -], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mesosphere1

First recorded in 1945–50; meso- + -sphere
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Example Sentences

One day such sensor parachutes may float through the mesosphere.

In the mesosphere, there is “not enough air for airplanes or balloons, but too much air for satellites,” he says.

He, Azadi, and the rest of the team flew their discs in a chamber filled with the same concentration of air as the mesosphere.

When this rocket was 85 kilometers off the ground, its water cargo exploded — spraying the upper mesosphere with a plume of vapor that froze into a cloud of ice crystals.

Microfliers could run on sunlight or laser light and could someday carry small instruments to measure conditions in the relatively unexplored mesosphere, the researchers suggest.

What about the incidence of penetrating meteors in the mesosphere?

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