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There is a protective bubble around the Earth called...what?

2007-03-27 10:36:07 · 17 answers · asked by Jaci 2 in Science & Mathematics Earth Sciences & Geology

There is a protective bubble around the Earth called the...what?

2007-03-27 10:36:46 · update #1

17 answers

Atmosphere - layers of air and - at higher altitudes - ozone which absorbs harmful solar radiation

There are also the Van Allen Belts - a "donut-shaped" double band of radiation held in place above the atmosphere by the Earth's magnetic field. Some scientists believe that the Van Allen Belts help deflect harmful solar radiation away from the Earth

2007-03-27 10:39:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

There are several natural phenomena which protect life on earth from the unfriendly environment of space.

first, is the earth's magnetic field, which deflects the "Solar Wind", a hail of charged ions that stream outwards from the sun. It also protects us from harsh ionizing radiation that naturally occurs in the vacuum of space.

Then there is the actual atmosphere.

The very thin upper layers protect us from meteoroids, "space dust", X-rays, charged particles, and "cosmic rays." Cosmic rays are ultra-high energy atomic nuclei, that come careening through space at nearly 99.99995% of the speed of light. when they collide with ordinary matter, they produce a shower of radiation.

The lower layers absorb UV light, provide weather and precipitation, and insulate the earth against the scorching heat and extreme cold of space. On the moon, which has no atmosphere, areas in direct sunlight may reach 400°-500°, while areas in the shade may only be about 50° above absolute zero, or about -200° centigrade. Atmospheric pressure also keeps water in its liquid state. In the vacuum of space, water will simultaneously freeze and evaporate, much like dry ice.

~Donkey Hotei

2007-03-27 11:30:52 · answer #2 · answered by WOMBAT, Manliness Expert 7 · 1 0

"We're surrounded by hot gas," Zank notes. "As our sun moves through extremely 'empty' or low-density interstellar space, the solar wind produces a protective bubble -- the heliosphere around our solar system, which allows life to flourish on Earth. Unfortunately, we could bump into a small cloud at any time, and we probably won't see it coming. Without the heliosphere, neutral hydrogen would interact with our atmosphere, possibly producing catastrophic climate changes, while our exposure to deadly cosmic radiation in the form of very high-energy cosmic rays would increase."

2007-03-27 10:44:56 · answer #3 · answered by Indiana Frenchman 7 · 0 0

The atmosphere - but it's not just made up of one "layer". Weather occurs in the bottom "layer", the troposphere. Above this is the very important stratosphere which contains ozone. This ozone filters out UV light and basically allows life on Earth as we know it.

2007-03-27 10:42:34 · answer #4 · answered by squilloogleuk 2 · 1 0

Ozone Layer

2007-03-27 10:43:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

At suitable it extremely is in ordinary terms a technological fallout. A holiday in UVA and UVB could knock out any communication utilising radio fields, that's lots of the planet. And particular it extremely is usually a threat. yet once you think of of the aptitude for dying, at any given time on your life, it rather is a relentless. Even sitting on your place exact now, you ought to probably die from a minimum of 50 variables, if not greater. there is little factor merely being a doom sayer right here. the two way the planet has long previous by way of alterations like this in the previous and could proceed to adventure them persistently. there became in no way a assure that humanity became infallable, God or no longer.

2017-01-05 03:11:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

The atmosphere

2007-03-27 10:39:46 · answer #7 · answered by Mad Roy 6 · 1 0

the o-zone layer made of gases like carbon dioxide and nitrogen but the more carbon dioxide in the world the layer gets thicker and it gets warmer

2007-03-27 10:43:26 · answer #8 · answered by Trunk Monkeey 3 · 0 0

what does it protect it from??? radiation and such from the sun would be magnetoshpere i think. stratoshpere could be another. Ozone???

2007-03-27 11:15:54 · answer #9 · answered by dragongirl_92 3 · 0 0

the ozone layer

2007-03-27 10:44:10 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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