Have you ever looked at that blue sky, filled with curiosity: how tall is the sky? Does it extend to the sky until the end of the invisible? Today, let's find out and lift the veil of the sky
First, the sky's height is actually a relative concept
Many have customarily considered “how high the sky is”, but in practice there is no clear “bottom line” or “top end”. It is the sum of the earth's atmosphere, which is made up of multiple layers of gases of varying density and temperature, gradually expanding outwards。
Level and extent of the atmosphere
The earth's atmosphere can be broadly divided into five layers, followed by the following:
Troposphere: from the ground to approximately 8-15 km (higher equatorial and thinner polar) stratosphere: approximately 15 to 50 km mesosphere: 50 to 85 km thermal layer: 85 to 600 km outer layer (outer outer space): over 600 km, transitioning to a vacuum
This means that from the top of the ground to the stratosphere, about 50 kilometres, it would be “the sky we can feel”。
Iii. Why does the sky look blue
This is because gas molecules in the atmosphere (mainly nitrogen and oxygen) disperse short wavelength blue light in sunlight, which is easier to disperse than other colours. It's this kind of dispersion that shows us a blue sky in the daytime。
How high is the sky? Scientific answers
Although there is no clear “border” in the sky, from a human perspective the “altitude” of the blue sky lies mainly in the upper troposphere, about 10-15 kilometres. Within this altitude, the air is still dense enough to disperse the sun and give the sky our familiar blue。
And when we fly into the plane, into the stratosphere (about 15 kilometres or more), the sky becomes dark and dark, because the air becomes thinner and dispersive。
Astronomy perspective: “the skyline” in outer space
If you climb high mountains or fly by air, you can still see the sky, because of the atmosphere. And the real “space boundary” — the carmen line (about 100 kilometres high) — is what people call “space”。
Summary: blue sky's “altitude” is actually the extent of the atmosphere
So the sky's “altitude” depends on where you stand and where you fly — it's the boundary of the atmosphere, it's a natural wonder that we sense。
Concluding remarks:
The next time you look at the blue sky, imagine the vast sky, knowing that its “highness” is actually determined by the level of the atmosphere. The sky is so vast and all-inclusive that it fills us with awe of the world。
