mesosphere
Americannoun
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(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.
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(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.
noun
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the atmospheric layer lying between the stratosphere and the thermosphere, characterized by a rapid decrease in temperature with height
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the solid part of the earth's mantle lying between the asthenosphere and the core
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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.
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See also exosphere stratosphere thermosphere troposphere See illustration at atmosphere
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mesosphere
Vocabulary lists containing mesosphere
Physical Geography - High School
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Plate Tectonics - Middle School
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Weather and Climate - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The mesosphere, an atmospheric region where space waste accumulates, is so difficult to study it has been called the ignorosphere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
In this case, they became visible through a phenomenon known as airglow in the mesosphere.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
Proud said the 1883 Krakatau eruption in Indonesia probably also reached the mesosphere.
From Reuters ● Nov. 3, 2022
The volcano even spewed material 36 miles high and reached the mesosphere, setting a world record of the highest volcano plume on satellite record.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 2, 2022
"What about the incidence of penetrating meteors in the mesosphere?"
From A Fine Fix by H. R. van Dongen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
