At first, the temperature gets warmer very quickly as you go upward in the thermosphere. After that, the temperature doesn't change much as you go higher. However, the hottest temperature changes between day and night. It also depends on whether the Sun is active (solar max) or not (solar min).
Click on image for full size
Images courtesy of The COMET Program and HAO at NCAR (modified by Windows to the Universe staff).
Temperature in the Thermosphere
At first, the temperature gets warmer very quickly as you go upward in the thermosphere. After that, the temperature doesn't change much as you go higher. However, the hottest temperature changes between day and night. It also depends on how active the Sun is during its 11-year sunspot cycle. The thermosphere is hottest when the Sun is very active during "solar max". It isn't quite so hot when the Sun is less active during "solar min".
You might also be interested in:
The thermosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere. The thermosphere is directly above the mesosphere and below the exosphere. It extends from about 90 km (56 miles) to between 500 and 1,000 km (311 to
...more
Rainbows appear in the sky when there is bright sunlight and rain. Sunlight is known as visible or white light and is actually a mixture of colors. Rainbows result from the refraction and reflection of
...more
The Earth travels around the sun one full time per year. During this year, the seasons change depending on the amount of sunlight reaching the surface and the Earth's tilt as it revolves around the sun.
...more
Scientists sometimes travel in specially outfitted airplanes in order to gather data about atmospheric conditions. These research aircraft have special inlet ports that bring air from the outside into
...more
An anemometer is a weather instrument used to measure the wind (it can also be called a wind gauge). Anemometers can measure wind speed, wind direction, and other information like the largest gust of wind
...more
Thermometers measure temperature. "Thermo" means heat and "meter" means to measure. You can use a thermometer to measure the temperature of many things, including the temperature of
...more
Weather balloons are used to carry weather instruments that measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and winds in the atmosphere. The balloons are made of rubber and weigh up to one kilogram (2.2 pounds).
...more
