This picture shows some of the features of the stratosphere, which extends from about 10 to 50 km (6 to 31 miles) above our planet. The troposphere is the atmospheric layer below it, while the mesosphere is above. Earth's "sunscreen", the ozone layer, lies within the stratosphere. Clouds are mostly absent from the dry stratosphere; colorful Polar Stratospheric Clouds are the lone exception. Temperatures increase with height throughout the stratosphere.
Original artwork by Windows to the Universe staff (Randy Russell).

The stratosphere is the second layer (going upward) of Earth's atmosphere. It is above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. The ozone layer is within the stratosphere. The temperature gets warmer as you go higher in the stratosphere.
Original artwork by Windows to the Universe staff (Randy Russell).

This picture shows the stratosphere. The stratosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere. It starts about 10 km (6 miles) above the ground and goes up to 50 km (31 miles) high. The layer below it is called the troposphere. The layer above it is the mesosphere. As you go higher in the stratosphere, the air gets warmer. Earth's "sunscreen", the ozone layer, is within the stratosphere. The only clouds in this layer are the colorful Polar Stratospheric Clouds.
Original artwork by Windows to the Universe staff (Randy Russell).

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