The Ionosphere

atmosphere · space · energy · communication

Powered by sunlight. The sun's radiation ionizes atoms in the upper atmosphere, turning them into charged particles. This is what creates the ionosphere and keeps it alive.

Radio wave bouncer. Radio signals travel along Earth's curve by bouncing off the ionosphere like a rubber ball off a wall. Without it, your radio wouldn't reach distant cities.

GPS trickster. The ionosphere delays and bends GPS signals as they travel down from satellites, which is why your phone's location can be off by several meters.

Starts where air thins out. The ionosphere begins about 48 kilometers up, where the atmosphere is so thin that the sun's rays can finally knock electrons off atoms.

Space shield edge. The ionosphere forms the inner boundary of Earth's magnetosphere, a magnetic bubble that protects us from dangerous particles streaming from the sun.