- exosphere
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/ek"soh sfear'/, n.the highest region of the atmosphere, where the air density is so low that a fast-moving air molecule is more than 50 percent likely to escape from the atmosphere instead of hitting other molecules.[1950-55; EXO- + -SPHERE]
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outermost region of a planet's atmosphere, where molecular densities are low and the probability of collisions between molecules (molecule) is very small. The base of the exosphere is called the critical level of escape (escape velocity) because, in the absence of collisions, lighter, faster-moving atoms such as hydrogen and helium may attain velocities that allow them to escape the planet's gravitational field. Most molecules, however, have velocities considerably lower than the escape velocity, so their rate of escape to outer space is quite low.The Earth's exosphere begins about 500 km (300 miles) above the terrestrial surface and extends out through the magnetosphere and beyond to the interplanetary medium. Temperatures in the Earth's exosphere remain constant with altitude, averaging about 1500 K. The Earth's exosphere contains the hydrogen geocorona and the Van Allen radiation belts.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
