The ionosphere is a region of the Earth's upper atmosphere with high concentrations of electrically charged particles, or ions. These ions are produced by the intense ionizing radiation from the sun, which strikes molecules of oxygen and nitrogen...

The ionosphere is a layer of the earth's atmosphere that is weakly ionized, and thus conducts electricity. It is located approximately in the same region as the top half of the mesosphere and the entire thermosphere in the upper atmosphere, from...

The part of the upper atmosphere, beginning at a height of 70–80 km, which is highly ionized by solar ultraviolet...

The ionosphere is the uppermost part of the atmosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere. It has practical importance because,...

Most lightning discharges take place within clouds or between clouds and the ground. There are a few reports, however, of a much rarer form of lightning that has been observed to come out of the top of the thunderstorm cloud and extend vertically...

Ionospheres: Physics, Plasma Physics, and Chemistry. Robert W. Schunk and Andrew E. Nagy. 2000. 554 pp. $100.00. Hardbound. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-63237-4. This book is the latest in the Cambridge Atmospheric and Space Science Series of advanced-level textbooks and research monographs that...

While most weather forecasters focus on the six or seven miles of earth's atmosphere where clouds drift and storms form, Jonathan Makela's sights are set much higher.Makela, a University of Illinois electrical- and computer-engineering professor, is working on a way to forecast the weather in...

Engineers will travel to this Puerto Rican coastal town in coming weeks to study whether to shut down the world's largest radio telescope, which was featured in the movie "Contact" but now faces steep budget cuts, observatory officials said Thursday.Opened in 1963, the Arecibo telescope,...