i·on·o·sphere

(ī-ŏn′ə-sfîr′)

A region of the earth's atmosphere where ionization caused by incoming solar radiation affects the transmission of radio waves. It extends from a height of 70 kilometers (43 miles) to 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the surface.

i·on′o·spher′ic (-sfîr′ĭk, -sfĕr′-) adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ionosphere

(aɪˈɒnəˌsfɪə)

(Astronomy) a region of the earth's atmosphere, extending from about 60 kilometres to 1000 km above the earth's surface, in which there is a high concentration of free electrons formed as a result of ionizing radiation entering the atmosphere from space. See also D region, E region, F region

ionospheric adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

i•on•o•sphere

(aɪˈɒn əˌsfɪər)

n.

the region of the earth's atmosphere between the stratosphere and the exosphere, consisting of several ionized layers and extending from about 50 to 250 mi. (80 to 400 km) above the surface of the earth.

i•on`o•spher′ic (-ˈsfɛr ɪk) adj.

i·on·o·sphere

(ī-ŏn′ə-sfîr′)

A region of the Earth's atmosphere in which atoms are often ionized (electrically charged) by radiation from the sun. The ionosphere lies mostly in the lower thermosphere, from about 43 to 250 miles (69 to 402.5 kilometers) above the Earth. Radio waves, which normally travel in a straight line, can be transmitted long distances over the curved surface of the Earth because they bounce off certain layers of the ionosphere and return to Earth instead of continuing into space.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ionosphere

That part of the atmosphere, extending from about 70 to 500 kilometers, in which ions and free electrons exist in sufficient quantities to reflect electromagnetic waves.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

ionosphere

the outermost part of the earth’s permanent atmosphere, beyond the stratosphere, composed of heavily ionized molecules. It extends from about 50 to 250 miles above the surface of the earth. Cf. exosphere.

ionosphere

1. The upper layer of the atmosphere that lies above the stratosphere and is about 217 mi (350km) thick.

2. The area of the Earth’s atmosphere in which ionization caused by solar radiation affects the transmission of radio waves.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

ionosphere - the outer region of the Earth's atmosphere; contains a high concentration of free electrons

atmosphere, air - the mass of air surrounding the Earth; "there was great heat as the comet entered the atmosphere"; "it was exposed to the air"

D region, D-layer - the lowest region of the ionosphere (35 to 50 miles up) that reflects low-frequency radio waves

Appleton layer, F layer, F region - the highest region of the ionosphere (from 90 to 600 miles up) which contains the highest concentration of free electrons and is most useful for long-range radio transmission

E layer, E region, Heaviside layer, Kennelly-Heaviside layer - a region of the ionosphere (from 50 to 90 miles up) that reflects radio waves of medium length

region, part - the extended spatial location of something; "the farming regions of France"; "religions in all parts of the world"; "regions of outer space"

Translations

ionosfääri

ionosphère

ionosfera

ionosphere

[aɪˈɒnəsfɪəʳ] N → ionosfera f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ionosphere

n → Ionosphäre f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ionosphere

[aɪˈɒnəˌsfɪəʳ] n → ionosfera

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

From a position aboard the International Space Station, it could gather observations of the ionosphere - the area of our atmosphere that overlaps with the lower regions of space.

NASA Selects Proposals to Advance Understanding of Space Weather

COSMIC-2 will also monitor dynamic changes in Earth's ionosphere.

NOAA experts preview COSMIC-2 satellite mission

Its chief mission: The study of the universe and various celestial bodies, including meteorological observations as well as analysis of weather data and ionosphere, building satellites, Mars and its surroundings.

Curious to peep into the universe, visit the Shrajah Centre for Astronomy and Space Sciences

Making use of Global Ionosphere Maps (GIMs), which are maps at a global scale of the vertical total electron content (VTEC), Pundhir et al.

IONOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES BEFORE AND AFTER THE JANUARY 14, 2018 EARTHQUAKE IN PERU

Professor Guo Lixin, dean of the school of physics and optoelectronic engineering at Xidian University in Xian and a leading scientist on ionosphere manipulation technology in China, said the joint experimentation was extremely unusual.

China and Russia band together on controversial heating experiments to modify the atmosphere

According to Cravens, the higher-than-expected rate of material being expelled from Saturn's D Ring into the planet's upper atmosphere, or ionosphere, is sufficient that astronomers now think the lifespan of the ring may be briefer than previously estimated.

Saturn: Weird Magnetic Field Makes Things Weirder

During the day, the Sun's ultraviolet radiation breaks down neutral atoms in the upper atmosphere, creating the electrified soup of electrons and ions called the ionosphere. This broad layer reacts to changes in the intensity of sunlight, the encroaching solar wind above (space weather), and Earth below (terrestrial weather).

Shadow Science

These signals allowed for gathering location information that was about one to two kilometers off because it did not account for changes in the ionosphere, which is a layer of the atmosphere that can reflect and modify radio waves, he noted.

DARPA Pursuing Global Positioning System Alternatives

The SpaceX Falcon 9 apparently tore a big hole in the Earth's ionosphere (the regions of the earth's atmosphere extending from earth's atmosphere extending from about 80 to 400 kilometers above the surface of the earth), which could cause errors in global positioning system (GPS) navigation.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket tore a hole through Earth's ionosphere - study

Among his topics are electromagnetic properties of plasma and plasma modes, kinetic-derivation and analysis of the dielectric tensor, electromagnetic wave interaction with the ionosphere, nonlinear plasma waves, and ionospheric very-low-frequency transmitter.

Plasma Physics in Active Wave-Ionosphere Interaction