<p>In the following image (from <a href="https://www.space.com/8596-earth-colorful-atmospheric-layers-photographed-space.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this article</a>)<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/R1DlA.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/R1DlA.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>they claim the orange part is the troposphere, the yellow/almost white part is the stratosphere and the light blue part obviously the mesosphere while those above would be the mesopause and the thermosphere.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure they got it wrong.</p>
<ul>
<li>What is considered the &quot;stratosphere&quot; is far too small to be the stratosphere, even if excluding the <a href="https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/23196/why-is-the-isothermal-layer-being-considered-a-part-of-the-stratosphere-rather-t">isothermal layer</a>.</li>
<li>The alleged stratosphere has clouds in it, hence it can't be it nor even the isothermal layer alone. The &quot;stratosphere&quot; in the image is still part of the very troposphere and the difference in colors seems to be due to the different cloud layers only. In fact you can see to the very right that there's little difference between the alleged &quot;stratosphere&quot; and the troposphere; it seems to be one and the same layer.</li>
<li>I guess that in fact the layer(s) called &quot;troposphere&quot; and &quot;stratosphere&quot; are both the troposphere (up to ~12 km (7.5 mi)), the light blue layer is the isothermal stratosphere layer (12-20 km (12.5 mi)) and the very dark blue layer above is the rest of the stratosphere (above 20 km to above 25 km (15.5 mi) depending on the latitude).</li>
</ul>
<p>What are your thoughts on this and how do the layers compare to those in the images <a href="https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/23189/what-layers-of-the-atmosphere-are-divided-in-this-image-by-abrupt-borders">in my other question</a> where they're imaged in broad daylight, not during sunset?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-13T13:02:16.740Z
As in your other question, you need to start putting scales and numbers on those images , otherwise you might just look at paintings. Numbers are everything, they will tell you how much perspective might play a role here, or just elongating the 'troposphere' by insufficient cloud-cover. Try to track down scales, if they are published with those images, or find an image that has those on them. Don't go to space.com, i find them notorious for not publishing references, and making it seem as they invented all the wheels themselves.
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-13T13:21:48.097Z
@AtmosphericPrisonEscape In the above image the horizon looks quite flat as it is very magnified/close. It's not clearly visible either. The numbers written in the article are those of the layers by assuming it _are_ the layers as pointed out which I doubt. But the light blue layer seems to be the same as the one in the image in my former question, the one closest to but above the clouds. I guess it's either the isothermal layer or the entire stratosphere, ending abruptly either at ~25 km or at 50 km or around 35 km (upper end of most of the ozone layer).
Giovanni
<atmosphere><troposphere><stratosphere>
Didn't they get the atmospheric layers wrong in this image and which layers are those actually?
Giovanni
# Didn't they get the atmospheric layers wrong in this image and which layers are those actually?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-12-13)

In the following image (from [this article](https://www.space.com/8596-earth-colorful-atmospheric-layers-photographed-space.html))[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/R1DlA.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/R1DlA.png)

they claim the orange part is the troposphere, the yellow/almost white part is the stratosphere and the light blue part obviously the mesosphere while those above would be the mesopause and the thermosphere.

I'm pretty sure they got it wrong.

* What is considered the "stratosphere" is far too small to be the stratosphere, even if excluding the [isothermal layer](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/23196/why-is-the-isothermal-layer-being-considered-a-part-of-the-stratosphere-rather-t).
* The alleged stratosphere has clouds in it, hence it can't be it nor even the isothermal layer alone. The "stratosphere" in the image is still part of the very troposphere and the difference in colors seems to be due to the different cloud layers only. In fact you can see to the very right that there's little difference between the alleged "stratosphere" and the troposphere; it seems to be one and the same layer.
* I guess that in fact the layer(s) called "troposphere" and "stratosphere" are both the troposphere (up to ~12 km (7.5 mi)), the light blue layer is the isothermal stratosphere layer (12-20 km (12.5 mi)) and the very dark blue layer above is the rest of the stratosphere (above 20 km to above 25 km (15.5 mi) depending on the latitude).

What are your thoughts on this and how do the layers compare to those in the images [in my other question](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/23189/what-layers-of-the-atmosphere-are-divided-in-this-image-by-abrupt-borders) where they're imaged in broad daylight, not during sunset?

**Tags:** atmosphere, troposphere, stratosphere

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: As in your other question, you need to start putting scales and numbers on those images , otherwise you might just look at paintings. Numbers are everything, they will tell you how much perspective might play a role here, or just elongating the 'troposphere' by insufficient cloud-cover. Try to track down scales, if they are published with those images, or find an image that has those on them. Don't go to space.com, i find them notorious for not publishing references, and making it seem as they invented all the wheels themselves.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 In the above image the horizon looks quite flat as it is very magnified/close. It's not clearly visible either. The numbers written in the article are those of the layers by assuming it _are_ the layers as pointed out which I doubt. But the light blue layer seems to be the same as the one in the image in my former question, the one closest to but above the clouds. I guess it's either the isothermal layer or the entire stratosphere, ending abruptly either at ~25 km or at 50 km or around 35 km (upper end of most of the ozone layer).  

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## 0 answers

