mesosphere

noun

me·​so·​sphere ˈme-zə-ˌsfir 

ˈmē-,

-sə-

: the part of the earth's atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere in which temperature decreases with altitude to the atmosphere's absolute minimum

mesospheric

ˌme-zə-ˈsfir-ik 

ˌmē-

-sə-

-ˈsfer-

adjective

Examples of mesosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Schafer envisions a future in which swarms of these structures are used for atmospheric sensing and telecommunications not only in Earth’s mesosphere but also in the tenuous atmosphere of Mars, which exhibits similarly low pressures. —Payal Dhar, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025

The ignorosphere includes the mesosphere — the layer of Earth's atmosphere at altitudes between 30 and 53 miles (50 to 85 kilometers) — plus a section of the thermosphere up to an altitude of 100 miles (160 km). —Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 16 Aug. 2025

Finally, the researchers calculate that the lift is at its maximum in the mesosphere, the area just above the stratosphere (50–100 kilometers above Earth's surface). —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025

After a lightning strike, red sprites may appear in Earth’s mesosphere, high above a thunderstorm. —Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

meso- + -sphere

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mesosphere

• atmosphere
• biosphere
• centromere
• chemosphere
• chromosphere
• hemisphere
• hydrosphere
• lithosphere
• microsphere
• miserere
• mountaineer
• photosphere

Kids Definition

mesosphere

noun

me·​so·​sphere ˈmez-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r 

ˈmēz-,

ˈmēs-,

ˈmes-

: a layer of the atmosphere extending from the top of the stratosphere to an altitude of about 50 miles (80 kilometers)