Illustration showing the layers of Earth's atmosphere with the positions of the SOFIA aircraft and the two Oxygen 18 and Oxygen 16 molecules
SOFIA Makes First Detection of Heavy Oxygen in Earth’s Upper Atmosphere
Date

This schematic shows the layers of Earth’s atmosphere, from the troposphere to the thermosphere. SOFIA observes from within the stratosphere and studied the ratio of main oxygen to heavy oxygen in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, up to an altitude of about 124 miles (200 kilometers.)

Credit
NASA/SOFIA/L. Proudfit
Image Number
SCI2023_0004

Additional Image Sizes