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Thermopause
 
 
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The Thermopause is the atmospheric
Earth's atmosphere

The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. Dry air contains roughly 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and trace amounts of other gases....
 boundary of Earth's energy system, located at the top of the thermosphere
Thermosphere

The thermosphere is the layer of the earth's atmosphere directly above the mesosphere and directly below the exosphere. Within this layer, ultraviolet radiation causes ionization....
.

Below this, the atmosphere is defined to be active on the insolation
Insolation

Insolation is a measure of solar radiation energy received on a given surface area in a given time. It is commonly expressed as average irradiance in watts per square meter or kilowatt-hours per square meter per day ....
 received, due to the increased presence of heavier gases such as monoatomic oxygen. The solar constant is thus expressed at the thermopause. Beyond (above) this, the exosphere
Exosphere

The exosphere is the uppermost layer of an atmosphere. In the exosphere, an upward travelling molecule can escape to space or be pulled back to the celestial body by gravity with little probability of colliding with another molecule....
 describes the thinnest remainder of atmospheric particles with large mean free path, mostly hydrogen and helium.

The exact altitude varies by the energy inputs of location, time of day, solar flux, season, etc.






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The Thermopause is the atmospheric
Earth's atmosphere

The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. Dry air contains roughly 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and trace amounts of other gases....
 boundary of Earth's energy system, located at the top of the thermosphere
Thermosphere

The thermosphere is the layer of the earth's atmosphere directly above the mesosphere and directly below the exosphere. Within this layer, ultraviolet radiation causes ionization....
.

Below this, the atmosphere is defined to be active on the insolation
Insolation

Insolation is a measure of solar radiation energy received on a given surface area in a given time. It is commonly expressed as average irradiance in watts per square meter or kilowatt-hours per square meter per day ....
 received, due to the increased presence of heavier gases such as monoatomic oxygen. The solar constant is thus expressed at the thermopause. Beyond (above) this, the exosphere
Exosphere

The exosphere is the uppermost layer of an atmosphere. In the exosphere, an upward travelling molecule can escape to space or be pulled back to the celestial body by gravity with little probability of colliding with another molecule....
 describes the thinnest remainder of atmospheric particles with large mean free path, mostly hydrogen and helium.

The exact altitude varies by the energy inputs of location, time of day, solar flux, season, etc. and can be between 500-1000 km high at a given place and time because of these. A portion
South Atlantic Anomaly

The South Atlantic Anomaly is the region where Earth's inner Van Allen radiation belt makes its closest approach to the planet's surface. Thus, for a given altitude, the radiation intensity is greater within this region than elsewhere....
 of the magnetosphere
Magnetosphere

A magnetosphere is a highly magnetized region around and possessed by an astronomical object. Earth is surrounded by a magnetosphere, as are the magnetized planets Mercury , Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune....
 dips below this layer as well.

Although these are all named layers of the atmosphere, the pressure is so negligible that the chiefly-used definitions of outer space
Outer space

Outer space comprises the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. Outer space is used to distinguish it from airspace and terrestrial locations....
 are actually below this altitude. Orbiting satellites do not experience significant atmospheric heating, but their orbits do decay over time, depending on orbit altitude. Space missions such as the ISS
International Space Station

The International Space Station is a research facility Assembly of the International Space Station in outer space. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998, and is scheduled to be complete by 2011, with operations continuing until around 2015....
, space shuttle
Space Shuttle

NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System , is the spacecraft currently used by the United States government for its human spaceflight missions....
, and Soyuz
Soyuz

Soyuz is Russian language for "Union", and was often used as an abbreviation for the "Soviet Union" during the Communist era. In English, the term is left untranslated in the names of several Soviet-related concepts....
 operate under this layer.