The Kármán Line: Earth’s Atmosphere and the Boundary of Space

KOMPAS.com – Earth’s atmosphere has several layers, ranging from the troposphere near sea level, to the exosphere in its outermost region.

The location where each layer of the atmosphere ends and begins is determined by four main characteristics, namely changes in temperature, chemical composition, density, and movement of gases within it.

Given this, where does Earth’s atmosphere actually end up? And where is the boundary between Earth and space?

Kármán Garis, batas Bumi dan luar angkas

Katrina Bossert, a physicist at Arizona State University, said that the farther from Earth, the less dense the atmosphere is.

At that time, the composition of the atmosphere also changed, lighter atoms and molecules began to predominate, while heavier molecules remained closer to the Earth’s surface.

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As it moves upward in the atmosphere, the pressure decreases rapidly. Although commercial airplanes have pressurized cabins, rapid changes in altitude can affect the thin eustachian tube that connects the ear to the nose and throat.

Matthew Igel, a professor at California University, says this is why our ears can burst when planes take off.

Eventually, the air became too thin to be flown by conventional aircraft and the planes were unable to generate enough lift. This is the area defined by scientists to mark the end of Earth’s atmosphere, and the beginning of outer space.

According to Live Science, this line is known as the Kármán line, after Theodore von Kármán, an American physicist of Hungarian descent who, in 1957, became the first person to try to determine the boundary between Earth and outer space.

Also read: Does the Moon Have an Atmosphere Like Earth?

This line, because it marks the boundary between Earth and space, not only indicates where the aircraft boundary is, but is also important to scientists and engineers when figuring out how to keep spacecraft and satellites successfully orbiting Earth.

Bossert explained that the Kármán line is an approximation of the area indicating the altitude at which a satellite is able to orbit the Earth without burning up or falling out of orbit before circling the Earth at least once.

Igel added that the Kármán line is usually defined as 100 kilometers above the Earth. It is possible for something to orbit the earth at an altitude below the Kármán line, but this would require a very high orbital speed, which would be difficult to sustain due to friction.

Various factors, such as the size and shape of the satellite, play a role in determining how much air resistance the satellite will experience and, consequently, its ability to orbit Earth successfully.

Also read: The Dangerous Atmosphere on This Exoplanet Captured by the James Webb Telescope

Typically, satellites in low-Earth orbit, a classification that tends to be given to satellites that are at an altitude of less than 1,000 km but sometimes as low as 160 km above Earth, will fall out of orbit after a few years as the pull from Earth’s upper atmosphere gradually slows its speed. orbit.

However, this does not mean that the Earth’s atmosphere cannot be detected at a distance of more than 1,000 km.

Bossert explained, the atmosphere does not just disappear when it enters the area where the satellite orbits. It will be thousands of kilometers away before evidence of Earth’s atmosphere is lost.

So, if someone reaches the Kármán path, will they feel a difference? Are they aware that they are basically on the boundary between Earth and outer space?

Bossert says, nothing has really changed in the Kármán line. Igel also agrees in saying that the Kármán line is not physical, so we will not notice it.

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2023-08-30 11:35:00
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