either energetic charged particles (usually electrons or protons) or photon radiation (UV or X-Rays) that can damage molecular structures such as DNA and spacecraft electronics
The region of the Earth’s upper atmosphere containing free electrons and ions produced by ionization of the constituents of the atmosphere by solar ultraviolet radiation at short wavelengths < 100nm)
and energetic precipitating particles. The ionosphere influences radiowave propagation of frequencies less than about 300 MHz. (See D region, E region, F region.)
An atmospheric layer in which a small fraction of electrons have been separated from their parent ions by energetic processes. Solar photons, solar protons and auroral particles, with sufficient energ
y, strip the electrons to produce a weak plasma.
The ionosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere that extends from about 50 to 300 miles above the surface of the planet. The layer is filled with electrically charged particles (as well as neutral one
s) and it is sensitive to incoming material from the sun, so the ionosphere can respond dramatically to space weather. Since the ionosphere is home to low Earth-orbiting spacecraft, as well as the region of space through which radio communications travel, unexpected changes in the region can have a dramatic effect on human technology.