---
title: "The Atmosphere"
description: "Know that Earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere, that air has weight and exerts pressure, that the atmosphere protects us from harmful radiation and keeps the planet warm enough "
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-atmosphere-mt_fkcxpeYP85
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-atmosphere-mt_fkcxpeYP85.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# The Atmosphere

Know that Earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere, that air has weight and exerts pressure, that the atmosphere protects us from harmful radiation and keeps the planet warm enough for life, and that weather happens in the lowest layer (troposphere)

Subject: Science · Area: Weather & Climate · Ages 9 to 11
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-atmosphere-mt_fkcxpeYP85

## Ready when they can

- Define the atmosphere as the layer of air surrounding Earth
- State that air has weight and exerts pressure
- Explain that weather occurs in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere

## Lesson: The Atmosphere

Earth is wrapped in a blanket of air called the atmosphere. You cannot see it, but it stretches for miles above your head, and every breath you take comes from it.

*(drawing: The atmosphere is stacked in layers. We live at the bottom, in the troposphere, and that is where all our weather happens.)*

**Example.** Hold a stack of ten heavy books and you can feel them pressing on your hands. Air does the same thing. Every layer of air above you presses down, all the way up to space. That push is called air pressure.

*(drawing: Air pressure is strongest near the ground, where the most air is piled up above you. It gets weaker the higher up you go.)*

**Tip.** The atmosphere does more than press on you. It also blocks harmful rays from the sun and traps warmth so Earth stays livable.

**Recap.** The atmosphere is the blanket of air around Earth. It has weight and presses down as air pressure, and all our weather happens in its lowest layer, the troposphere.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [What Causes Wind](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/what-causes-wind-mt_-UAxilUtUt)

## Opens up

- [Climate Change Basics](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/climate-change-basics-mt_DbI1kNg_0R)
- [How Earth systems interact](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/how-earth-systems-interact-mt_LKagN9GJPX)