Western Governors University (WGU) SCIE1020 C165 Integrated Physical Sciences Practice Exam

Meteors typically burn up upon entering Earth's atmosphere in the mesosphere. This layer of the atmosphere is situated above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, extending from about 50 to 85 kilometers (31 to 53 miles) above the Earth's surface. As meteors travel through the atmosphere at high speeds, they encounter increasing air friction and pressure, causing them to heat up and ultimately vaporize before reaching the ground.

The characteristics of the mesosphere, including its relatively low density and temperature, contribute to the phenomenon that we observe as meteor showers. This layer is crucial for the disintegration of most meteors, ensuring that they burn up rather than reach the Earth's surface as meteorites. The troposphere and stratosphere, being the lower layers of the atmosphere, are generally not the locations where most meteors burn up, as they do not provide the necessary conditions for the rapid deceleration and heating experienced in the mesosphere. The exosphere, on the other hand, is the outermost layer of the atmosphere and is too far removed from the denser air required for meteors to burn up. Thus, the mesosphere is the correct and most logical choice for where meteors typically incinerate upon entering Earth's