Atmosphere of Earth the border between the atmosphere and outer space. Atmospheric effects become noticeable during atmospheric reentry of spacecraft at an altitude of around . Several layers can be distinguished in the atmosphere, based on characteristics such as temperature and composition. The study of Earth's atmosphere and its processes is called atmospheric science (aerology). Early pioneers in the field include Léon Teisserenc de Bort and Richard Assmann. The three major constituents of Earth's atmosphere are nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. Water vapor accounts for roughly 0.25% of the atmosphere by mass. The concentration of water vapor (a greenhouse gas) varies significantly from around
Atmosphere of Uranus from the analysis of "Voyager 2" far infrared and radio occultation observations. The currently accepted value is in the upper troposphere, which corresponds to a mass fraction . This value is very close to the protosolar helium mass fraction of , indicating that helium has not settled towards the centre of the planet as it has in the gas giants. The third most abundant constituent of the Uranian atmosphere is methane , the presence of which has been known for some time as a result of the ground-based spectroscopic observations. Methane possesses prominent absorption bands in the visible and near-infrared,