Atmospheric diffraction type of dust in the atmosphere. The ionosphere is a layer of partially ionized gases high above the majority of the Earth's atmosphere; these gases are ionized by cosmic rays originating on the sun. When radio waves travel into this zone, which commences about 80 kilometers above the earth, they experience diffraction in a manner similar to the visible light phenomenon described above. In this case some of the electromagnetic energy is bent in a large arc, such that it can return to the Earth's surface at a very distant point (on the order of hundreds of kilometers from the
Coast earth station Earth station (article 1.63) Coast earth station Coast earth station, also called the coast earth radio station is – according to "article 1.76" of the International Telecommunication Union´s (ITU) ITU Radio Regulations (RR) – defined as «"An earth station in the fixed-satellite service or, in some cases, in the maritime mobile-satellite service, located at a specified fixed point on land to provide a feeder link for the maritime mobile-satellite service".» Each "radio station" shall be classified by the "service" in which it operates permanently or temporarily. In accordance with "ITU Radio Regulations" (article 1) this type of "radio station" might