Atmosphere of Earth to changes in solar activity. Because the thermopause lies at the lower boundary of the exosphere, it is also referred to as the exobase. The lower part of the thermosphere, from above Earth's surface, contains the ionosphere. The temperature of the thermosphere gradually increases with height. Unlike the stratosphere beneath it, wherein a temperature inversion is due to the absorption of radiation by ozone, the inversion in the thermosphere occurs due to the extremely low density of its molecules. The temperature of this layer can rise as high as , though the gas molecules are so far apart that its
Computation of radiowave attenuation in the atmosphere recommendations is available for download and is available to the public. The document ITU-R P.676-8 of the ITU-R section considers the atmosphere as being divided into spherical homogeneous layers; each layer has a constant refraction index. By the use of trigonometry, a couple of formulas and an algorithm were derived. Through the use of an invariant, the same results can be directly derived: An incident ray at A under the angle Φ hits the layer B at the angle "θ". From basic Euclidean geometry: By Snell's law: so that Notes: The ITU recommended algorithm consists of launching a ray from