Stratosphere the stratosphere temperatures increase with altitude "(see temperature inversion)"; the top of the stratosphere has a temperature of about 270 K (−3°C or 26.6°F). This vertical stratification, with warmer layers above and cooler layers below, makes the stratosphere dynamically stable: there is no regular convection and associated turbulence in this part of the atmosphere. However, exceptionally energetic convection processes, such as volcanic eruption columns and overshooting tops in severe supercell thunderstorms, may carry convection into the stratosphere on a very local and temporary basis. Overall the attenuation of solar UV at wavelengths that damage DNA by the ozone layer allows
The Songs of Distant Earth would have to carry to first accelerate to the speeds required to travel such great distances within an acceptable time, and then decelerate upon approaching the destination. This limitation is overcome however with the development of the Quantum Drive less than a hundred years before the Sun is set to become a nova. This scientific break-through allows the construction of a fleet of manned interstellar vehicles, including the Starship "Magellan". The "Magellan" escapes the Earth three years before the Sun explodes, an event that is witnessed by the "Magellan"'s crew. In the intervening years the colony on Thalassa loses contact