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[โ€“] 2 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Why does the temperature increase at 40,000m?

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  • [โ€“] [S] 2 points 2 months ago

    Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles of a thing. In the vacuum of space, there are very few particles, and they are mostly moving very very fast, which gives them high energy and high temperature.

    I forget what happens at 40,000 m that causes the shift from cold atmosphere to "this is space" but that's how the temperature is increasing -- as you climb there are fewer and fewer particles, moving faster and faster.

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