Atmosphere Educational Resources

Earth's Atmosphere

A photo of the Earth’s limb and cloud tops from the perspective of the International Space Station.

The Earth's atmosphere protects us from the dangers of space, like the sun's harmful radiation, meteoroids, and extreme temperature fluctuations. It also happens to be made up of exactly the molecules life needs to thrive. These molecules and how they react with space weather and our environment make for some interesting phenomena.

Learn all about the atmosphere, rain, clouds, wind & air by exploring the resources below.

Atmosphere

The moon seen over the earths horizon.
How Did Earth's Atmosphere Form?
The sky seen from space.
Why Does the Atmosphere Not Drift off Into Space?
Clouds seen in the sky
Why Is the Sky Blue?
Video still image with a hand drawing a Sun and Earth
Lesson Plan: Greenhouse Gases & Aerosols

Rain

Drawing of rain over a pod.
What Makes It Rain?
Drawing of an atmospheric river
What Is an Atmospheric River?
Hand drawn image of fog being wiped off a window by a hand.
What Is Humidity?
Cartoon drawing of an animal being rained on.
What Is Precipitation?
Image of the water cycle JPSS Board Game
Water Cycle Board Game
A diagram of how rain is made.
Precipitation Simulator
A cut-out plastic water bottle with rocks on grass
Activity: Measure Rainfall

Clouds

Image of a very large cloud in the sky.
Types of Clouds
Fog seen over a forest.
What's the Difference Between Fog and Clouds?
Image of the Cloud Thickness Simiulation Game
How Does Cloud Thickness Change the Way It Looks to a Satellite?
Solar panels with clouds behind them.
How Do Clouds Affect Solar Energy?
An image of clouds seen from space.
What Are Those Cloud Images on TV?

Wind & Air

A drawn windsock with an airplane flying behind it.
Why Does Wind Blow?
Image of the earth from spacing depiticing the jet streams
What Is the Jet Stream?
image of a world map
What Are Trade Winds?
A graph with a plane flying through the sky.
Contrail Simulation
A drawn windsock with an airplane flying behind it.
JPSS and Wind: Make a Windsock

Publication Date: September 12, 2025