How Far Is Space From Earth
The kármán line or karman line lies at an altitude of 100 kilometres 62 mi above the earth s sea level and commonly represents the boundary between the earth s atmosphere and outer space.
How far is space from earth. The kármán line an altitude of 100 km 62 mi above sea level is conventionally used as the start of outer space in space treaties and for aerospace records keeping. There is no firm boundary where space begins. Other definitions are possible.
Even at an altitude of about 250 miles above the surface of the earth which is the altitude at which the international space station orbits the earth there are enough air molecules to slow the craft down over time. Periodically the space station must fire its thrusters to avoid spiraling into the earth. Others place the marker at an astronomical 13 million miles.
Outer space does not begin at a definite altitude above the earth s surface. Nasa sets the boundary at 76 miles. So we see them not as they are today but as they looked long before there was any life on earth.
However the kármán line at an altitude of 100 km 62 mi above sea level is conventionally used as the start of outer space in space treaties and for aerospace records keeping. The number of miles required to reach outer space depends on whom is asked. The space industry lists 62 miles.
The deeper we see into space the more galaxies we discover. It s a photograph of earth taken on february 14 1990 by the voyager 1 space probe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers 3 7 billion miles. The most widely accepted definition is 100 kilometres 62 miles.
The shortest distance between earth and space is about 62 miles 100 kilometers straight up which by general accord is where the planet s boundary ends and suborbital space begins.