The sun has a scorching, chaotic atmosphere known as "the corona," which extends from the sun's surface all the way to Pluto and beyond. The corona is only seen during total eclipses, yet it exists. The corona, like any healthy environment, has a lot of weather. It rains electrons, snowstorms of magnetic fields, and violent storms that can last for days at a time. The Earth's atmosphere is what makes life on our planet possible. Without it, we would be burned alive by the Sun's radiation because its atmosphere protects us from its heat. The Earth's atmosphere also works with other factors to keep us warm enough for water to exist as liquid, which is essential for life as we know it. Our atmosphere is made up of different gases including oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and argon. It also contains small amounts of other substances such as methane, hydrogen fluoride, and ozone. There are also large numbers of particles in the atmosphere that help block out some of the Sun's light and heat energy. These include clouds, dust, and pollution. The Earth's atmosphere is very important because it allows us to live on its surface and provides us with protection from other dangers such as cosmic rays and space debris. However, our atmosphere is not perfect and does have problems with air pollution and climate change. These issues will be discussed further under topics such as Astrobiology and Planetary Science.