I’m always struck by how thin the Earth’s atmospheric layer really is.
It’s like 50km to the top of the Stratosphere, all those clouds are way down in the Troposphere. Imagine escaping Minneapolis and driving to Wisconsin that’s about how far it is to the top of the Stratosphere and then there’s all that other stuff that keeps really small bad stuff from hitting earth that goes up another 350km which is like driving to Baraboo to see the cranes. Otherwise we’d get hit with a mighty wind from the sun. That would stink.
I thought we had the Earth’s magnetosphere to thank for deflecting the solar wind. Without it, the solar wind would strip away our atmosphere, so say the boffins. I saw it on TV, so it has to be true.
Sure most is deflected but some gets into the upper atmosphere and ionosphere in the auroral zones…aurora bored alice. Boffin, is that some political partisan label?
UK speak, often a derogatory for scientist.
Another over-the-pond-ism. Kind of. Per Wiki: “In the slang of the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, India and South Africa, boffins are scientists, medical doctors, engineers, and other people engaged in technical or scientific research. The word boffin (or boff—often as an insult) can also be used to refer to any particularly clever person.”
I usually see it used in referring to scientists. And it’s fun to say: Boffin. Makes me think of a gannet in a lab coat.
I’m sorry I’m not seeing it. I have carried gannets in coats, but gannets don’t like white coats, I thought that was common knowledge.
I’m not seeing it either. My gannet friends wouldn’t be seen dead in one of these:
Meanwhile, just look at the coats on these:
I think we are missing the point of the word “fantasy” altogether. And NO, not that kind of fantasy, you cheeky monkey.
Just saw a gazillion gannets and dolphins not one of whom was wearing either Level A or B hazmat suits. I would certainly want my gannets or dolphins who were entering US territorial waters to wear hazmat suits.
Is that some kind of dog breed? One looks like a cat, have no idea what the others are.
Bartender? I’ll have what he’s having.
Not hard out here on the ATLANTIC OCEAN off Virginia’s Eastern Shore. No alcids. 
Excuse me I have to go hang my head over the gunwales.
Bartender? Cancel that order.