How much does the sky weigh?
the sky holds 4,824,146,196 gallons of water. At eight pounds per gallon, that's another 38,593,169,564 pounds of water in the air. Add it all up, and the total weight of our sky is 12,107,415,382,493,169,564 pounds, more than 12 quintillion pounds!
More than that if you add in the mass of dry air.
The concept of weighing the sky might seem abstract since the sky is essentially the expanse of atmosphere above us. Since it does not have a physical form like solid objects, it doesn't have a weight in the traditional sense. However, if we're considering the weight of the atmosphere, that is measurable.
The weight of the Earth's atmosphere can be calculated by using a unit called "pressure." Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted by the weight of the air above it. It is typically measured in units like pounds per square inch (psi) or pascals (Pa).
To determine the weight of the atmosphere, you need to consider the atmospheric pressure at a given point, the surface area over which it acts, and the density of the air. The weight can be calculated using the following formula:
Weight = Pressure x Surface Area
Keep in mind that the density of air also varies with altitude, so the weight of the atmosphere will vary depending on the location.
To measure the atmospheric pressure, you can use an instrument called a barometer. The most common type of barometer is a mercury barometer, which measures the atmospheric pressure by balancing the weight of a column of mercury against the atmospheric pressure. There are also digital barometers available that provide pressure readings without using mercury.
So, while the sky itself doesn't have a weight, the weight of the Earth's atmosphere can be estimated by measuring the atmospheric pressure and considering the surface area over which it acts.