Ozone is a natural gas that is found in two different layers of the atmosphere. In the layer around the Earth’s surface, otherwise known as the troposphere, bad ozone dirties the air and helps make smog. The troposphere extends up to the stratosphere layer, where good ozone protects life on Earth by absorbing some of the sun’s UV rays. Stratosphere ozone is found most often between six to 30 miles above the Earth’s surface.