Magnetic Fields

Magnetic Fields in the News
Magnetic Field Activities

Magnetic field lines describe the structure of magnetic fields in three dimensions. A compass needle will always try to point along a field line. Lines close together represent strong magnetic forces, and weak forces are represented as lines further apart. The figure on the left shows the field lines around a bar magnet.

In space, charged particles tend to become attached to magnetic field lines, spiraling around them while sliding along them, like beads on a wire. Because of this attachment, the behavior of energetic particles in space is dictated by the structure of field lines. Magnetic field lines are frozen into plasmas and move as the plasmas move.

In the image on the left, arrows show the field lines of the magnetic field around a bar magnet.

Back to Basics

May 8, 2012: Building nanomagnets atom by atom -- Physics World
April 26, 2012: Pigeons may 'hear' magnetic fields -- Nature
April 5, 2012: Magnetic storms spotted on Venus -- Nature
March 24, 2012: Laser hints at how universe got its magnetism -- Science Daily
March 22, 2012: 'Antimagnet' renders magnets invisible -- Nature
March 14, 2012: Magnetic Moon caused by asteroid impact? -- Astrobiology
March 8, 2012: Ancient impact may explain the moon's magnetic quirks -- AAAS
February 25, 2012: Plasmas torn apart -- Caltech
February 13, 2012: Sunspots' secrets unraveling -- Sky & Telescope
February 2, 2012: Magnetic fields put the brakes on millisecond pulsars -- Physics World
January 23, 2012: Magnetic soap could help in oil spill clean-ups -- BBC
January 9, 2012: Using magnets to study effects of weightlessness -- Astrobiology
January 3, 2012: Magnetic microbes in Death Valley -- Astrobiology
December 13, 2011: Are pulsars giant 'neutromagnets'? -- Physics World
December 6, 2011: The magnetic field pattern of the Milky Way -- Max Planck Institute
November 16, 2011: Stellar midwives -- Max Planck Institute
November 9, 2011: How the moon got its magnetism -- Science News
September 26, 2011: 'Antimagnet' joins list of invisibility approaches -- BBC
September 20, 2011: NASA's WISE mission captures black hole's wildly flaring jet -- NASA
September 13, 2011: Intense magnetic fields probably formed shortly after Big Bang, researchers say -- Science Daily
August 23, 2011: World-record pulsed magnetic field achieved -- Science Daily
August 4, 2011: Introducing the 'antimagnet' -- Physics World
July 25, 2011: Rare couling of magnetic and electric properties in a single material -- Brookhaven National Laboratory
July 22, 2011: Landmarks: Ghostly influence of distant magnetic field -- Physical Review Focus
July 20, 2011: Strongest 'split magnet' built in the US -- BBC
July 8, 2011: Temperature difference leads to magnetism -- Physical Review Focus
June 7, 2011: Could magnets replace aspirin as blood thinners? -- CNET
May 10, 2011: Gravity Probe B confirms the existence of gravitomagnetism -- APOD
May 2, 2011: Goddard building instrument to study reconnection -- NASA
April 28, 2011: Magnets used to reduce diagnosis times for infections -- Physics Today
April 8, 2011: How to turn the vacuum into a superconductor -- New Scientist
April 7, 2011: If plants generate magnetic fields, they're not sayin' -- Eurekalert
April 6, 2011: Materials science: The pull of stronger magnets -- Nature
March 31, 2011: Neutral atoms made to act like electrically charged particles -- Science Daily
March 24, 2011: Exploding stars and stripes -- NASA
January 17, 2011: Go jets -- HEAPOW
January 5, 2011: 3D magnetic domains imaged for the first time -- Physics World
November 21, 2010: A massive star in NGC 6357 -- APOD
November 8, 2010: Transmogrification -- HEAPOW
November 8, 2010: Best ever image from a neodymium rare-earth magnet -- New Scientist
November 3, 2010: Cosmic blasts hint at inner magnetars -- Nature
September 24, 2010: Magnetic anomalies shield the moon -- Astronomy
September 24, 2010: Measuring the magnetism of light -- Physical Review Focus
August 18, 2010: Cosmic accelerators discovered in our galaxy -- Science Daily
August 17, 2010: Milky Way magnets solve cosmic ray conundrum -- New Scientist
June 25, 2010: Hotspots leave magnetic scars on Mars -- Nature
June 4, 2010: Hubble remix: Active galaxy NGC 1275 -- APOD
May 8, 2010: Quantum wonders: The field that isn't there -- New Scientist
April 30, 2010: Mapping turbulence in the solar wind -- Physical Review Focus
April 22, 2010: Urgent refit for space magnet -- Nature
April 2, 2010: "Roaming" magnetic fields found -- National Geographic
March 29, 2010: Zoologger: Magneto-bat steers by a built-in compass -- New Scientist
March 22, 2010: About to go boom -- HEAPOW
March 17, 2010: Golden ratio seen in a magnet -- Nature
March 5, 2010: Liquid metal stirs itself -- Physical Review Focus
January 28, 2010: Planetary physics shrunk into a lab as MIT pursues fusion -- Physics World
January 24, 2010: Levitating magnet may yield new approach to clean energy -- Science Daily
January 15, 2010: Giant ribbon at the edge of the solar system: Mystery solved? -- Science@NASA
January 12, 2010: Solar scientists use 'magnetic mirror effect' to reproduce IBEX observation -- NASA
December 23, 2009: Voyager makes an interstellar discovery -- Science@NASA
December 21, 2009: Magnetic fields in chaos -- Physical Review Focus
December 9, 2009: Magnetic power revealed in gamma-ray burst jet -- NASA
December 7, 2009: Attacking tumours with tiny discs -- Physics World
November 4, 2009: Carbon atmosphere discovered on neutron star -- Astronomy.com
November 2, 2009: Ropes of plasma: Onset and stagnation of 3-D magnetic reconnection -- Eurekalert
October 27, 2009: Magnetic mixing creates quite a stir -- Sandia National Laboratories
October 26, 2009: A magnetic, high-energy personality -- HEAPOW
October 15, 2009: Mystery space "ribbon" found at solar system's edge -- National Geographic
October 15, 2009: Giant ribbon discovered at the edge of the solar system -- Science@NASA
October 15, 2009: Cassini helps redraw shape of solar system -- JHU APL
October 15, 2009: 'Magnetic charge' measured in spin ice -- Physics World
October 12, 2009: Physicists measure elusive 'persistent current' that flows forever -- Science Daily
September 29, 2009: Magnetic fields guide star birth -- Space.com
September 18, 2009: Using magnetism to turn drugs on and off -- Eurekalert
September 18, 2009: Invading black holes explain cosmic flashes -- Eurekalert
September 18, 2009: Magnetism observed in gas for the first time -- Science Daily
September 10, 2009: Mighty Mouse takes off -- thanks to magnets -- New Scientist
September 9, 2009: Magnetic fields play larger role in star formation than previously thought -- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
September 7, 2009: Neutron star storm -- HEAPOW
September 3, 2009: Magnetic monopoles spotted in spin ices -- Physics World
September 2, 2009: The elusive monopole -- New Scientist
August 31, 2009: Honey, I blew up the tokamak -- Science@NASA
August 14, 2009: Hans Christian Oersted: Who he was, and why you owe him -- National Geographic
August 12, 2009: Stars choose the life around them -- Astrobiology
August 5, 2009: Goddard-led GEMS mission to explore the polarized universe -- NASA GSFC
August 3, 2009: Outburst of a magnetic personality -- HEAPOW
July 13, 2009: Blind pulsars -- HEAPOW
July 13, 2009: Making monopoles -- Physics
July 9, 2009: Toxic substance allows birds to "see" magnetic field -- National Geographic
June 26, 2009: Magnetic 'superatoms' promise tuneable materials -- New Scientist
June 11, 2009: Magnetic fields dominate young stars of all sizes? -- Universe Today
June 2, 2009: Yanking pathogens out of blood with magnets -- Scientific American
May 17, 2009: Environmentally-friendly cooling with magnetic refrigerators coming soon -- Science Daily
April 6, 2009: A young pulsar shows its hand -- Astronomy.com
April 3, 2009: Astronomers dissect a giant stellar explosion -- Astronomy.com
February 10, 2009: How magnetic forces shape cosmic jets of matter streaming out of stars -- Science Daily
January 17, 2009: Our magnetic Moon -- Astrobiology
January 14, 2009: Attractive theory: Magnetized Moon rock offers clue to lunar origin -- Scientific American
January 7, 2009: The Galactic core in infrared -- APOD
November 14, 2008: XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL clues on magnetic powerhouses -- ESA
October 30, 2008: Magnetic fields record the early histories of planets -- MIT
October 25, 2008: Investigation of changes in properties of water under the action of a magnetic field -- Eurekalert
October 20, 2008: Caltech geobiologists discover unique "magnetic death star" fossil -- Caltech
October 1, 2008: Young galaxy's magnetism surprises astronomers -- NRAO
October 1, 2008: Zooming way in, technique offers close-ups of electrons, nuclei -- Eurekalert
August 25, 2008: 'Magnetic cows' are visible from space -- Nature
August 22, 2008: Active Galaxy NGC 1275 -- APOD
July 23, 2008: Magnetic fields stronger than expected -- Astronomy.com
July 19, 2008: Early galaxies had magnetic fields as strong as today's -- New Scientist
July 16, 2008: Galaxies' mysterious magnetic fields grew up fast -- Scientific American
July 2, 2008: Who knew? Solar system is 'dented', not round -- CNN
June 9, 2008: Magnetic sensor that brooks no interference -- Science Daily
June 7, 2008: Can a wormhole generate its own magnetic field? -- Universe Today
May 27, 2008: Hold the old lace: Arsenic and iron material is a remarkable superconductor -- NSF
May 8, 2008: Joint ESA/NASA team wins international award -- ESA
April 27, 2008: The Galactic Center Radio Arc -- APOD
April 23, 2008: Radio telescope reveals secrets of massive black hole -- NRAO
April 23, 2008: Black hole plasma jet reveals twisted magnetic fields -- New Scientist
April 8, 2008: New probe measures magnetic fields inside solids -- Physics World
April 2, 2008: Bon MOT: Innovative atom trap catches highly magnetic atoms -- Eurekalert
March 13, 2008: Japanese satellite first to use magnetic memory -- Scientific American
March 3, 2008: Particle collider's last big piece set -- National Geographic
February 28, 2008: Magnetic atoms of gold, silver and copper have been obtained -- Basque Research
January 31, 2008: New discovery on magnetic reconnection to impact future space missions -- Science Daily
January 10, 2008: Centaurus A exposed -- Astronomy.com
January 8, 2008: For remote-control cells, just add magnets -- Scientific American
January 2, 2008: Biomedical engineering study demonstrates the healing value of magnets -- University of Virginia
December 20, 2007: Experiments unraveled dynamic core movements of magnetic swirls -- Science Daily
December 18, 2007: Metal foam has a good memory -- NSF
October 31, 2007: Let there be light: New magnet design continues magnet lab's tradition of innovation -- Eurekalert
September 25, 2007: Do migratory birds 'see' the magnetic field? -- Eurekalert
August 10, 2007: What makes Mars magnetic? -- Eurekalert
July 5, 2007: Chickens also orient themselves by the Earth's magnetic field -- Eurekalert
July 3, 2007: A simple magnet can control the color of a liquid, making new technologies possible -- Eurekalert
May 16, 2005: Solar flares may beach whales -- Australian Broadcasting Company
January 12, 2005: NYU physicist isolates first source -- EurekAlert!
November 19, 2004: Repelling cosmic rays with magnetic bubbles -- New Scientist
April 29, 2004: Scientists announce cosmic ray theory breakthrough -- Los Alamos National Laboratory
November 11, 2003: Solar flare 'reproduced' in lab -- BBC News
May 28, 2003: RHESSI uncovers secret to cataclysmic explosions known as gamma-ray bursts -- UC Berkeley News
January 31, 2003: America marks 45th anniversary of first space satellite -- SpaceRef.com
January 16, 2003: Burping Moon may solve magnetism mystery --Australian Broadcasting Corporation
November 18, 2002: First 3-D magnetic reconnection measurements -- SpaceDaily
November 7, 2002: UC Berkeley analysis of satellite data turns up first direct evidence that magnetic processes in space can accelerate electrons to near light speed -- UC Berkeley
November 4, 2002: Scientists measure the most powerful magnet known -- NASA GSFC
November 2, 2002: Magnetism shapes beauty in the heavens -- Spaceflight Now
September 11, 2002: Rare class of exotic stars revealed as super-magnets -- NASA GSFC
August 23, 2002: Amazing magnetic fluids -- Science@NASA
June 10, 2002: Composition and charge state structure of magnetic clouds -- ACE News
June 6, 2002: Do hammerheads follow magnetic highways in migration? -- National Geographic
May 23, 2002: Physicists build ultrasensitive magnetic sensors -- University of Chicago
May 16, 2002: Our conscious mind could be an electromagnetic field -- UniSci
May 15, 2002: Sowing seeds in a magnetic field -- Science@NASA
March 26, 2002: Record-breaking magnet has five-tesla field -- CERN Courier
March 11, 2002: UK scientists show that hydrogen transmits magnetism -- UniSci
March 6, 2002: NASA's FUSE satellite lit again -- NASA GSFC
February 4, 2002: Researchers develop world's first light-tunable "plastic" magnet -- Ohio State University
January 9, 2002: Possible origin of magnetic fields in space uncovered -- UniSci
January 8, 2002: Magnetic 'bubbles' may be key force in galaxy clusters -- Ohio University
January 8, 2002: Magnetic 'bubbles' may be key force in galaxy clusters -- Eurekalert
November 13, 2001: Old 'surfatron' concept might apply to cosmic rays -- UniSci
October 3, 2001: New model of intergalactic magnetic fields -- Physics News Update
July 25, 2001: Satellite spies magnetic 'rubber band' -- CNN
July 12, 2001: Magnetic fields weave rings around stars -- STScI
July 5, 2001: World record magnet 300,000 times strength of Earth's magnetic field -- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
April 17, 2000: Magnetic 'bubble' in distant galaxy -- BBC News
March 23, 1999: Nanomagnets could store computer data -- Cornell University
November 30, 1998: How much do field lines mix in the solar wind? -- ACE News
October 22, 1998: Scientists to explore what they know about space weather -- NASA MSFC press release
October 21, 1998: The case of the missing aurora -- APOD

Grades 7 - 9: A Soda Bottle Magnetometer -- NASA IMAGE