The Earth's Magnetosphere
In spite of its low density, the solar wind, and its accompanying magnet field, is strong enough to interact with the planets and their magnetic fields to shape magnetospheres. A magnetosphere is the region surrounding a planet where the planet's magnetic field dominates. Because the ions in the solar plasma are charged, they interact with these magnetic fields, and solar wind particles are swept around planetary magnetospheres. Life on Earth has developed under the protection of this magnetosphere.
The shape of the Earth's magnetosphere is the direct result of being blasted by solar wind. Solar wind compresses its sunward side to a distance of only 6 to 10 times the radius of the Earth. A supersonic shock wave is created sunward of Earth somewhat like a sonic boom. This shock wave is called the bow shock. Most of the solar wind particles are heated and slowed at the bow shock and detour around the Earth. Solar wind drags out the night-side magnetosphere to possibly 1000 times Earth's radius; its exact length is not known. This extension of the magnetosphere is known as the magnetotail. Many other planets in our solar system have magnetospheres of similar, solar wind-influenced shapes.
More about the magnetosphere...
Still more about the magnetosphere...
Dynamic modeling of the Earth's bow shock and magnetopause -- Real time data from the ACE spacecraft are used to predict the shape and location of these boundaries at the present time and into the near future. -- from Polar/PIXIE
QuickTime movie of the effects of space weather on the magnetosphere -- UCLA
Earth's Magnetosphere in the News:
April 26, 2012: Pigeons
may 'hear' magnetic fields -- Nature
April 6, 2012: Mysteries of the sun...explained in video -- NASA
March 9, 2012: New study proves the magnetosphere protects Earth -- Astrobiology
March 8, 2012: Earth's magnetic field provides vital protection -- ESA
February 27, 2012: Mysterious electron acceleration explained -- MIT
February 25, 2012: Plasmas torn apart -- Caltech
February 11, 2012: Computer simulations of Earth's turbulent magnetosphere -- Astrobiology
December 28, 2011: Tracking the magnetic south pole -- Nature
December 22, 2011: Mercury's magnetic field -- nipped in the bud -- Max Planck Institute
December 3, 2011: Earth flips magnetic poles all the time -- Astrobiology
November 29, 2011: Earth's bow shock is remarkably thin -- Astrobiology
September 29, 2011: MESSENGER data paints new picture of Mercury's magnetic field -- University of British Columbia
September 23, 2011: Pole flips tied to plate tectonics -- Science News
August 23, 2011: Turtles surf the magnetic ocean -- New Scientist
August 10, 2011: Antimatter found orbiting Earth -- a first -- National Geographic
July 4, 2011: Earth's core is melting and freezing -- Astrobiology
June 23, 2011: Can humans sense Earth's magnetism? -- Astrobiology
May 13, 2011: Evidence that cosmic rays seed clouds -- Physics World
May 2, 2011: Goddard building instrument to study reconnection -- NASA
April 21, 2011: Electron beams link Enceladus to Saturn -- Astrobiology
March 21, 2011: The importance of being magnetized -- Astrobiology
March 6, 2011: Adjust your compass now -- Independent
February 22, 2011: Launching balloons in Antarctica -- NASA
February 17, 2011: Catching space weather in the act -- NASA
February 17, 2011: Cassini to sample magnetic environment around Titan -- NASA
January 15, 2011: IBEX makes first images of magnetotail structures, dynamic interactions occurring in space -- Science Daily
December 16, 2010: First measurement of magnetic field in Earth's core -- Eurekalert
December 14, 2010: Hot plasma explosions inflate Saturn's magnetic field -- NASA
December 8, 2010: Earth's core lightens up -- Nature
October 5, 2010: MAVEN mission to investigate how sun steals Martian atmosphere -- NASA
October 1, 2010: Q&A: Missions, meetings, and the radial tire model of the magnetosphere -- NASA
September 15, 2010: Fast flip of Earth's poles -- Science News
July 15, 2010: A violent tail -- Science News
May 11, 2010: Earth's magnetic field gathers momentum -- Physics World
April 15, 2010: Enceladus leaves plasma bubbles in its wake -- Astronomy
April 14, 2010: Mini magnetic sheild found on the Moon -- National Geographic
April 14, 2010: Mercury's magnetic twisters -- Science News
March 10, 2010: The battle between the Earth and Sun -- Astrobiology
March 9, 2010: Earth's magnetic field older than we thought -- Physics World
March 4, 2010: Shields down! Earth's mag field may drop in a flash -- New Scientist
January 20, 2010: Multiple rifts in Earth's magnetic shield -- ESA
December 24, 2009: North magnetic pole moving east due to core flux -- National Geographic
September 17, 2009: Ganymede's magnetosphere makes a big impression on Jupiter's auroral lightshows -- Astronomy.com
September 17, 2009: Jupiter auroras fed by largest moon's magnetic "bubble" -- National Geographic
September 14, 2009: New transient radiation belt discovered at Saturn -- Astronomy.com
September 1, 2009: Can magnetism save a vaporizing planet? -- Sky & Telescope
July 21, 2009: NASA's Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission takes a step closer to solving the mystery behind magnetic reconnection -- NASA
July 2, 2009: AGU journal highlights -- #11 -- Eurekalert
June 22, 2009: Shifts in Earth's magnetic field driven by oceans? -- National Geographic
June 14, 2009: The Earth's magnetic field remains a charged mystery -- IOP
June 14, 2009: Earth's magnetic field perturbed by 'electric oceans', claims researcher -- Physics World
June 2, 2009: Magnetic tornadoes could liberate Mercury's tenuous atmosphere -- NASA
May 29, 2009: Sun stealing Earth's atmosphere -- National Geographic
May 29, 2009: Waves in Earth's radiation belt get mapped -- Science Daily
May 27, 2009: Bricks, mortar and magnetism -- Science News
May 11, 2009: "Supergiant" asteroid shut down Mars's magnetic field -- National Geographic
April 30, 2009: Magnetic twisters "dance" across Mercury, study says -- National Geographic --
April 30, 2009: Active Mercury -- Science@NASA
April 29, 2009: Watching solar activity muddle Earth's magnetic field -- ESA
April 24, 2009: Multipolar dance could flip Earth's magnetic field -- Physics World
February 11, 2009: ESA extends missions studying Mars, Venus and Earth's magnetosphere [last article] -- ESA
January 8, 2009: Magnetic fields could reveal exoplanets -- Physics World
January 7, 2009: "Warm plasma cloak" discovered enveloping Earth -- National Geographic
December 16, 2008: Sun often "tears out a wall" in Earth's solar storm shield -- NASA THEMIS
December 15, 2008: A giant breach in Earth's magnetic field -- Science@NASA
October 30, 2008: Magnetic portals connect Sun and Earth -- Science@NASA
September 25, 2008: Lava flows reveal clues to magnetic field reversals -- University of Wisconsin - Madison
August 28, 2008: Cluster watches Earth's leaky atmosphere -- ESA
July 19, 2008: Asteroid switched Mars' magnetic field on and off -- New Scientist
July 10, 2008: Enhanced color Caloris -- APOD
June 30, 2008: Earth's core, magnetic field changing fast, study says -- National Geographic
June 23, 2008: XMM-Newton watches lazy pulsar being jazzed up by companion -- ESA
June 4, 2008: Iron snow behind Mercury's magnetism -- Scientific American
June 2, 2008: Building a baby Earth to test its magnetic field -- NPR
May 8, 2008: Iron 'snow' helps maintain Mercury's magnetic field -- Astronomy.com
April 30, 2008: Team of researchers explain how birds navigate -- ASU
April 30, 2008: 'Chemical compass' created -- Nature
April 28, 2008: 'Broken heart' image the last for NASA's long-lived Polar mission -- NASA GSFC
April 17, 2008: The moon and the magnetotail -- Science@NASA
March 13, 2008: Japanese satellite first to use magnetic memory -- Scientific American
March 9, 2008: New discovery at Jupiter could help protect Earth-orbit satellites -- Eurekalert
February 25, 2008: Killer electrons surf celestial tsunamis -- NASA GSFC
February 1, 2008: The first Explorer -- APOD
January 31, 2008: New discovery on magnetic reconnection to impact future space missions -- Science Daily
January 30, 2008: Mercury's magnetosphere fends off the solar wind -- Eurekalert
December 31, 2007: Titan's plasma wake (see #16) -- Eurekalert
December 20, 2007: News from Earth's magnetic field -- Eurekalert
December 13, 2007: Earth's protective magnetic field -- Astronomy.com
December 13, 2007: Earth's magnetosphere: On the ropes -- Sky & Telescope
December 11, 2007: Earth's magnetic field could help protect astronauts working on the moon -- Eurekalert
November 28, 2007: UNH scientists report first findings on key astrophysics problem -- Eurekalert
October 3, 2007: Comet Encke's tail ripped off -- APOD
September 12, 2007: Cluster and Double Star uncover more on bright aurorae -- Science Daily
August 22, 2007: What makes Mars magnetic? -- Spaceflight Now
August 1, 2007: Mmmm, space chips -- Popular Science
June 1, 2007: Pioneering 3D view of near-Earth magnetic 'dance' -- Science Daily
April 13, 2007: Cluster sees tsunamis in space -- SpaceDaily
March 29, 2007: Magnetic fields get reconnected in turbulent plasma too, Cluster reveals -- SpaceDaily
March 12, 2007: Cluster opens a new window on 'magnetic reconnection' in the near-Earth space -- EurekAlert!
February 20, 2007: Lockheed Martin scientists determine magnetic reconnection locations at Earth's magnetopause -- SpaceDaily
February 9, 2007: Cluster - new insights into the electric circuits of polar lights -- European Space Agency
January 24, 2007: Storm hunt: spacecraft quintet to track down magnetic field tempests -- Space.com
April 6, 2012: Mysteries of the sun...explained in video -- NASA
March 9, 2012: New study proves the magnetosphere protects Earth -- Astrobiology
March 8, 2012: Earth's magnetic field provides vital protection -- ESA
February 27, 2012: Mysterious electron acceleration explained -- MIT
February 25, 2012: Plasmas torn apart -- Caltech
February 11, 2012: Computer simulations of Earth's turbulent magnetosphere -- Astrobiology
December 28, 2011: Tracking the magnetic south pole -- Nature
December 22, 2011: Mercury's magnetic field -- nipped in the bud -- Max Planck Institute
December 3, 2011: Earth flips magnetic poles all the time -- Astrobiology
November 29, 2011: Earth's bow shock is remarkably thin -- Astrobiology
September 29, 2011: MESSENGER data paints new picture of Mercury's magnetic field -- University of British Columbia
September 23, 2011: Pole flips tied to plate tectonics -- Science News
August 23, 2011: Turtles surf the magnetic ocean -- New Scientist
August 10, 2011: Antimatter found orbiting Earth -- a first -- National Geographic
July 4, 2011: Earth's core is melting and freezing -- Astrobiology
June 23, 2011: Can humans sense Earth's magnetism? -- Astrobiology
May 13, 2011: Evidence that cosmic rays seed clouds -- Physics World
May 2, 2011: Goddard building instrument to study reconnection -- NASA
April 21, 2011: Electron beams link Enceladus to Saturn -- Astrobiology
March 21, 2011: The importance of being magnetized -- Astrobiology
March 6, 2011: Adjust your compass now -- Independent
February 22, 2011: Launching balloons in Antarctica -- NASA
February 17, 2011: Catching space weather in the act -- NASA
February 17, 2011: Cassini to sample magnetic environment around Titan -- NASA
January 15, 2011: IBEX makes first images of magnetotail structures, dynamic interactions occurring in space -- Science Daily
December 16, 2010: First measurement of magnetic field in Earth's core -- Eurekalert
December 14, 2010: Hot plasma explosions inflate Saturn's magnetic field -- NASA
December 8, 2010: Earth's core lightens up -- Nature
October 5, 2010: MAVEN mission to investigate how sun steals Martian atmosphere -- NASA
October 1, 2010: Q&A: Missions, meetings, and the radial tire model of the magnetosphere -- NASA
September 15, 2010: Fast flip of Earth's poles -- Science News
July 15, 2010: A violent tail -- Science News
May 11, 2010: Earth's magnetic field gathers momentum -- Physics World
April 15, 2010: Enceladus leaves plasma bubbles in its wake -- Astronomy
April 14, 2010: Mini magnetic sheild found on the Moon -- National Geographic
April 14, 2010: Mercury's magnetic twisters -- Science News
March 10, 2010: The battle between the Earth and Sun -- Astrobiology
March 9, 2010: Earth's magnetic field older than we thought -- Physics World
March 4, 2010: Shields down! Earth's mag field may drop in a flash -- New Scientist
January 20, 2010: Multiple rifts in Earth's magnetic shield -- ESA
December 24, 2009: North magnetic pole moving east due to core flux -- National Geographic
September 17, 2009: Ganymede's magnetosphere makes a big impression on Jupiter's auroral lightshows -- Astronomy.com
September 17, 2009: Jupiter auroras fed by largest moon's magnetic "bubble" -- National Geographic
September 14, 2009: New transient radiation belt discovered at Saturn -- Astronomy.com
September 1, 2009: Can magnetism save a vaporizing planet? -- Sky & Telescope
July 21, 2009: NASA's Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission takes a step closer to solving the mystery behind magnetic reconnection -- NASA
July 2, 2009: AGU journal highlights -- #11 -- Eurekalert
June 22, 2009: Shifts in Earth's magnetic field driven by oceans? -- National Geographic
June 14, 2009: The Earth's magnetic field remains a charged mystery -- IOP
June 14, 2009: Earth's magnetic field perturbed by 'electric oceans', claims researcher -- Physics World
June 2, 2009: Magnetic tornadoes could liberate Mercury's tenuous atmosphere -- NASA
May 29, 2009: Sun stealing Earth's atmosphere -- National Geographic
May 29, 2009: Waves in Earth's radiation belt get mapped -- Science Daily
May 27, 2009: Bricks, mortar and magnetism -- Science News
May 11, 2009: "Supergiant" asteroid shut down Mars's magnetic field -- National Geographic
April 30, 2009: Magnetic twisters "dance" across Mercury, study says -- National Geographic --
April 30, 2009: Active Mercury -- Science@NASA
April 29, 2009: Watching solar activity muddle Earth's magnetic field -- ESA
April 24, 2009: Multipolar dance could flip Earth's magnetic field -- Physics World
February 11, 2009: ESA extends missions studying Mars, Venus and Earth's magnetosphere [last article] -- ESA
January 8, 2009: Magnetic fields could reveal exoplanets -- Physics World
January 7, 2009: "Warm plasma cloak" discovered enveloping Earth -- National Geographic
December 16, 2008: Sun often "tears out a wall" in Earth's solar storm shield -- NASA THEMIS
December 15, 2008: A giant breach in Earth's magnetic field -- Science@NASA
October 30, 2008: Magnetic portals connect Sun and Earth -- Science@NASA
September 25, 2008: Lava flows reveal clues to magnetic field reversals -- University of Wisconsin - Madison
August 28, 2008: Cluster watches Earth's leaky atmosphere -- ESA
July 19, 2008: Asteroid switched Mars' magnetic field on and off -- New Scientist
July 10, 2008: Enhanced color Caloris -- APOD
June 30, 2008: Earth's core, magnetic field changing fast, study says -- National Geographic
June 23, 2008: XMM-Newton watches lazy pulsar being jazzed up by companion -- ESA
June 4, 2008: Iron snow behind Mercury's magnetism -- Scientific American
June 2, 2008: Building a baby Earth to test its magnetic field -- NPR
May 8, 2008: Iron 'snow' helps maintain Mercury's magnetic field -- Astronomy.com
April 30, 2008: Team of researchers explain how birds navigate -- ASU
April 30, 2008: 'Chemical compass' created -- Nature
April 28, 2008: 'Broken heart' image the last for NASA's long-lived Polar mission -- NASA GSFC
April 17, 2008: The moon and the magnetotail -- Science@NASA
March 13, 2008: Japanese satellite first to use magnetic memory -- Scientific American
March 9, 2008: New discovery at Jupiter could help protect Earth-orbit satellites -- Eurekalert
February 25, 2008: Killer electrons surf celestial tsunamis -- NASA GSFC
February 1, 2008: The first Explorer -- APOD
January 31, 2008: New discovery on magnetic reconnection to impact future space missions -- Science Daily
January 30, 2008: Mercury's magnetosphere fends off the solar wind -- Eurekalert
December 31, 2007: Titan's plasma wake (see #16) -- Eurekalert
December 20, 2007: News from Earth's magnetic field -- Eurekalert
December 13, 2007: Earth's protective magnetic field -- Astronomy.com
December 13, 2007: Earth's magnetosphere: On the ropes -- Sky & Telescope
December 11, 2007: Earth's magnetic field could help protect astronauts working on the moon -- Eurekalert
November 28, 2007: UNH scientists report first findings on key astrophysics problem -- Eurekalert
October 3, 2007: Comet Encke's tail ripped off -- APOD
September 12, 2007: Cluster and Double Star uncover more on bright aurorae -- Science Daily
August 22, 2007: What makes Mars magnetic? -- Spaceflight Now
August 1, 2007: Mmmm, space chips -- Popular Science
June 1, 2007: Pioneering 3D view of near-Earth magnetic 'dance' -- Science Daily
April 13, 2007: Cluster sees tsunamis in space -- SpaceDaily
March 29, 2007: Magnetic fields get reconnected in turbulent plasma too, Cluster reveals -- SpaceDaily
March 12, 2007: Cluster opens a new window on 'magnetic reconnection' in the near-Earth space -- EurekAlert!
February 20, 2007: Lockheed Martin scientists determine magnetic reconnection locations at Earth's magnetopause -- SpaceDaily
February 9, 2007: Cluster - new insights into the electric circuits of polar lights -- European Space Agency
January 24, 2007: Storm hunt: spacecraft quintet to track down magnetic field tempests -- Space.com
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A service of the Heliophysics
Science Division at NASA's GSFC
Questions and comments to: cosmicopia@cosmicra.gsfc.nasa.gov
Curator: Dr Eric R. Christian, NASA
Responsible NASA Official: Dr Eric R. Christian
Privacy Policy and Important Notices
Questions and comments to: cosmicopia@cosmicra.gsfc.nasa.gov
Curator: Dr Eric R. Christian, NASA
Responsible NASA Official: Dr Eric R. Christian
Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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