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Magnetosphere
Magnetosphere: the region of space surrounding an astronomical object in which charged particles are controlled by that object's magnetic field. The magnetic field near the surface of many astronomical objects resembles that of a dipole. The field lines farther away from the surface can be significantly distorted by the flow of electrically conducting plasma emitted from a nearby star. Planets with a magnetosphere, like Earth, are capable of mitigating or blocking the effects of cosmic radiation. The structure and behavior of magnetospheres are dependent on several variables: the type of astronomical object, the nature of sources of plasma and momentum, the period of the object's spin, the nature of the axis about which the object spins, the axis of the magnetic dipole, and the magnitude and direction of the flow of solar wind.
What's Popular in Magnetosphere
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MAY 12, 2025Space & Astronomy
What can the largest geomagnetic storm in decades teach scientists about extreme solar activity and how to prepare for i ...Written By: Laurence Tognetti, MScMAY 22, 2024Space & Astronomy
The Sun’s magnetic field is an incredibly powerful mechanism that produces equally powerful solar storms, some of ...Written By: Laurence Tognetti, MScAPR 24, 2024Earth & The Environment
How long has the Earth’s magnetic field existed? This is what a recent study published in the Journal of Geophysic ...Written By: Laurence Tognetti, MScDEC 11, 2023Earth & The Environment
Geomagnetic storms cause auroras, also known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora austral ...Written By: Carmen LeitchNOV 13, 2023Space & Astronomy
A study published today in Nature Astronomy examines solar radio aurora observed almost 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) ...Written By: Laurence Tognetti, MSc
