Magnetosphere

In astronomy and planetary science, a magnetosphere is a region of space surrounding an astronomical object in which charged particles are affected by that object's magnetic field.^[1]^[2] It is created by a celestial body with an active interior dynamo.

In the space environment close to a planetary body with a dipole magnetic field such as Earth, the field lines resemble a simple magnetic dipole. Farther out, field lines can be significantly distorted by the flow of electrically conducting plasma, as emitted from the Sun (i.e., the solar wind) or a nearby star.^[3]^[4] Planets having active magnetospheres, like the Earth, are capable of mitigating or blocking the effects of solar radiation or cosmic radiation.^[5] Interactions of particles and atmospheres with magnetospheres are studied under the specialized scientific subjects of plasma physics, space physics, and aeronomy.

^ "Magnetospheres". NASA Science. NASA. 18 June 2007.
^ Ratcliffe, John Ashworth (1972). An Introduction to the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere. CUP Archive. ISBN 9780521083416.
^ "Ionosphere and magnetosphere". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2012.
^ Van Allen, James Alfred (2004). Origins of Magnetospheric Physics. Iowa City, Iowa USA: University of Iowa Press. ISBN 9780877459217. OCLC 646887856.
^ "Earth's Magnetosphere". NASA. 25 March 2018.