The region around a celestial body in which the magnetic field of the body dominates
the external magnetic field. Each planet with a magnetic field (Earth,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) has a magnetopause.
The Earth’s magnetosphere is a dynamic system
that responds to solar variations.
It prevents most of the charged particles carried in the
→ solar wind, from hitting the Earth.
Since the solar wind is → supersonic,
a → bow shock
is formed
on the sunward side of the magnetosphere.
The solar wind ahead is deflected at a boundary called → magnetopause.
The region between
the bow shock and the magnetopause is
called the → magnetosheath.
As the solar wind sweeps past the Earth, the terrestrial magnetic field
lines are stretched out toward the
night side to form a → magnetotail.
See also: From → magnet + → sphere.
