The Earth’s magnetic field forms the magnetosphere - a bubble in the solar wind (credit NASA)
Magnetosphere
Once we escape the Earth’s gaseous atmosphere, the void beyond seems dark, silent and empty. In January 1958, in the first few weeks of the space age, the first scientific experiments ever conducted in orbit revealed that the near-Earth space environment is far from empty. It is seething with magnetic fields, electric fields, matter and energy, invisible to the naked eye but measurable with sensitive scientific instruments. The ghostly realm of the ‘magnetosphere’ is not just a scientific curiosity. It protects life on Earth against harmful radiations.
Magnetosphere - Latest Articles 
Taking the pulse of the magnetosphere
Among the simplest instruments used to study our planet’s link to the Sun are magnetometers. These devices measure the direction and strength of the Earth’s magnetic field and were developed almost 2...
Plasma shock waves
Launched by two Russian rockets in the summer 2000, the four Cluster spacecraft then used their own thrusters to get to an elliptical orbit with a closest distance to the Earth of nearly 20 000 km, an...
The northern lights
On a clear night over the far northern areas of the world, you may witness a hauntingly beautiful light display in the sky. The eerie glow of the ‘Northern Lights’ is exquisite. The display, often res...
