From here, we can see the land, oceans and atmosphere. Let's take a step back and look at Earth from the surface of the Moon. Consider this, though: the Earth's magnetic field probably made life on this planet possible, while more distant, cosmic magnetic fields are the reason that pulsars act like radio lighthouses and vast clouds of electrically conducting gas get sculpted into strange and unusual shapes.Īs magnetic fields go, Earth's is the one we're most familiar with and its origin lies in the electric currents that flow in the molten iron that makes up our planet's outer core. In observational astronomy, the Earth's magnetic poles are far less important than the geographic poles that we rely on to align our equatorially mounted telescopes. Protecting you from harmful space radiation and preventing our atmosphere from being stripped away by solar winds - it's the Earth's magnetic field.įor most of us, it hardly ever catches our attention. (Image and caption courtesy of NASA Image Gallery) The white lines represent the solar wind the purple line is the bow shock line and the blue lines surrounding the Earth represent its protective magnetosphere. Solar wind shapes the Earth's magnetosphere and magnetic storms are illustrated here as approaching Earth. The Sun's magnetic field and the release of plasma directly affect Earth and the rest of the solar system. Lucie Green takes a closer look at how magnetic fields have shaped the cosmos. Check back each month for exciting articles from renowned amateur astronomers, practical observing tutorials, and much more! The Magnetic Universe Orion is proud to partner with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, the UK's biggest selling astronomy periodical, to bring you this article as part of an ongoing series to provide valuable content to our customers.
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