Waves at Edge of Earth’s Magnetic Bubble (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Waves at Edge of Earth’s Magnetic Bubble

Caption

Earth’s magnetosphere is a magnetic bubble that envelops and protects our planet from most of the charged particles that flow from our Sun. However, when solar particles strike the magnetosphere, they can cause magnetic field lines and plasma around Earth to vibrate like the plucked strings of a harp, producing ultralow-frequency waves.

Credit

Martin Archer (Imperial College London)/Emmanuel Masongsong (UCLA)/NASA

Usage Restrictions

No restrictions.

License

Public Domain

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