Bow Shock
The bow shock helps force the solar wind to go around the magnetosphere. |
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The Earth Scientist, Volume XXVI, Issue 2, Summer 2010
Our 2010 Summer issue of The Earth Scientist includes six articles dealing with various aspects of Earth Science. An article from NOAA details how lake effect snow can, under the right conditions, actually occur on the narrow Mississippi River....more
Magnetosphere
A magnetosphere has many parts, such as the bow shock, magnetosheath, magnetotail, plasmasheet, lobes, plasmasphere, radiation belts and many electric currents. It is composed of charged particles and...more
The comet's interaction with interplanetary space, part 1
When evaporation begins, the gas is propelled from the nucleus at supersonic speed (depicted by arrows in the figure). Because of the low gravity in space, this means that the molecules from the nucleus...more
Magnetosheath
The magnetosheath is the region of space between the bow shock and the magnetopause. ...more
AU
AU stands for Astronomical Units. It is a useful way to measure the distances in interplanetary space. It is the distance between the Earth and the Sun, which is about 93 million miles. For reference,...more
The Spiral of the IMF
The solar wind is formed as the Sun's top layer blows off into space, carrying magnetic fields still attached to the Sun. Gusts form in the solar wind associated with violent events on the Sun. Particles...more
Spiral Path of Material
For a planet to be affected by a blob of material being ejected by the sun, the planet must be in the path of the blob, as shown in this picture. The Earth and its magnetosphere are shown in the bottom...more
The SAR Arc
The aurora we are most familiar with is the polar aurora. This is what people are talking about when they say the northern or southern lights. But there are other less-known aurora, such as SAR arcs....moreShop Windows to the Universe
The Fall 2009 issue of The Earth Scientist includes an assortment of articles on Earth science education. Check out the other publications in our online store.
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