Earth's Magnetic Field interactive
This interactive animation lets you explore the magnetic
field surrounding Earth. Drag the compass through the space around Earth to explore the shape
of Earth's magnetic field. Many spacecraft have instruments called magnetometers that help scientists map
out the shape of planetary magnetic fields.
(Note: If you cannot see the animation below, or it is not working properly,
you may need to download the latest Flash
player.)
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Our
online store includes
books on science education,
classroom activities in The Earth Scientist,
mineral and
fossil specimens, and
educational games!
You might also be interested in:
The Earth has a magnetic field with north and south poles. The magnetic field of the Earth is surrounded by the magnetosphere. The magnetosphere keeps most of the particles from the sun, carried in solar
...more
The Earth has a dipole magnetic field. This is when magnetic field lines point in a direction out of the South Pole and into the North Pole. Planets can also have quadrupoles (4 poles) and octupoles (8-poles).
...more
A magnetometer is an instrument for measuring magnetic fields. Many spacecraft carry magnetometers to measure the magnetic fields around planets. When a spacecraft makes those measurements, what do the
...more
Earth has a magnetic field. If you imagine a gigantic bar magnet inside of Earth, you'll have a pretty good idea what Earth's magnetic field is shaped like. Of course, Earth DOESN'T have a giant bar magnet
...more
The force of magnetism causes material to point along the direction the magnetic force points. Here's another picture of how this works. This picture shows where the magnetic poles of the Earth are to
...more
Electricity and magnetism are two very important topics in the science of physics. We use electricity to power computers and to turn on a light. Magnetism makes a compass point North and keeps notes stuck
...more
Text for this level has not been written yet. Please see the "Intermediate" text for this page if you want to learn about this topic. To get to the "Intermediate" text, click on the blue "Intermediate"
...more
