Magnetosphere
Videos
In astronomy and planetary science, a magnetosphere is a region of space surrounding an astronomical object, such as a planet or other object, in which charged particles are affected by that object's
Infrared image and artist's concept of the bow shock around R Hydrae
Artist's rendition of Earth's magnetosphere
Artist impression of the magnetic field around Tau Boötis b detected in 2020
Aurora Space Shuttle EO
Aurora
Videos
An aurora is a natural light display in Earth's upper atmosphere caused by charged particles from the Sun colliding with atoms in the atmosphere. These collisions excite oxygen and nitrogen, which the
Magnetosphere
…magnetic field extends in the magnetotail, which lengthwise exceeds 6,300,000 kilometers (3,900,000 mi). Earth's magnetotail is the primary source of the polar aurora. Also, NASA scientists have suggested that Earth's magnetotail might cause "dust storms" on the Moon by creating a potential difference between the day…
Earth's night-side upper atmosphere appears from the bottom as bands of afterglow illuminating the troposphere in orange with silhouettes of clouds at the top, and the stratosphere in white and blue at the top of the middle. Next, the mesosphere (pink area) extends to the orange and faintly green line of the lowest airglow, at about one hundred kilometres at the edge of space and the lower edge of the thermosphere (invisible). Continuing with green and red bands of auroras stretching over several hundred kilometres.
Different forms
Divergence point of a coronal aurora
2024 appearance seen in England radiating blue through red aurora