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Understanding the Sun and Solar System Plasmas Future Directions in Solar and Space Physics (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Earth’s Dynamic Magnetic Shield
Pages 16-19

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From page 16...
... When the magnetic orienta E A R T H ' S D Y N A M I C tion of the IMF is opposite that of Earth's magnetic field on the sunward face of the magnetosphere, the two magnetic fields slam together and can cancel each M A G N E T I C S H I E L D other out. This annihilation process is called magnetic reconnection.
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From page 17...
... Magnetic fields reconnect or annihilate where the fields point in opposite directions, at the sunward boundary of the magnetosphere and downstream of Earth in the magnetotail. At "X-Line 1," the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF)
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From page 18...
... mission will solve this problem by deploying dozens of small, autonomous microsatellites to perform continuous measurements of the magnetospheric plasma and magnetic fields. These measurements will provide the "pixels" from which the "big picture" of the entire magnetosphere can be composed.
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From page 19...
... SHIELD EARTH 'S DYNAMIC MAGNETIC Particles and fields measurements by the four identically instrumented Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft will allow space physicists to answer long-standing questions about the universal process of magnetic reconnection.
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Key Terms

  • physical processes
  • survey committee
  • magnetic field
  • solar flares
  • magnetic fields

  • magnetospheric plasma
  • electrical currents


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