NASA Investigates Invisible Magnetic Bubbles in Outer Solar System

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- editor by Rob Garner

 www.nasa.gov

When we look at space, unbeknown to us we think that space seems empty. Actually, it is not. Because In space there is a dynamic place populated with near-invisible matter, and dominated by forces, in particular those created by magnetic fields. Magnetospheres, the magnetic fields around most planets, exist throughout our solar system. But not all magnetospheres are created equal: Venus and Mars do not have magnetospheres at all, while the other planets — and one moon — have ones that are surprisingly different. They are caused by high-energy, charged particles called cosmic rays that are spewed out by the Sun or come from interstellar space, and protect their planet's surface from harmful radiation of Sun with atmosphere.

Earth’s magnetosphere is created by the constantly moving molten metal inside Earth, and has shape alike an ice cream cone and a long tail around the earth to faces away from the sun because of the near-constant flow of solar wind and magnetic field from the Sun-facing side, and also it can trap energetic particles in radiation belts and rain down into atmosphere then become Aurora.

Mercury, with a substantial iron-rich core, has a magnetic field that is only about 1 percent as strong as Earth’s.

Jupiter, planet that after the sun, has by far the strongest and biggest magnetic field in our solar system — it stretches about 12 million miles from east to west, almost 15 times the width of the Sun, and also Jupiter does not have a molten metal core; instead, its magnetic field is created by a core of compressed liquid metallic hydrogen.

Saturn’s huge ring system transforms the shape of its magnetosphere. That’s because oxygen and water molecules evaporating from the rings funnel particles into the space around the planet.

Uranus’ magnetosphere wasn't discovered until 1986, but now Uranus’ magnetic field and rotation axis are out of alignment by 59 degrees, unlike Earth’s, whose magnetic field and rotation axis are nearly aligned.

Neptune's magnetosphere is offset from its rotation axis, but only by 47 degrees.

Outside of our solar system, auroras, which indicate the presence of a magnetosphere, have been spotted on brown dwarfs — objects that are bigger than planets but smaller than stars. There’s also evidence to suggest that some giant exoplanets have magnetospheres, but we have yet to see conclusive proof.

by Dini Dwintika Karuniati

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