Earth's magnetic field: Explained
- Media Manager
- Jul 5, 2022
- 1 min read
Space.com
Written By: Daisy Dobrijevic
Published: July 6th, 2022
Earth's magnetic field — also known as the geomagnetic field — is generated in our planet's interior and extends out into space, creating a region known as the magnetosphere.
Without the magnetic field, life on Earth as we know it would not be possible as it shields us all from the constant bombardment by charged particles emitted from the sun — the solar wind. (To learn what happens to a planet when it loses its magnetic field, you only need to look at Mars.)
Earth has two sets of poles, geographic pole and magnetic poles. Earth's magnetic field can be visualized if you imagine a large bar magnet inside our planet, roughly aligned with Earth's axis. Each end of the magnet lies relatively close (about 10 degrees) to the geographic North and South poles. Earth's invisible magnetic field lines travel in a closed, continuous loop and are nearly vertical at each magnetic pole.
