Image: Magnetosphere Levels

Description: Artist's concept of the Earth's magnetosphere. The rounded, bullet-like shape represents the bow shock as the magnetosphere confronts solar winds. The area represented in gray, between the magnetosphere and the bow shock, is called the magnetosheath, while the magnetopause is the boundary between the magnetosphere and the magnetosheath. The Earth's magnetosphere extends about 10 Earth radii toward the Sun and perhaps similar distances outward on the flanks. The magnetotail is thought to extend as far as 1,000 Earth radii away from the Sun.

1 : Bow shock 2 : Magnetosheath 3 : Magnetopause 4 : Magnetosphere 5 : Northern tail lobe 6 : Southern tail lobe 7 : Plasmasphere
Usage Terms: Public domain