ESA Science & Technology - The magnetosphere of Earth

This illustration shows an artist's impression of Earth's magnetosphere, the environment that surrounds our planet and is strongly shaped by its magnetic field. Beyond the outermost layers of Earth's atmosphere, space is filled with electrons and positive ions, which move along the magnetic field lines.

The interaction between Earth's magnetic field and the solar wind produces the complex topography of the magnetosphere. In this illustration, the Sun is located to the left and the tail of the magnetosphere extend towards the right.