The plasmasphere in Earth's magnetosphere
Date: 02 July 2013
Satellite: Cluster
Depicts: Artist's impression of the plasmasphere in Earth's magnetosphere
Copyright: ESA/ATG medialab
This illustration shows an artist's impression of the plasmasphere, the innermost part of Earth's magnetosphere. This doughnut-shaped region is centred around the the planet's equator and rotates along with it.
The plasmasphere, whose toroidal shape is forged by the magnetic field of Earth, exchanges mass and energy with the outer layers of the magnetosphere, and scientists have been studying the details of the interaction between these two regions.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
