LMR-113 · Planets
Magnetosphere
Earth has an invisible shield. Without it, the atmosphere would slowly blow away.
§ A first look
§ Depths
Six ways into the same idea — from bedtime story to chalkboard. No order required.
L1 · Crayon
Told like a bedtime story.
For a curious 10-year-old. No jargon. Just a picture in your head.
The molten iron sloshing around deep inside Earth makes our planet a giant, gentle magnet. That magnetism reaches far out into space and quietly deflects most of the harmful particles the Sun throws at us. Mars used to have one of these shields. Mars lost it. Now most of Mars's atmosphere is gone, swept off into space by an unfiltered solar wind. So basically: keep your magnetic field. We are extremely lucky for ours.
§ Strange but true
- 01The universe is stranger than your intuition. This is a rule, not an exception.
- 02Every fact in physics was once an outrageous guess. Most still feel like one.
- 03If it doesn't bend your brain a little, you haven't read it carefully enough.
§ From the field journal
Magnetosphere
"Earth has an invisible shield. Without it, the atmosphere would slowly blow away."
— observed, sketched, not yet fully understood.
§ Nearby