Editing Magnetosphere (section)

===Earth's magnetosphere{{anchor|Earth}}===
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{{See also|Earth's magnetic field#Magnetosphere|Van Allen radiation belt}}
{{further|Plasmasphere}}
[[File:Magnetosphere rendition.jpg|thumb|Artist's rendition of Earth's magnetosphere]]
[[File:Structure_of_the_magnetosphere_LanguageSwitch.svg|lang=en|thumb|upright=1.5|Diagram of Earth's magnetosphere]]
Over Earth's [[equator]], the magnetic field lines become almost horizontal, then return to reconnect at high latitudes. However, at high altitudes, the magnetic field is significantly distorted by the solar wind and its solar magnetic field. On the dayside of Earth, the magnetic field is significantly compressed by the solar wind to a distance of approximately {{convert|65000|km|sp=us}}. Earth's bow shock is about {{convert|17|km|sp=us}} thick<ref>{{cite news|title=Cluster reveals Earth's bow shock is remarkably thin|url=http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=49637|newspaper=[[European Space Agency]]|date=16 November 2011}}</ref> and located about {{convert|90000|km|sp=us}} from Earth.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cluster reveals the reformation of Earth's bow shock|url=http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=40994|newspaper=European Space Agency|date=11 May 2011}}</ref> The magnetopause exists at a distance of several hundred kilometers above Earth's surface. Earth's magnetopause has been compared to a [[sieve]] because it allows solar wind particles to enter. [[Kelvin–Helmholtz instability|Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities]] occur when large swirls of plasma travel along the edge of the magnetosphere at different velocities from the magnetosphere, causing the plasma to slip past. This results in [[magnetic reconnection]], and as the magnetic field lines break and reconnect, solar wind particles are able to enter the magnetosphere.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cluster observes a 'porous' magnetopause|url=http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50977|newspaper=European Space Agency|date=24 October 2012}}</ref> On Earth's nightside, the magnetic field extends in the magnetotail, which lengthwise exceeds {{convert|6300000|km|sp=us}}.<ref name=Britannica/> Earth's magnetotail is the primary source of the [[Aurora (astronomy)|polar aurora]].<ref name=tail/> Also, NASA scientists have suggested that Earth's magnetotail might cause "dust storms" on the Moon by creating a potential difference between the day side and the night side.<ref>http://www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars/features/magnetotail_080416.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114122639/https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars/features/magnetotail_080416.html |date=14 November 2021 }} NASA, ''The Moon and the Magnetotail''</ref>