magnetotail current
atmospheric science
Learn about this topic in these articles:
Earth sciences
- In geomagnetic field: The magnetotail current
Radially outward near local midnight rather than at local noon, there is an entirely different current system. Beginning at approximately 10 Re and extending well beyond 200 Re is the tail current system. This current is from dawn to dusk in the same…
Read More - In Earth: The geomagnetic field and magnetosphere
The magnetotail can store for hours an enormous amount of energy—several billion megajoules, which is roughly equivalent to the yearly electricity production of many smaller countries). This occurs through a process called reconnection, in which the Sun’s magnetic field, dragged into interplanetary space by the solar…
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- ionosphere and magnetosphere
- In ionosphere and magnetosphere: Magnetosphere
The magnetotail can extend to such great distances because on the nightside the forces associated with the magnetic field and the solar wind are parallel.
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- In ionosphere and magnetosphere: Magnetosphere