Earth's Magnetic Field Key Terms

Universe

The totality of matter, energy, and space, including the Solar System, the galaxies, and the contents of the space between the galaxies.

Earth

the planet third in order from the sun

Sun

A medium-sized, main-sequence star located in a spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, orbited by all of the planets and other bodies in our solar system and supplying the heat and light that sustain life on Earth.

Milky Way Galaxy

The spiral galaxy that contains our solar system.

Solar System

The Sun together with the eight planets, their moons, and all other bodies that orbit it, including dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, meteoroids, and Kuiper belt objects.

Solar Neighborhood

A region of radius roughly 300 light years that contains a few thousand stars.

Magnetosphere

A highly asymmetrical region surrounding the Earth, beginning about 100 km (62 mi) above the surface on the side of the Earth facing the Sun and extending hundreds of thousands of kilometers into space on the opposite side.

Non Contact Force

A force between two objects that don’t require direct contact.

Magnet

A material or object that produces a magnetic field.

Dipolar

a pair of equal and oppositely charged or magnetized poles separated by a distance.

Magnetism

Magnetic field lines

a visual tool used to represent magnetic fields.

Iron Fillings

small particles of iron produced by filing or a similar mechanical process.

Electromagnet

A device consisting of a coil of insulated wire wrapped around an iron core that becomes magnetized when an electric current flows through the wire.

Electric Current

the time rate of flow of electric charge, in the direction that a positive moving charge would take and having magnitude equal to the quantity of charge per unit time: measured in amperes.

Electromagnetic

Of or relating to electromagnetism or electromagnetic fields.