Saurabh Koranglekar
Last Activity: 4 Years ago
The structure and behavior of magnetospheres is dependent on several variables: the type of astronomical object, the nature of sources of plasma and momentum, the period of the object's spin, the nature of the axis on which the object spins, the axis of the magnetic dipole, and the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the flow of solar wind.
The distance at which a planet can withstand the solar wind pressure is called the Chapman–Ferraro distance.
Over the Earth's equator, the magnetic field lines become almost horizontal, then return to connect back again 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 the Earth, the magnetic field is significantly compressed by the solar wind to a distance of approximately 65,000 kilometers (40,000 mi).