Magnetosphere
//mæɡˈni.təˌsfɪr// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The comet-shaped region around Earth or another planet in which charged particles are trapped or deflected. Shaped by the solar wind and the planet's magnetic field.
"We derive rotation periods, photometric activity indices, flaring energies, mass loss rates, gyrochronological ages, X-ray luminosities and consider implications for the planetary magnetospheres and habitability."
- 2 the magnetic field of a planet; the volume around the planet in which charged particles are subject more to the planet's magnetic field than to the solar magnetic field wordnet
Example
More examples"Inside the magnetosphere, the density of the space plasma—charged particles, like electrons and ions—is much lower than the plasma outside, where the solar wind prevails. The boundary, called the magnetopause, becomes unstable when the two different density regions move at different rates."
Etymology
From magneto- + -sphere.
Related phrases
More for "magnetosphere"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.