In the
magnetosphere, the plasma sheet is a sheet-like region of denser (0.3-0.5 ions/cm
3 versus 0.01-0.02 in the lobes) hot
plasma and lower
magnetic field near the
equatorial plane
The celestial equator is the great circle of the imaginary celestial sphere on the same plane as the equator of Earth. This plane of reference bases the equatorial coordinate system. In other words, the celestial equator is an abstract projecti ...
, between the magnetosphere's north and south lobes.
A magnetosphere is produced by the interaction of a stream of
charged particles, such as
solar wind
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the upper atmosphere of the Sun, called the corona. This plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy between . The composition of the sol ...
, with the
magnetic field of a planet (or similar body). All planets with intrinsic magnetic fields, including Earth, are surrounded by a magnetosphere.
References
Geomagnetism
Planetary science
Space plasmas
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