magnetosphere

[ mag-nee-tuh-sfeer ]
/ mægˈni təˌsfɪər /

noun Astronomy.

the outer region of the earth's ionosphere, where the earth's magnetic field controls the motion of charged particles, as in the Van Allen belts. Compare magnetopause.
such a region of another planet: Jupiter's magnetosphere.

Origin of magnetosphere

First recorded in 1955–60; magneto- + -sphere

OTHER WORDS FROM magnetosphere

mag·ne·to·spher·ic [mag-nee-tuh-sfer-ik] /mægˌni təˈsfɛr ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby magnetosphere

magnetopause, magnetoplasmadynamics, magnetoresistance, magnetorheology, magnetosheath, magnetosphere, magnetostatics, magnetostriction, magnetotail, magnetotaxis, magnetothermoelectricity

British Dictionary definitions for magnetosphere

magnetosphere
/ (mæɡˈniːtəʊˌsfɪə) /

noun

the region surrounding a planet, such as the earth, in which the behaviour of charged particles is controlled by the planet's magnetic field

Derived forms of magnetosphere

magnetospheric (mæɡˌniːtəʊˈsfɛrɪk), adjective

Scientific definitions for magnetosphere

magnetosphere
[ măg-nē′tō-sfîr′ ]

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. In this region the Earth's magnetic field exerts a significant influence on any charged particles that encounter it. The magnetosphere deflects most of the charged particles in the solar wind, but also traps and deflects some of these particles toward the Earth's magnetic poles, causing magnetic storms and auroras.