magnetosphere

noun

mag·​ne·​to·​sphere mag-ˈnē-tə-ˌsfir 

-ˈne-

: a region of space surrounding a celestial object (such as a planet or star) that is dominated by the object's magnetic field so that charged particles are trapped in it

magnetospheric

mag-ˌnē-tə-ˈsfir-ik 

-ˈsfer-

-ˌne-

adjective

Examples of magnetosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When one of these bubbles collides with Earth's magnetosphere, the barrier that protects the planet from space weather, a geomagnetic storm occurs. —Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025

The European Space Agency’s Cluster mission, featuring four satellites examining the Earth’s magnetosphere, has previously observed black auroras. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025

Nimmo’s team pinpointed the explosion responsible for the burst to the magnetosphere, a magnetically active area about 6,213 miles (10,000 kilometers) away from a rotating neutron star. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025

The instrument will track how the magnetosphere expands and contracts, as well as other shape changes caused by varying strengths of solar wind from the vantage point of the moon, providing a unique, first global view of this activity. —Andrew Jones, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

magneto- + -sphere

Note: Term introduced by the Austrian-born physicist Thomas Gold (1920-2004) in "Motions in the Magnetosphere of the Earth," Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 64, no. 9 (September, 1959), pp. 1219-24.

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

magnetosphere

noun

mag·​ne·​to·​sphere mag-ˈnēt-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r 

-ˈnet-

: a region of space around an object (as a planet or star) that is dominated by the object's magnetic field