Magnetic Field Effects

 

Protection from the sun

The sun is constantly spewing a river of charged particles outward into space, this river is called Solar Wind. If the Earth had no magnetic field the surface of our planet would be constantly bombarded with these charged particles, modern human technology could not survive this barrage without the magnetic field.

Solar wind is deflected by the Earth's magnetic field

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/atmosphere/1/5

 

Van Allen Radiation Belts

As the solar wind blows past the Earth, sometimes charged particles are caught in a small funnel at the planet's poles. Two doughnut shaped regions of charged particles are trapped within the layers of the magnetic field and are called the Inner and Outer Van Allen Belts respectively.

http://srag-nt.jsc.nasa.gov/SpaceRadiation/What/What.cfm

 

Aurorae

Some of the same charged particles that are funneled near the planets poles interact with the upper atmosphere and excite atoms within the atmosphere. The aurora is green in color if Oxygen is excited and blue or red in color if Nitrogen is excited.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Red_and_green_aurora.jpg

 

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