Space physics

Space physics studies plasma, electromagnetic fields, and energetic particles in space, especially near Earth and throughout the heliosphere.

Solar wind: A continuous flow of charged particles escaping from the Sun and filling interplanetary space. Its changing speed and magnetic field carry solar disturbances toward Earth.
Plasma: An ionized gas containing free charged particles whose collective behavior is strongly influenced by electromagnetic fields. Most visible matter in the Sun and heliosphere exists in this state.
Geomagnetic storm: A disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere caused by enhanced energy input from the solar wind. It is a prominent near-Earth outcome of solar–magnetosphere coupling.
Solar flare: A sudden, intense release of energy from the Sun's atmosphere across the electromagnetic spectrum. Flares helped establish that solar eruptions can disturb Earth's magnetic environment.
Solar energetic particle: A high-energy ion or electron accelerated by solar eruptions or disturbances in interplanetary space. Their origins and transport determine the severity of particle radiation events.
Magnetosphere: The region around a magnetized body where its magnetic field controls much of the motion of charged particles. It is the main region where the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field.
Debye shielding: The rearrangement of charged particles that screens electric fields over a characteristic distance in a plasma. It explains why plasma responds collectively rather than as isolated charges.
Aurora: Light emitted in Earth's upper atmosphere when energetic particles excite atmospheric atoms and molecules. It makes magnetospheric particle precipitation visible from the ground.
Carrington Event: The severe geomagnetic storm of September 1859, associated with a major solar eruption. Its telegraph disruptions made the practical consequences of solar–terrestrial coupling unmistakable.
Turbulence: Irregular, multiscale motion in a fluid or plasma, involving interacting fluctuations. Its role in heating and particle transport remains difficult to quantify in space plasmas.

Linked from 2 pages