This is a drawing of the magnetosphere of Jupiter.
Click on image for full size
Windows to the Universe original artwork

A Look at Jupiter's Magnetosphere

Jupiter's magnetosphere is very special. It is the biggest thing in the entire solar system. Not only is it big enough to hold all of Jupiter's moons, but the sun itself could fit inside. It goes all the way to Saturn. If it could be seen at night, it would be as big in the sky as the full moon.

The unusual way that Jupiter's magnetic field is made affects the shape of different parts of Jupiter's magnetosphere.

Jupiter has a donut-shaped cloud which goes around inside the magnetosphere. Jupiter lights up with very beautiful aurora. Jupiter also makes radio signals and other waves, called whistler waves, chorus and hiss.


Last modified June 3, 2003 by Randy Russell.

You might also be interested in:

How Jupiter's Magnetosphere is made

Magnetospheres are generated with 1.) magnetic materials and 2.) with motions within the magnetic material. The Earth-like planets generate magnetospheres from iron at the center. This leads to roundly-shaped...more

Jupiter's Aurora

Jupiter's aurora is a very powerful source of energy. It produces much more power (about a million MegaWatts) than the Earth's aurora (about 1000 MegaWatts). For comparison, a large city uses about 1...more

Current Systems of Jupiter

The most powerful currents in the magnetosphere are those which power the Jovian aurora. As shown in the figure, the Jovian aurora is thought to come from two sources, the moon Io, and from currents carrying...more

Motions in Jupiter's Interior

Motions in the interior of a planet help carry heat from the inside to the outside. The drawing to the left illustrates a kind of global motion that is typical of motions in the atmosphere as well as the...more

An Overview of Jupiter's Interior

The Giant planets do not have the same layered structure that the terrestrial planets do. Their evolution was quite different than that of the terrestrial planets, and they have less solid material. Jupiter's...more

Radiation

If you are sitting in the dentist's chair and they decide to X-ray your teeth, they put a big shield over you for protection. Why? Because they need to shield you from 'radiation'. Radiation comes in many...more

Results from the New Horizons Jupiter Flyby

The New Horizons spacecraft is on its way to Pluto. Along the way, it flew past the giant planet Jupiter. When the spacecraft flew by Jupiter, Jupiter's strong gravity gave New Horizons a "slingshot...more

Dipole, Quadrupole, and Multipole Magnetic Fields

Have you ever seen a bar magnet? Bar magnets have two magnetic poles - north and south. The magnetic field around a bar magnet is called a dipole magnetic field. "Dipole" means "two poles". Bar magnets...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA