Magnetospheres

A Planetary Shield against the Sun

Six of the solar system’s eight planets, and at least one moon of Jupiter, is surrounded by a magnetosphere that provides a protective magnetic blanket.

Earth's magnetosphere captures and accelerates charged particles from the Sun’s solar wind, producing spectacular aurora near the poles and perilous radiation through which spacecraft and astronauts must travel. And in the magnetospheres of other planets, these processes, radiation and auroras can be even more extreme.

APL scientists are dedicated to understanding the physics that govern magnetospheres. By probing data from space missions collected over decades and employing state-of-the-art models, APL scientists are unraveling the nature of exchanges happening both within a planet’s magnetosphere and among its magnetosphere, upper atmosphere, moons and the solar wind. APL has built and contributed to instruments and imagers that have visited nearly every magnetosphere in the solar system. And currently, the team is constructing instruments for NASA’s Europa Clipper mission and the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission to Jupiter, which has the harshest radiation environment in the solar system.

Missions

APL has designed, built and operated more than 70 innovative spacecraft over its six decades of spaceflight experience. Click below to learn about some of the missions that made revolutionary discoveries, and spacecraft that will push the boundaries of exploration and investigate outstanding scientific mysteries.

Instruments

Scientists and engineers at APL have designed, built and operated more than 300 novel space instruments and methods to conduct cutting-edge research and make groundbreaking discoveries. Click below to learn about some of these instruments and their role in shaping our understanding of space and the solar system.

Initiatives

While APL may be known for engaging is space-firsts and building first-of-its-kind spacecraft that deflect asteroids or touch the sun, it also has a deep knowledge base of science and engineering experts who provide critical contributions to critical challenges. Through initiatives like Planetary Defense, Heliophysics and Space Weather, and Cislunar Operations, Space@APL is able to deliver game-changning impacts for civil and national security.

Stories

Go inside APL’s space missions and research, and check out the latest news, features and discoveries from the teams that are probing mysteries from the Sun to the edge of the solar system and beyond.