A new study based on data from ESA's Cluster mission has revealed that the bow shock formed by the solar wind as it encounters Earth's magnetic field is remarkably thin.

A new study based on data from ESA's Cluster mission has revealed that the bow shock formed by the solar wind as it encounters Earth's magnetic field is remarkably thin: it measures only 17 kilometres across... 'A unique opportunity to tackle such questions is represented by Earth's bow shock, the standing shock wave that forms when the solar wind encounters the magnetosphere of our planet,' explains Steven Schwartz [Physics] from Imperial College London, UK. Schwartz led a team that used data from ESA's Cluster mission to obtain pioneering measurements of the thickness of this transition layer.

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Copyright: ESA/AOES Medialab.