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Solar wind magnetic field interactions with Mercury's magnetic field

Solar wind magnetic field interactions with Mercury's magnetic field
Solar wind magnetic field interactions with Mercury's magnetic field This diagram illustrates the profound difference in magnetic connection between Mercury and the solar wind when the magnetic field in the solar wind is oriented southward (left), as it was for Mercury's October 6, 2008 flyby, versus northward (right), as it was on January 14, 2008. These are views from the point of view of the Sun, showing a schematic cross section of the magnetic lines of force. For southward solar wind magnetic fields, the solar wind and planetary magnetic fields are connected over the poles and Mercury's magnetosphere is tightly coupled with and strongly driven by the solar wind. By contrast, for northward solar wind magnetic fields, the magnetosphere is "closed" and there is minimal interconnection between the solar wind and planetary magnetic fields. NASA / JHUAPL / CIW