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Lunar Surface, Magnetic Field

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Encyclopedia of Lunar Science
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Definition

Some planets have a magnetic field, M, that acts like there is a giant bar magnet in the center of a planet. The magnetic field can be aligned differently from the rotational axis. The magnetic field forms a shield protecting the planet’s surface from energetic, charged particles coming from the Sun and other places. Magnetic “field lines” are imaginary lines used to describe the direction charged or magnetic particles will move when responding to a magnetic field. The bulk electromagnetic properties of the Moon have been determined to some extent by Earth-based radar scattering and by orbital measurements made during the Apollo Program and other missions (http://www.astronomynotes.com/solarsys/s7.htm).

Theory and Application

The Moon has no internal dynamo which would support a sustained magnetic field. The Moon has an external magnetic field that is very weak in comparison to that of the Earth. Other major differences are that the Moon does not currently have a dipolar...

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Correspondence to Jinsong Ping .

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Ping, J., Meng, Z. (2017). Lunar Surface, Magnetic Field. In: Cudnik, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Lunar Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05546-6_66-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05546-6_66-1

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