Magnetospheric physics (2D)

Magnetosphere-Solar Wind Interaction

Solar-wind protons compress Earth's dipole field into a magnetopause (Shue 1997 empirical model), leak in through dayside reconnection when the IMF turns southward, and precipitate along dipole field lines to draw the auroral oval.

Magnetopause R₀– R⊕
Dynamic pressure– nPa
Merging field Eₘ– mV/m
Auroral oval lat.– °
Particle energy– eV
Precipitation rate–/s

R₀, Eₘ and the oval latitude are computed live from the sliders via the Shue (1997) magnetopause model and dipole L-shell geometry — not animation presets.