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The Solar System

Gas Giants

Does Jupiter have a magnetic field?

Yes, and it is about five times the intensity of the Sun’s. Jupiter’s magnetosphere is so big that it would take up a good part of our night sky—much larger than the full Moon—if we could see it with our eyes. Also, like Earth, there are large belts of trapped, highly energized charged particles around Jupiter; these “van Allen” belts are confined by lines of magnetic force that have naturally developed in Jupiter’s magnetic field.



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