Concept
Version 9
Created by Boundless
Helical Motion
Charged Particles Spiral Along Earth's Magnetic Field Lines
Energetic electrons and protons, components of cosmic rays, from the Sun and deep outer space often follow the Earth's magnetic field lines rather than cross them. (Recall that the Earth's north magnetic pole is really a south pole in terms of a bar magnet. )
Source
Boundless vets and curates high-quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet. This particular resource used the following sources:
"OpenStax College, College Physics. November 27, 2012."
http://cnx.org/content/m42375/latest/?collection=col11406/1.7
OpenStax CNX
CC BY 3.0.