'Zebra Stripes' in Earth's Magnetic Field Have Surprising Source

By Nola Taylor Redd http://www.space.com/25327-earth-magnetic-field-zebra-stripes-source.html

For years many scientists thought the Zebra Stripes in our magnetic field were due to the suns charged particles being hurled at the Earth. Recently, through observation of the magnetic field, we noticed that when the sun was being more calm, that these stripes were noticeable. Later it was concluded that it wasnt the suns activity that caused these stripes, but the Earths own rotation. Due to the Earths tilted axis, a weak electric belt is formed which interacts with a radiation belt. The interaction between the two causes these zebra stripes. The zebra stripes are act like a stretchy material that is constantly being pushed together and pulled apart, making the magnetic belt seem striped. The benefit of this magnetic shield protects us from solar winds the sun throws at us. When these charged particles meet us, they become trapped in the magnetic field and are thrown to the top and bottom of the Earth, away from humans where they could do the most damage.