Space Science Institute The solar wind pushes and stretches Earth’s magnetic field into a vast, comet-shaped region called the magnetosphere. The magnetosphere and Earth’s atmosphere protect us from the solar wind and other kinds of solar and cosmic radiation. As the solar wind flows past the magnetosphere, it acts like a cosmic generator, producing millions of amps of electric current. Some of this electric current flows into Earth's upper atmosphere which can light up like a neon sign to create the mysterious and beautiful aurora.   Magneto Mini Golf Test your golfing skills by launching charged particles into a variety of magnetic fields.