The Sun:
     The Sun is a typical star of intermediate size with a radius of about 696,000 km. The sun has a mass of 2 x 10³⁰ kg and is made of about 90% hydrogen and 10% helium. In addition to visible light, the Sun emits radio waves, X-rays, and energetic particles. When the total energy produced by the sun is tallied, the solar constant (the total energy emitted from the sun) results; this constant is 3.8 x 10³³ ergs/sec.

Structure:
     The sun's core is its center in which continuous nuclear fusion that converts hydrogen into helium at a temperature of about 16 million degrees Kelvin occurs. The next layers following the core are the radiative and convective zones. Subsequently, the solar surface over the convective zone is called photosphere and it is at a temperature of about 6000 K. Cooler regions (less than 4000 K) in the photosphere are known as sunspots. There are two transparent layers above the photosphere; these layers are known as the chromosphere and the corona. The chromosphere extends about 10,000 km above the photosphere and has a temperature of 10,000 K. Lastly, the corona contains solar plasma (gas consisting of charged particles that are mostly electrons and protons) called solar winds. The solar magnetic field carries these winds through space establishing the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and characterizing the heliosphere (a magnetic bubble of vast space.)

Other Info:

• Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) - Gigantic gas bubbles ejected from the Sun during time scales of hours
  
• Solar flares - Explosions with time scales of only a few minutes
• Studying the geomagnetic activity of the sun involves studying the solar winds of the sun.

Interplanetary Space:
     Interplanetary Space is the part of outer space within the solar system. It is filled with magnetic fields, electric fields, matter, and energy.

The Magnetosphere:
     The magnetosphere is the area of space around the Earth that is controlled by the Earth's magnetic field. It is full of streaming particles, electromagnetic radiation, and constantly changing electric and magnetic fields. It is also known as the region close to earth just above the ionosphere. The workability of a compass illustrates the magnetic fields of the earth. Due to force of the solar winds, the geomagnetic field (earth's magnetic field) is twisted into a cavity called the magnetosphere that shields the earth from the solar wind. The outer boundary of the magnetosphere is called the magnetopause. The bow shock is formed due to the differences in solar wind and is located in front of the magnetopause. The region between the bow shock and the magnetopause is called the magnetosheath. The magnetosphere is filled with plasma that comes both from the ionosphere and the solar wind. The solar winds push the magnetosphere to make the dayside (side facing the sun) of the electromagnetic forces ten times smaller than the nightside (side not facing the sun).

Ionosphere:
     The ionosphere is the part of the upper atmosphere in which free electrons have an influence on the radio frequency of electromagnetic waves. The structures of the ionosphere vary greatly with time, sunspot cycle, seasons, and geographical location (polar, auroral zones, mid-latitudes, and equatorial regions).