This is where I am confused too the speaker in the video said Earth's magnetic f... | Hacker News

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dghughes on March 5, 2017 | parent | context | favorite | on: NASA proposes a magnetic shield to protect Mars' a...

This is where I am confused too the speaker in the video said Earth's magnetic field is 31,000 nanoTesla.

He said the best plan for a shield for Mars is a 500,000 nanoTesla field at L1 which is 320 Mars radii away from Mars.

Maybe I am misunderstanding what he is saying or pronouncing, nanoTesla i.e. billionths of a Tesla?

thatcherc on March 5, 2017 [–]

I imagine there is also a size component involved. The Earth's magnetic field might be 31,000 nanoTesla, but it's spread over an enormous volume. This magnetic shield would have to be much smaller than a planet, so it makes sense that it should have a much strong field.

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