The Sun continuously ejects around 1.5 million tons of charged particles into space every second, traveling at hundreds of miles per second as the solar wind. This 3D animation shows how Earth's magnetic field deflects that stream, wrapping it around the planet in a teardrop-shaped protective bubble known as the magnetosphere. Without it, the solar wind would strip away the atmosphere over time, the way it likely did on Mars. It's an invisible but constant defense system, running every second of every day above our heads.