Alternate Definitions for Interplanetary Magnetic Field

As the solar wind flows outward from the sun at several million miles per hour, it drags the sun's magnetic field with it. This magnetic field permeates the solar system and is known as the interplanetary magnetic field. While the IMF typically deflects around Earth's magnetic field, the IMF can sometimes "reconnect" with Earth's field, allowing solar wind energy to funnel directly into our protective magnetospheric bubble.