"The capability to communicate, execute programs, or transfer data among various functional units in a manner that requires the user to have little or no knowledge of the unique characteristics of tho
se units." ISO/IEC 2382-01 (SC36 Secretariat, 2003)
Particles of dust in the interplanetary medium. They are left-overs from the beginning of the solar system or from other sources such as sublimating comets. Their existence was first deduced from obse
rvations of zodiacal light.
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 interplane
tary 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.
The magnetic field that is carried along with the solar wind and fills the solar system space. It is wound into a spiral structure by the rotation of the Sun. At the Earth's distance from the Sun, it
has a strength of about 5 x 10^-5 gauss.
The material contained in the solar system in the space through which the planets travel. It consists of the smaller objects such as asteroids, comets, meteorites and also a general pervading interpla
netary dust. Moreover a plasma of charged particles streaming outward from the Sun in the form of the solar wind contributes to the interplanetary medium.