 Despite its name, the magnetosphere is asymmetric, with the sunward side being about 10 Earth radii out but the other side stretching out in a magnetotail that extends beyond 200 Earth radii.Sunward of the magnetopause is the bow shock, the area where the solar wind slows abruptly.Inside the magnetosphere is the plasmasphere, a donut-shaped region containing low-energy charged particles, or plasma.