Abstract: Earth’s magnetosphere is a large magnetic cavity formed through the interaction of the solar wind and Earth’s intrinsic magnetic field. Solar wind energy enters this cavity through a boundary – the magnetopause – separating Earth’s field from the solar wind. This energy leads to many forms of “space weather”, including the aurora, geomagnetic storms, and energization of the Van Allen radiation belts. Despite decades of research, we still do not understand the extent of dayside reconnection si…