nanotesla

physics

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

A nanotesla (nT) is a unit of magnetic flux density, equal to one billionth of a tesla. The tesla (T) is the standard international unit for magnetic flux density, named after Nikola Tesla. Magnetic fields are measured in teslas, but because the tesla is a large unit, smaller units like the nanotesla are commonly used, especially in geophysical observations. For context, Earth's magnetic field at the equator is approximately 40,000 nanoteslas. Magnetic fields are fundamental to magnetism and are produced by moving electric charges, such as electric currents.12345

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

geomagnetic field
Representation of the field
…and a smaller unit, the nanotesla (nT; one nanotesla equals 10⁻⁹ tesla), is normally used. A nanotesla is equivalent to one gamma, a unit originally defined as 10⁻⁵ gauss, which is the unit of magnetic field in the centimetre-gram-second system. Both the gauss and the gamma are still frequently used…
Read More
…and a smaller unit, the nanotesla (nT; one nanotesla equals 10⁻⁹ tesla), is normally used. A nanotesla is equivalent to one gamma, a unit originally defined as 10⁻⁵ gauss, which is the unit of magnetic field in the centimetre-gram-second system. Both the gauss and the gamma are still frequently used…
Read More