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abaxeron t1_ixlu1o8 wrote

A current-based electric machine (say, a simple resistive heater or a stove) stationed on a planet with static magnetic field will work no different than it does on Earth; if the magnetic field is not moving, it's not inducing any currents.

Then things get weird. There's Hall effect that forces charges moving across a perpendicular magnetic field to stick to one side of the wire and away from the other (which, in practical sense, will mean that a planet with ultra-strong magnetic field will cause non-vertical wires to rust more quickly on one side).

Ferrite based generators (sometimes encountered in very old electric toys and roller blades / scooters with shiny LED lights) will stop working as intended at magnetic fields roughly ten thousand times stronger than Earth's, since such magnetic field will keep the rotor perpetually saturated in one and the same direction. 4 more times, and motors, generators, and high permeability iron alloys stop working for the same reason. Fast-moving vehicles will experience current being induced on their hull due to effects of homopolar generation (even if they move through relatively homogeneous magnetic field).

Specifically speaking of Jupiter, there's "Radio Jove" - emitted radio waves in the range of around 100 MHz that can be caught and listened to on simple household radio. Considering that these radio waves are detectable from Earth, they are insanely stronger at the source which is at least 588 million kilometers away (at Io's orbit, these radio waves will be 2 million times stronger). 100 MHz radio interference is perfectly capable of causing trouble here on Earth and will induce current on any luckily oriented straight wire around 3/4 meters long (at very short and very long lengths, induction will either be negligible, or destructively interfere with itself).

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Nihilblistic OP t1_ixlyins wrote

Thank you so very much for your post, it put me on the track I wanted to be on, namely looking on the effects of eddy currents on spacecraft, which has been a fascinating read.

What I am getting from it though that given a rotating orbiting object, depending on the strength of the magnetic field, you'd find stuff like rotation dampening, resistive torque, and Joule heating in conductive materials, with minor but non-negligible impact.

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abaxeron t1_ixm13pu wrote

Eddy currents! Always forget how they're called. Glad I could be helpful!

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