Interaction of a flowing plasma, such as the solar wind, with a magnetic 
dipole has been investigated for decades mostly in the context of 
understanding the Earths magnetosphere. The fact that planetary 
magnetospheres as diverse in size as those of Mercury and Jupiter exhibit 
an earthlike global structure seemed to suggest that all dipolar 
magnetospheres have self-similar structures. Using global hybrid 
simulations (fluid electrons, kinetic ions), we have recently demonstrated 
that the interaction between the solar wind and magnetic dipoles of various 
strength lead to a spectrum of magnetospheric structures which vary by size 
and complexity. At one end of the spectrum, the interaction results in the 
formation of a whistler wake without modifying the plasma, while at the 
other end, an earthlike magnetosphere is formed. This occurs at magnetic 
dipole strengths close but below that of Mercury. After a brief review of 
our recent efforts in code development that have made such simulations 
possible, results from simulations at various dipole strengths will be 
presented and the spectrum of the resulting magnetospheric structures will 
be discussed.  Implication of these results in regards to solar wind 
interaction with asteroids, comparative magnetospheres studies and 
understanding of geospace plasmas will then be reviewed.  In particular, we 
will use the bow shock and magnetic reconnection process to illustrate the 
power of the simulations in addressing temporal and spatial scales 
associated with various magnetospheric regions and processes.