Seems like you are flat wrong in many ways (Score 1)

1. The article includes atmosphere and magnetic field as a shield. 2. Photons interact with magnetic field in many ways. -a magnetic field is just photons, and if you play with magnets, you know how these photons interacts. -both have mass, and interact gravitationally -the upper atmosphere is a plasma. There is a interaction between photons and plasma(phase/group velocity, as well as plasma and magnetic fields.