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Published 1980 | Published
Journal Article Open

Saturn's Magnetic Field and Magnetosphere

Abstract

The Pioneer Saturn vector helium magnetometer has detected a bow shock and magnetopause at Saturn and has provided an accurate characterization of the planetary field. The equatorial surface field is 0.20 gauss, a factor of 3 to 5 times smaller than anticipated on the basis of attempted scalings from Earth and Jupiter. The tilt angle between the magnetic dipole axis and Saturn's rotation axis is < 1°, a surprisingly small value. Spherical harmonic analysis of the measurements shows that the ratio of quadrupole to dipole moments is < 10 percent, indicating that the field is more uniform than those of the Earth or Jupiter and consistent with Saturn having a relatively small core. The field in the outer magnetosphere shows systematic departures from the dipole field, principally a compression of the field near noon and an equatorial orientation associated with a current sheet near dawn. A hydromagnetic wake resulting from the interaction of Titan with the rotating magnetosphere appears to have been observed.

Additional Information

© 1980 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received for publication 3 December 1979. During encounter operations, B. Tsurutani, R. Walker, and B. Thomas assisted in the data reduction, analysis, and interpretation. We are grateful for the excellent support provided by the Pioneer Project, especially Robert Hogan. Essential support was also provided by J. Mannan, J. Wolf, E. Dobinson, A. Frandsen, D. Clay, B. Connor, G.T. Foster, R. Okida, J. Van Amersfoort, A. Matweecha, D. Winterhalter, and R. Ryan. This article reports one aspect of research carried out by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA under contract NAS 7-100.

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Created:
August 19, 2023
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October 26, 2023