An extension of the dual magnetometer method for use on a dual spinning spacecraft

A method of estimating and correcting for the magnetic field of a dual spinning spacecraft has been developed by employing an extension of the dual magnetometer technique. This new method is useful for those situations in which a magnetometer boom of modest length is attached to the spinning part of a large spacecraft. The purpose of using a dual spinning spacecraft is to accommodate two types of instruments: imaging and similar pointed remote sensing systems on the stationary platform, and fields, particles and other in-situ measuring instruments on the spinning portion. The new method assumes that the stationary part of the spacecraft possesses a magnetic field which is represented by a combination of a dipole and a quadrupole field

Planetary magnetospheres

A concise overview is presented of our understanding of planetary magnetospheres (and in particular, of that of the Earth), as of the end of 1981. Emphasis is placed on processes of astrophysical interest, e.g., on particle acceleration, collision-free shocks, particle motion, parallel electric fields, magnetic merging, substorms, and large scale plasma flows. The general morphology and topology of the Earth's magnetosphere are discussed, and important results are given about the magnetospheres of Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury, including those derived from the Voyager 1 and 2 missions and those related to Jupiter's satellite Io. About 160 references are cited, including many reviews from which additional details can be obtained

X-ray and UV observations of nova V598 Puppis between 147 and 255 days after outburst

Aims: The launch of Swift has allowed many more novae to be observed regularly over the X-ray band. Such X-ray observations of novae can reveal ejecta shocks and the nuclear burning white dwarf, allowing estimates to be made of the ejecta velocity. Methods: We analyse XMM-Newton and Swift X-ray and UV observations of the nova V598 Pup, which was initially discovered in the XMM-Newton slew survey. These data were obtained between 147 and 255 days after the nova outburst, and are compared with the earlier, brighter slew detection. Results: The X-ray spectrum consists of a super-soft source, with the soft emission becoming hotter and much fainter between days ~147 and ~172 after the outburst, and a more slowly declining optically thin component, formed by shocks with kT ~ 200-800 eV (corresponding to velocities of 400-800 km s^-1). The main super-soft phase had a duration of less than 130 days. The Reflection Grating Spectrometer data show evidence of emission lines consistent with optically thin emission of kT ~100 eV and place a limit on the density of the surrounding medium of log(n_e/cm^-3) < 10.4 at the 90 % level. The UV emission is variable over short timescales and fades by at least one magnitude (at lambda ~ 2246-2600 angstrom) between days 169 and 255.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Structure and dynamics of Saturn's outer magnetosphere and boundary regions

In 1979-1981, the three USA spacecraft Pioneer 11 and Voyagers 1 and 2 discovered and explored the magnetosphere of Saturn to the limited extent possible on flyby trajectories. Considerable variation in the locations of the bow shock (BS) and magnetopause (MP) surfaces were observed in association with variable solar wind conditions and, during the Voyager 2 encounter, possible immersion in Jupiter's distant magnetic tail. The limited number of BS and MP crossings were concentrated near the subsolar region and the dawn terminator, and that fact, together with the temporal variability, makes it difficult to assess the three dimensional shape of the sunward magnetospheric boundary. The combined BS and MP crossing positions from the three spacecraft yield an average BS-to-MP stagnation point distance ratio of 1.29 +/- 0.10. This is near the 1.33 value for the Earth's magnetosphere, implying a similar sunward shape at Saturn. Study of the structure and dynamical behavior of the outer magnetosphere, both in the sunward hemisphere and the magnetotail region using combined plasma and magnetic field data, suggest that Saturn's magnetosphere is more similar to that of Earth than that of Jupiter

A kiloparsec-scale nuclear stellar disk in the milky way as a possible explanation of the high velocity peaks in the galactic bulge

The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment has measured the stellar velocities of red giant stars in the inner Milky Way. We confirm that the line of sight velocity distributions (LOSVDs) in the mid-plane exhibit a second peak at high velocities, whereas those at | b| =2^\circ do not. We use a high resolution simulation of a barred galaxy, which crucially includes gas and star formation, to guide our interpretation of the LOSVDs. We show that the data are fully consistent with the presence of a thin, rapidly rotating, nuclear disk extending to ∼1 kpc. This nuclear disk is orientated perpendicular to the bar and is likely to be composed of stars on x2 orbits. The gas in the simulation is able to fall onto such orbits, leading to stars populating an orthogonal disk

Currents in Saturn's magnetosphere

A model of Saturn's magnetospheric magnetic field is obtained from the Voyager 1 and 2 observations. A representation consisting of the Z sub 3 zonal harmonic model of Saturn's planetary magnetic field together with an explicit model of Saturn's planetary magnetic field and a model of the equatorial ring current fits the observations well within r 20 R sub S, with the exception of data obtained during the Voyager 2 inbound pass

Voyager 1 assessment of Jupiter's planetary magnetic field

An estimate of Jupiter's planetary magnetic field is obtained from the Voyager 1 observations of the Jovian magnetosphere. An explicit model for the magnetodisc current system is combined with a spherical harmonic model of the planetary field with both sets of parameters determined simultaneously using a nonlinear generalized inverse methodology. The resulting model fits the observations extremely well throughout the analysis interval (r 20 Jovian radii). The Jovian internal field model obtained from the Voyager 1 data is very similar to the octopole Pioneer 11 models. The best fitting magnetodisc lies in the centrifugal equator, 2/3 of the way between the rotational and magnetic equators, as appropriate for centrifugal loading of the magnetosphere by a cold plasma

The Z3 model of Saturns magnetic field and the Pioneer 11 vector helium magnetometer observations

Magnetic field observations obtained by the Pioneer 11 vector helium magnetometer are compared with the Z(sub 3) model magnetic field. These Pioneer 11 observations, obtained at close-in radial distances, constitute an important and independent test of the Z(sub 3) zonal harmonic model, which was derived from Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 fluxgate magnetometer observations. Differences between the Pioneer 11 magnetometer and the Z(sub 3) model field are found to be small (approximately 1%) and quantitatively consistent with the expected instrumental accuracy. A detailed examination of these differences in spacecraft payload coordinates shows that they are uniquely associated with the instrument frame of reference and operation. A much improved fit to the Pioneer 11 observations is obtained by rotation of the instrument coordinate system about the spacecraft spin axis by 1.4 degree. With this adjustment, possibly associated with an instrumental phase lag or roll attitude error, the Pioneer 11 vector helium magnetometer observations are fully consistent with the Voyager Z(sub 3) model

The magnetic field of Mercury, part 1

An updated analysis and interpretation is presented of the magnetic field observations obtained during the Mariner 10 encounter with the planet Mercury. The combination of data relating to position of the detached bow shock wave and magnetopause, and the geometry and magnitude of the magnetic field within the magnetosphere-like region surrounding Mercury, lead to the conclusion that an internal planetary field exists with dipole moment approximately 5.1 x 10 the 22nd power Gauss sq cm. The dipole axis has a polarity sense similar to earth's and is tilted 7 deg from the normal to Mercury's orbital plane. The magnetic field observations reveal a significant distortion of the modest Hermean field (350 Gamma at the equator) by the solar wind flow and the formation of a magnetic tail and neutral sheet which begins close to the planet on the night side. The composite data is not consistent with a complex induction process driven by the solar wind flow