Abstract
Observations of bow shock and magnetopause crossings from geosynchronous orbit on 31 March 2001
Mission Research Corporation, Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
Mission Research Corporation, Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
On 31 March 2001, significant enhancements in both the strength of the interplanetary magnetic field and the solar wind dynamic
pressure pushed the magnetopause and bow shock inside of geosynchronous orbit. We present here observations of the unshocked
solar wind observed with the Los Alamos magnetospheric plasma analyzer on geosynchronous satellite 1994-084 near local noon.
The magnetosheath was observed intermittently at geosynchronous satellites 1991-080, 1994-084, and LANL-01A, across much of
the dayside magnetosphere. Comparisons with theory of the observed bow shock and magnetopause locations at geosynchronous
orbit near noon are in reasonable agreement. Using nearly simultaneous observations of the magnetopause and bow shock locations
at 0451 UT, we have tested models for the thickness of the magnetosheath and flaring of the magnetopause at that time. Using
the least flared of the magnetopause models, the estimated thickness of the magnetosheath would be thicker than would be predicted
by either the gas dynamic solution of
Published 27 August 2002.
Citation: (2002), Observations of bow shock and magnetopause crossings from geosynchronous orbit on 31 March 2001, J. Geophys. Res., 107(A8), 1206, doi:10.1029/2001JA000284.
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