Saturn’s Magnetosphere from Cassini-Huygens

Stamatios M. Krimigis

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

AndAcademy of Athens

April 29, 2014

EGU Press ConferenceVienna, Austria, April 29, 2014

EGU Cassini-Huygens Press Conference

Saturn’s Van Allen Beltssculpted by the moons(Roussos et al, JGR, 116, 2011)

EGU Cassini-Huygens Press ConferenceApril 29, 2014

Critical Orbit Location for Magnetospheric Dynamics,

Plasma Escape

Complete the Solar Cycle

Sophisticated Models inform the observations, advance understanding

Plasmoid

Will solar wind-

driven storms

return in the decline of the solar

cycle?

Will solar wind-driven storms

return in the decline of the

solar cycle?

Moon-coupling

Moon-Saturn Coupling

Moon-Saturn Coupling: Enceladus zaps the atmosphere(Pryor, Rymer et al, Nature, 472, 331, 2011)

April 29, 2014 EGU Cassini-Huygens Press Conference

Saturn’s Magnetosphere is a dynamic, rotating, ever-changing environment(Mitchell et al, Planet. Space Sci., 57, 1732, 2009)

Saturn exhibited dual rotation periods for North and South, that have now merged. The electrons and ions in the magnetosphere do the same (Carbary et al, 2013)

EGU Cassini-Huygens Press ConferenceApril 29, 2014

Wide (± 50°) dayside plasma sheetThin and northwards tilted nightside plasma sheet

Krimigis et al., Nature, 2007

A data based, 3D artist’s concept of the >3 keV energetic particle distribution in the Saturnian magnetosphere, as measured by Cassini/MIMI between SOI and mid 2007.

April 29, 2014 EGU Cassini-Huygens Press Conference