On January 21, 1972, the Mars 3 satellite recorded a strong (~27 nT) regular magnetic field in the region of the spacecraft’s closest approach to the dayside of Mars. Many hypotheses about the nature of this field have been discussed. Only in 1998 did the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission manage to measure the magnetization of the Martian surface and clarify the features of the complex Martian magnetosphere. Comparison of the Mars 3 data with the MGS data has shown that, in 1972, a strong and regular magnetic field was observed with the same direction and exactly over the region of the strongest magnetization of the Martian crust in the southern hemisphere of the planet. Thus, Mars 3 recorded the magnetic field of the Martian crust about 25 years before its discovery. Large regions of crustal magnetization in the southern hemisphere at a great distance from the planet generate a significant dipole component in the magnetic field around Mars. Thus, Mars is a unique planet in the Solar System, the magnetosphere of which is formed by the interaction of the solar wind with the intrinsic magnetic field of the crust and with the ionosphere of the planet. The hypothesis that the Martian magnetosphere had a hybrid nature was put forward earlier according to the data of the Phobos 2 spacecraft, although it was associated with the existence of an internal dipole field. It is also shown that the MAVEN spacecraft data confirm the suggestion, drawn from the Phobos 2 data, that Mars has a denser hot corona than was previously assumed, and these data are in a good agreement with the Phobos 2 results concerning ion acceleration in the tail of the Martian magnetosphere.
Characteristics of the Martian Magnetosphere according to the Data of the Mars 3 and Phobos 2 Satellites: Comparison with MGS and MAVEN Results
Cosmic Res
Cosmic Research ; 59 , 6 ; 478-492
2021-11-01
15 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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