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20 Years of Cluster Observations: The Magnetopause
Author(s) -
Haaland S.,
Hasegawa H.,
Paschmann G.,
Sonnerup B.,
Dunlop M.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1029/2021ja029362
Subject(s) - magnetopause , magnetosphere , solar wind , physics , geophysics , spacecraft , magnetosphere of saturn , cluster (spacecraft) , interplanetary magnetic field , space physics , magnetosphere of jupiter , astrobiology , astronomy , plasma , computer science , quantum mechanics , programming language
The terrestrial magnetopause forms the boundary between the solar wind plasma with its embedded interplanetary magnetic field on one side, and the terrestrial magnetosphere, dominated by Earth's dipole field, on the other side. It is therefore a key region for the transfer of mass, momentum, and energy from the solar wind to the magnetosphere. The Cluster mission, comprising a constellation of four spacecraft flying in formation was launched more than 20 years ago to study boundaries in space. During its lifetime, Cluster has provided a wealth of new knowledge about the magnetopause. In this paper, we give an overview of Cluster‐based studies of this boundary, and highlight a selection of interesting results.