The two‐lobe structure of the distant (X ≥ 200 R e ) magnetotail

The results of an analysis of ∼ 8 months of ISEE‐3 data to determine the structure of the distant tail at distances from X = 60 to 238 R e are presented. It is determined that the tail has a two‐lobe structure with embedded plasmasheet. No evidence of filamentary structure was found. From the second deep tail pass data, it is determined that at 200 to 238 R e , the maximum thickness of the plasmasheet at its center is ∼ 9‐15 R e , similar to near‐earth observations. The total north‐south dimension of the tail is ∼ 53‐59 R e . From an analysis of the first deep tail pass data, the east‐west dimension of the tail is determined to be ∼ 45 R e . Maximum tail deviations in the north‐south direction are only ∼ 6°, as measured from the earth.