Magnetic Field Conditions Upstream of Ganymede

Abstract

AbstractJupiter's magnetic field is tilted by ∼10° with respect to the planet's spin axis, and as a result the Jovian plasma sheet passes over the Galilean satellites at the jovigraphic equator twice per planetary rotation period. The plasma and magnetic field conditions near Ganymede's magnetosphere therefore change dramatically every ∼5 hr, creating a unique magnetosphere‐magnetosphere interaction, and on longer time scales as evidenced by orbit‐to‐orbit variations. In this paper, we summarize the typical magnetic field conditions and their variability near Ganymede's orbit as observed by the Galileo and Juno spacecraft. We fit Juno data from orbit 34, which included the spacecraft's close Ganymede flyby in June 2021, to a current sheet model and show that the magnetospheric conditions during orbit 34 were very close to the historical average. Our results allow us to infer the upstream conditions at the time of the Juno Ganymede flyby.