On the possibility of coupling satellite and ground-based optical measurements in the region of pulsating auroras

Abstract

The possibility of comparing in detail CLUSTER satellite data with data on pulsating spots registered with a TV camera at the Lovozero Observatory when the satellite crossed the magnetospheric region related to the camera’s field of view is discussed. The satellite ionospheric projections were calculated using the T89, T96, and T01 models. It was shown that the projection allows us to judge with confidence whether or not a satellite will find itself in a region of pulsating auroras when only the level of geomagnetic activity and the characteristics of the interplanetary medium are a priori known. When different models are used in the projection, the spread is not less than the characteristic dimensions of the pulsating spots and can be as high as 100 km. The corresponding satellite flight time is ∼4 min. Such a large spatial and time uncertainty does not allow us to compare in detail the satellite data with ground-based optical measurements without a priori information on, e.g., the character of precipitation above a spot, as has been done by other researchers in the case of auroral arcs. The situation becomes even more complex if a satellite is in the region of greatly stretched magnetic field lines.