On the smooth surface of the northern bow shock of Mars, based on Mars Global Surveyor's measurements

Abstract

A very smooth and time-invariable bow shock of Mars is revealed using Mars Global Surveyor's data. The bow-shock position has been identified using magnetic and electron flux data obtained by the Magnetometer and Electron Reflectometer (MAG/ER) experiment aboard Mars Global Surveyor, in the time period between days 87 and 255 of 1998. From the magnetic field and the electron flux measurements, 148 bow-shock crossings were detected, concentrated mostly on the northern hemisphere of the planet. With these results, a 3D configuration of the bow shock is constructed and presented. The results show that part of the observed bow shock is a surprisingly smooth surface. It is possible that the bow shock is smooth only in the northern hemisphere, since the southern surface is characterized by local magnetic anomalies. Its real shape can only be revealed in a 3D representation in the planetary centered solar ecliptic coordinate system and questions the theoretically expected variation of the bow shock.