Structure of the distant terrestrial magnetotail

Abstract

The ISEE-3 Geotail Mission has extended our knowledge of the terrestrial magnetotail out to distances of 235 R e. This paper presents a review of the observations from this mission pertaining to the size, shape, and structure of the magnetotail. The data sets available include magnetic fields, electron plasma, electromagnetic waves, plasma composition, energetic ions (H, He, C, N, O) and electrons (2D), and energetic ion spectra in 3D. The observations show that the distant terrestrial magnetotail is similar to the the near-earth region, except that the predominant direction of flows is away from the earth. The shape becomes elliptical, with the major axis in the east-west direction. A semi-permanent X-line is deduced to be near 80 to 100 R e. A solar wind component is found in the ion compositions. Vortex-like events and magnetic flux ropes, both known from other missions, have also been found.