Andrew Walsh (MSSL)
Chris Arridge (MSSL)
Colin Forsyth (MSSL)
Steve Milan (Leicester)
Summary: On 8th October, UK and European solar system scientists will gather at the Royal
Astronomical Society to discuss the magnetic tails of planets, moons and comets in our Solar System and their implications for the wider Universe.
The interaction between the solar wind and different bodies in the solar system, such as Earth, Saturn, and comets, produces a tear-drop shaped cavity called a magnetosphere around the body with a "magnetotail" pointing away from the Sun. Magnetotails play a key role in the flows of energy and matter in the space environments of the planets; for example they are important in generating the Northern Lights at Earth. Over the last decade, an increasing number of spacecraft have provided new insights into these regions, from multi-spacecraft missions investigating the Earth's magnetotail to exciting new measurements of Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. At this meeting the latest UK-led results on solar system magnetotails will be discussed. In particular there will be a focus on what can be understood by comparing physical processes at different Solar System objects.
FOR INFORMATION: http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/~apw/Magnetotails.php
A PDF of the full meeting programme is available here.
CONTACT
Chris Arridge
University College London
Tel: +44 (0)1483 204 150
E-mail: csa@mssl.ucl.ac.uk
Magnetotails_Specialist_Discussion_Meeting_Programme.pdf
Website: www.ras.org.uk