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Science 22 November 1968:
Vol. 162. no. 3856, pp. 898 - 901
DOI: 10.1126/science.162.3856.898
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Articles

Earth's Bow Shock: Elapsed-Time Observations by Two Closely Spaced Satellites

E. W. Greenstadt 1, I. M. Green 1, and D. S. Colburn 2

1 Space Sciences Laboratory, TRW Systems Group, Redondo Beach, California 90278
2 Space Sciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035

Coordinated observations of the earth's bow shock were made as Vela 3A and Explorer 33 passed within 6 earth radii of each other. Elapsed time measurements of shock motion give directly determined velocities in the range 1 to 10 kilometers per second and establish the existence of two regions, one of large amplitude magnetic "shock" oscillations and another of smaller, sunward, upstream oscillations. Each region is as thick as 1 earth radius, or more.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)