Saturn's Variable Magnetosphere
Tamas I. Gombosi* and
Kenneth C. Hansen*
Since the Cassini spacecraft reached Saturn's orbit in 2004,
its instruments have been sending back a wealth of data on the
planet's magnetosphere (the region dominated by the magnetic
field of the planet). In this Viewpoint, we discuss some of
these results, which are reported in a collection of reports
in this issue. The magnetosphere is shown to be highly variable
and influenced by the planet's rotation, sources of plasma within
the planetary system, and the solar wind. New insights are also
gained into the chemical composition of the magnetosphere, with
surprising results. These early results from Cassini's first
orbit around Saturn bode well for the future as the spacecraft
continues to orbit the planet.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tamas{at}umich.edu (T.I.G.), kenhan{at}umich.edu (K.C.H.)
