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Science 4 July 2008:
Vol. 321. no. 5885, pp. 82 - 85
DOI: 10.1126/science.1159081
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Reports

The Structure of Mercury's Magnetic Field from MESSENGER's First Flyby

Brian J. Anderson,1* Mario H. Acuña,2 Haje Korth,1 Michael E. Purucker,2 Catherine L. Johnson,3 James A. Slavin,4 Sean C. Solomon,5 Ralph L. McNutt, Jr.1

During its first flyby of Mercury, the MESSENGER spacecraft measured the planet's near-equatorial magnetic field. The field strength is consistent to within an estimated uncertainty of 10% with that observed near the equator by Mariner 10. Centered dipole solutions yield a southward planetary moment of 230 to 290 nanotesla RM3 (where RM is Mercury's mean radius) tilted between 5° and 12° from the rotation axis. Multipole solutions yield non-dipolar contributions of 22% to 52% of the dipole field magnitude. Magnetopause and tail currents account for part of the high-order field, and plasma pressure effects may explain the remainder, so that a pure centered dipole cannot be ruled out.

1 Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA.
2 Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Fight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
3 Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
4 Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
5 Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: brian.anderson{at}jhuapl.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
MESSENGER Observations of Magnetic Reconnection in Mercury's Magnetosphere.
J. A. Slavin, M. H. Acuna, B. J. Anderson, D. N. Baker, M. Benna, S. A. Boardsen, G. Gloeckler, R. E. Gold, G. C. Ho, H. Korth, et al. (2009)
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Return to Mercury: A Global Perspective on MESSENGER's First Mercury Flyby.
S. C. Solomon, R. L. McNutt Jr., T. R. Watters, D. J. Lawrence, W. C. Feldman, J. W. Head, S. M. Krimigis, S. L. Murchie, R. J. Phillips, J. A. Slavin, et al. (2008)
Science 321, 59-62
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Mercury's Magnetosphere After MESSENGER's First Flyby.
J. A. Slavin, M. H. Acuna, B. J. Anderson, D. N. Baker, M. Benna, G. Gloeckler, R. E. Gold, G. C. Ho, R. M. Killen, H. Korth, et al. (2008)
Science 321, 85-89
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MESSENGER Observations of the Composition of Mercury's Ionized Exosphere and Plasma Environment.
T. H. Zurbuchen, J. M. Raines, G. Gloeckler, S. M. Krimigis, J. A. Slavin, P. L. Koehn, R. M. Killen, A. L. Sprague, R. L. McNutt Jr., and S. C. Solomon (2008)
Science 321, 90-92
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