An Overview of Saturn's Magnetosphere



This is a drawing of the magnetosphere of Saturn.
Click on image for full size version (456K JPG)

Saturn's magnetosphere is not as big as Jupiter's, but is very large nonetheless. It extends well beyond the orbits of Saturn's moons. It is probably generated in the same manner as is Jupiter's, which affects its overall shape and structure.

The rings of Saturn affect the motion of particles in the magnetosphere, as well as keeping the plasmasphere small. The size of the plasmasphere is also affected by the fact that Saturn's moon Titan does not contribute as large a cloud of material (torus) to the magnetosphere as is the case with Jupiter's moon Io.

Saturn's magnetosphere produces beautiful aurora, as well as strong radio emissions and other waves, such as whistler waves.


"What is a Magnetosphere?"

Parts of the Magnetosphere

Detecting Magnetic Fields with Spacecraft



A Look at Saturn's Magnetosphere



This is a drawing of the magnetosphere of Saturn.
Click on image for full size version (456K JPG)

Saturn's magnetosphere is not as big as Jupiter's, but it is still pretty big. It is big enough to hold all of Saturn's moons. It is probably made the same way as is Jupiter's, which affects its overall shape and structure. The shape is also affected by the fact that Saturn's moon Titan does not contribute a very large cloud to the magnetosphere.

The rings of Saturn definitely affect the motion of particles in the magnetosphere.

Saturn's magnetosphere produces beautiful aurora, as well as strong radio signals and other waves, such as whistler waves.


"What is a Magnetosphere?"

Parts of the Magnetosphere

How We Detect Magnetic Fields with Spacecraft



A Look at Saturn's Magnetosphere



This is a drawing of the magnetosphere of Saturn.
Click on image for full size version (456K JPG)

Saturn's magnetosphere is not as big as Jupiter's, but it is still pretty big. It is big enough to hold all of Saturn's moons. The shape of the magnetosphere is affected by its size. The shape is also affected by the fact that Saturn's moon Titan does not contribute a very large cloud to the magnetosphere.

The rings of Saturn definitely affect the motion of particles in the magnetosphere.

Saturn's magnetosphere produces beautiful aurora, as well as strong radio signals and other waves, such as whistler waves.


"What is a Magnetosphere?"

Parts of the Magnetosphere

How We Measure Magnetism




Last modified June 3, 2003 by the Windows Team

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer