Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO
Published on: February 12, 2013
Saturn's magnetic field revealed by the Cassini Grand Finale
Michele K Dougherty1, Hao Cao2,3, Krishan K Khurana4
1Physics Department, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK. m.dougherty@imperial.ac.uk.
Abstract:
During 2017, the Cassini fluxgate magnetometer made in situ measurements of Saturn's magnetic field at distances ~2550 ± 1290 kilometers above the 1-bar surface during 22 highly inclined Grand Finale orbits. These observations refine the extreme axisymmetry of Saturn's internal magnetic field and show displacement of the magnetic equator northward from the planet's physical equator. Persistent small-scale magnetic structures, corresponding to high-degree (>3) axisymmetric magnetic moments, were observed. This suggests secondary shallow dynamo action in the semiconducting region of Saturn's interior. Some high-degree magnetic moments could arise from strong high-latitude concentrations of magnetic flux within the planet's deep dynamo. A strong field-aligned current (FAC) system is located between Saturn and the inner edge of its D-ring, with strength comparable to the high-latitude auroral FACs.
More Related Videos
06:27Fabrication of Magnetic Nanostructures on Silicon Nitride Membranes for Magnetic Vortex Studies Using Transmission Microscopy Techniques
Published on: July 2, 2018
07:42Optimizing Magnetic Force Microscopy Resolution and Sensitivity to Visualize Nanoscale Magnetic Domains
Published on: July 20, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Magnetism
An individual magnetic pole cannot be isolated. No matter how small, every piece of a magnet contains a north pole and a south...
Magnetic Fields
A magnetic field is defined by the force that a charged particle experiences...
Magnetic Field Lines
Magnetic field lines follow several hard-and-fast rules:
Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
Magnetic Field of a Solenoid
Consider a solenoid with 100 turns wrapped around a cylinder of...
Magnetic Flux
Suppose a surface is divided into elements of area dA. For each element, the component of the magnetic field that is normal to the...