Ulysses Ulysses: pole to pole

This figure shows the magnetic field magnitude, polarity and power level measured by Ulysses as it travelled from 80°S to 80°N solar latitude between September 1994 and September 1995.

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The gradual increase in field magnitude at lower latitudes is due to Ulysses moving closer to the Sun.

The different polarities of the Northern and Southern polar heliosphere are obvious, as is the increased level of fluctuations (reflected in the field variance, bottom panel) over the poles. The large field magnitude enhancements at low latitudes are due to encounters with Co-rotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).

The yellow band represents the range of latitudes sampled by Earth-orbiting spacecraft. Clearly, the conditions sampled by such spacecraft are not representative of the heliosphere as a whole!

This figure may be freely copied and reproduced, for example as a transparency, but not published. Please contact us at Imperial College if you wish to use this data in a publication.
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Last changed 9th May 1997 by Tim Horbury.