Closed magnetic topology in the Venusian magnetotail and ion escape at Venus.

Venus, lacking an intrinsic global dipole magnetic field, serves as a textbook example of an induced magnetosphere, formed by interplanetary magnetic fields (IMF) enveloping the planet. Yet, various aspects of its magnetospheric dynamics and planetary ion outflows are complex and not well understood. Here we analyze plasma and magnetic field data acquired during the fourth Venus flyby of the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission and show evidence for closed topology in the nightside and downstream portion of the Venus magnetosphere (i.

A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at Mars.

The Martian magnetotail exhibits a highly twisted configuration, shifting in response to changes in polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field's (IMF) dawn-dusk ( ) component. Here, we analyze ∼6000 MAVEN orbits to quantify the degree of magnetotail twisting ( ) and assess variations as a function of (a) strong planetary crustal field location, (b) Mars season, and (c) downtail distance. The results demonstrate that is larger for a duskward (+ ) IMF orientation a majority of the time.