Saturn’s magnetic field interacts with the solar wind and creates ultraviolet auroras. Image: NASA
The Cassini probe's first results from inside Saturn's rings make scientists question the conventional wisdom on how planets form magnetic fields. As NASA's Cassini spacecraft makes its unprecedented series of weekly dives between Saturn and its rings, scientists are finding - so far - that the planet's magnetic field has no discernable tilt. This is surprising, since scientists believe that for planets to generate magnetic fields, there must be a tilt between its rotation axis and its magnetic field axis. For example, on Earth, while the geographic North Pole is located in the high Arctic Ocean, the magnetic north pole is off eastern Canadian Arctic islands. Earth's magnetic north pole also migrates, affecting the strength of the magnetic field: currently it is moving northwards. Our magnetic field is important for shielding us from the solar wind and geomagnetic storms, which can severely disrupt communications and power grids on the ground. Based on data collected by Cassini's magnetometer instrument, Saturn's magnetic field appears to be surprisingly well aligned with the planet's rotation axis.
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