Science. 1980 Jan 25;207(4429):407-10. doi: 10.1126/science.207.4429.407.
The Pioneer Saturn vector helium magnetometer has detected a bow shock and magnetopause at Saturn and has provided an accurate characterization of the planetary field. The equatorial surface field is 0.20 gauss, a factor of 3 to 5 times smaller than anticipated on the basis of attempted scalings from Earth and Jupiter. The tilt angle between the magnetic dipole axis and Saturn's rotation axis is < 1 degrees , a surprisingly small value. Spherical harmonic analysis of the measurements shows that the ratio of quadrupole to dipole moments is < 10 percent, indicating that the field is more uniform than those of the Earth or Jupiter and consistent with Saturn having a relatively small core. The field in the outer magnetosphere shows systematic departures from the dipole field, principally a compression of the field near noon and an equatorial orientation associated with a current sheet near dawn. A hydromagnetic wake resulting from the interaction of Titan with the rotating magnetosphere appears to have been observed.
先驱者土星矢量氦磁力计已经在土星探测到弓形激波和磁层顶，并对行星磁场进行了精确的描述。赤道面磁场为 0.20 高斯，比根据地球和木星的尝试标度预计的磁场小 3 到 5 倍。磁偶极子轴和土星自转轴之间的倾斜角 < 1 度，这是一个令人惊讶的小数值。对测量结果的球谐分析表明，四极矩与偶极矩的比值 < 10%，表明磁场比地球或木星更均匀，与土星具有相对较小的核心一致。在外磁层中，磁场表现出与偶极子场的系统偏离，主要是中午附近磁场的压缩和与黎明附近电流片相关的赤道取向。似乎已经观察到了由泰坦与旋转磁层相互作用产生的磁尾。
