Outer planet magnetospheres: a tutorial Original Research Article

Outer planetary magnetospheres represent giant laboratories for testing our ideas of how magnetospheres behave. In this tutorial review we examine the role of external and internal pressure in determining the size and shape of the magnetosphere. We examine the relative roles of reconnection with the solar wind magnetic field and the mass addition inside the magnetosphere in driving the circulation of plasma in the magnetosphere. We also examine how the jovian magnetosphere maintains a steady state in an average sense despite the continued addition of mass deep in the magnetosphere.