Magnetic clouds between 2-4 AU: Voyager observations

Abstract

Magnetic clouds were observed in the solar wind between 2-4 AU. It was shown that they are stable enough to persist without major changes out to such distances. It is estimated that the clouds expand at a speed of the order of 45 km/s. The average Alfven speed at the front and rear boundaries is 104 km/s, the expansion speed is estimated to be nearly half of the Alfven speed, which is consistent with an earlier estimate of the expansion speed of clouds between the Sun and 1 AU. The magnetic field configuration is highly ordered and consistent with the passage of some kind of loop.