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Pioneer 7 passed through the downstream region of solar wind interaction with the geomagnetic field at 900–1050 RE during September 26 to October 3, 1966. Detailed measurements of the magnetic field suggest that certain of the magnetic lines of force connect to the earth through the geomagnetic tail. A coherent, well-ordered tail with imbedded neutral sheet does not appear to have been observed. This suggests that the geometry of the tail changes to a complex set of intermingled filamentary flux tubes at several hundred RE.
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Ness et al. (1967) studied this question.
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