Simultaneous observations of a theta aurora and associated magnetotail plasmas

Observations of a transpolar arc and simultaneous measurements of associated plasmas in the magnetotail lobe on March 25, 1982, are presented. The auroral imager on board Dynamics Explorer 1 observes a theta aurora in the northern polar cap for more than 2 hours, between 0502 and 0720 UT. ISEE 1 is located in the southern lobe of the geomagnetic tail at a distance of 22.2 R E during this time. The plasma and particle detectors measure intermittent bursts of particle fluxes between 0530 and 0705 UT. The observations suggest that these particle fluxes represent the high‐altitude signature of a theta aurora in the southern polar cap. The relatively dense and energetic plasmas are organized into several filamentary structures. Magnetic mapping between the two polar regions indicates that the theta aurora in the southern hemisphere is a mirror reflection about the noon‐midnight meridional plane of the theta aurora in the northern hemisphere.