Pioneer Venus and near‐Earth observations of interplanetary shocks

Twenty‐three transient interplanetary shocks observed near earth during 1978–1982, and mostly reported in the literature, have also been identified at the Pioneer Venus Orbiter spacecraft. There seems to be a fairly consistent trend for lower shock speeds, farther from the sun. Shock normals obtained using the Pioneer Venus data correspond well with published values from near earth. By referring to the portion of the Pioneer Venus plasma data used here from locations at longitudes within 37° of earth, it is found that shocks are weaker at earth, compared with closer to the sun.