Exploring Jupiter and its moons with magnetometers

Prof. Margaret Kivelson was our featured speaker at the FWC's 4th General Meeting. Her research focused on Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, and Jupiter's Galilean moons. Prof. Kivelson earned her degrees including her PhD at Radcliffe College, Harvard University. She holds appointments as research professor at both UCLA and the University of Michigan. She is the recipient of numerous distinguished honors and awards.

Magnetometer measurements helped us understand the space
environment of the planets

  

Starting with William Gilbert's publication in 1600, the scientific world found that the EARTH itself was magnetic. Prof. Kivelson's presentation was focused on Jupiter, the largest planet with a diameter more than 10 times that of Earth. Galileo looked at Jupiter through his telescope in January 1610, and kept the log of his observations. 

Since these pioneering days, much more has been discovered due to technologies for data capturing, analyses, processing, and interpretation.

Large teams of scholars and scientists are needed to sort out massive data sets

A lively QA session followed the presentation. As always, refreshments were always a treat, especially on a rainy March 21, 2023.