Cassini reveals a surprising twist in Saturn’s magnetic shield

Cassini reveals a surprising twist in Saturn’s magnetic shield

Researchers analyzing observations from NASA’s Cassini-Huygens mission have identified an unexpected characteristic of Saturn’s magnetosphere, the protective magnetic region surrounding the planet. The findings, published in Nature Communications and involving scientists from Lancaster University and collaborators, reveal that Saturn’s magnetospheric cusp—a funnel-shaped opening near the planet’s poles—is displaced significantly from the positio…