Dayside Auroral Observation Resulting From a Rapid Localized Compression of the Earth's Magnetic Field

Abstract

This paper presents observations of dayside auroral signatures resulting from a massive localized compression of the magnetopause, magnetosheath, and bow shock. On 10 December 2016, the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) spacecraft observed a compression of the entire magnetosheath and bow shock, which moved past the spacecraft in 1 min and 45 s. Shortly afterward, the resulting auroral signature was observed at the Kjell Henriksen Observatory located in Longyearbyen, Norway. The characteristics of this unique event have major ramifications for understanding dayside magnetospheric physics.