Abstract
We present a study of the impact of the interplanetary (IP) shock on December 7, 2003 in the distant tail of the Earth’s magnetosphere. Using the data from the several spacecraft located in the solar wind in front of the Earth, we monitor the propagation of the IP shock from the L1 point to the magnetosphere and to magnetotail.
Taking into account its velocity and beginning of the substorm onset from the ground, we considered the plasma parameters on the Wind spacecraft located downstream at XGSM −230 RE. Shortly after the shock arrival, Wind crossed consequentially southern and northern lobes in between which observed a flux rope and the tailward fast plasma flow ( 780 km/s) in the plasmasheet.
We found that a orientation of the nominal tail axis is affected by VY components of the solar wind. Also, according to Wind data, we present a sketch how the distant tail moves with respect to the IP shock passage.