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| Name |
Bagenal, Fran |
| Location
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University of Colorado Boulder |
| Primary Field
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Geophysics |
| Secondary Field
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Physics |
 Election Citation
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Frances Bagenal studies the environs of planets dominated by their magnetic fields, combining data analysis and theoretical models.
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Research Interests
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Fran Bagenal studies the environs of planets dominated by their magnetic fields " magnetospheres " systems that are dynamic, involve a wide range of physical phenomena, and each new space mission seems to bring surprises. She studies magnetospheres by combining data analysis and theoretical models. Jupiter is a planet of superlatives: the most massive planet in the solar system, rotates the fastest, has the strongest magnetic field, and has the most massive satellite system. The Galilean moons are four very different worlds: crater-covered Callisto, the mini-magnetosphere of Ganymede, the cracked, icy world of Europa and volcanic Io. The strong magnetic field of Jupiter traps a torus of ionized gases stripped from the volcanic atmosphere of the moon Io. Aurora are excited when accelerated particles bombard Jupiter's atmosphere. At Saturn, the Cassini mission discovery of water jetting out of cracks on the surface of the small moon Enceladus and a persistent puzzle about the planet's spin rate have shown the magnetosphere of Saturn to be different from both Earth and Jupiter. Gases from Saturn's moon Enceladus surround the planet but remain largely neutral. The irregular magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune were fleetingly explored by Voyager and beg further exploration.
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