Publication Date:
2019-06-27
Description:
The paper reports observations to heliocentric radial distances of 8.6 and 18.4 AU with Pioneer 11 and Pioneer 10 respectively. During a seven year period from March 1972 to March 1979, the galactic cosmic-ray intensity of greater than 80 MeV, as measured by detectors on Pioneers 10 and 11, exhibited aperiodic temporal variations by about a factor of 2 and on a time scale of the order of a year, and quasipersistent cyclic variations of a 26 day period and an amplitude of a few percent. For protons of an energy greater than 80 MeV, there is a fairly consistent heliocentric radial gradient of +2.1 (plus or minus 0.3%) per AU in integral intensity until 1978 April-May, at which time a substantial disruption of the distribution of cosmic rays in the heliosphere occurred.
Keywords:
SPACE RADIATION
Type:
Astrophysical Journal; vol. 238
Format:
text
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