Sunward or anti‐sunward electric current in space below the MAGSAT level

The total electric current passing through the plane enclosed by the MAGSAT orbit can be calculated with a direct application of Maxwell's equation. A preliminary analysis of MAGSAT data for a very quiet day (November 5, 1979) shows that such a current amounts to 2·106 Amperes in its maximum intensity. The direction of current flow seems to vary; it was sunward around 0h and 9h UT, and anti-sunward around 3h and 18h UT on that day. It is desirable to continue the analysis for the other days, in order to check whether or not the above tendency holds every day.