Solar minimum Lyman α sky background observations from Pioneer Venus orbiter ultraviolet spectrometer: Solar wind latitude variation

Measurements of interplanetary H I Lyman α over a large portion of the celestial sphere were made at the recent solar minimum by the Pioneer Venus orbiter ultraviolet spectrometer. These measurements were performed during a series of spacecraft maneuvers conducted to observe Halley's comet in early 1986. Analysis of these data using a model of the passage of interstellar wind hydrogen through the solar wind system shows that the rate of charge exchange with solar wind protons is 30% less over the solar poles than in the ecliptic. This result is in agreement with a similar experiment performed with Mariner 10 at the previous solar minimum