Structure of the galactic magnetic field

The structure of the magnetic field of the Galaxy is investigated on the basis of a statistical analysis of the data on the rotation measures for 176 extragalactic radio sources and 43 pulsars. It is found that the large-scale magnetic field of the Galaxy is parallel to the local spiral arm and has opposite directions in the southern and northern hemispheres. The sun is situated about 70 pc to the south of the surface on which the reversal of the magnetic field takes place. Such a pattern corresponds to a dipole model of the galactic magnetic field. For the southern hemisphere, the magnetic field intensity is found as a function of the distance to the galactic plane