The solar wind interaction with Mars - Mariner 4, Mars 2, Mars 3, Mars 5, and Phobos 2 observations of bow shock position and shape

An aggregate Mars bow shock data set using Mariner 4, Mars 2, Mars 3, Mars 5, and Phobos 2 observations has been analyzed. The results support the earlier conclusion that the mean distance to the subsolar shock at Mars is nearly 1.5 planetary radii, from which gas dynamic models predict an obstacle altitude of 500 km. The Martian bow shock does not appear to vary significantly in shape or altitude with the phase of the solar cycle. The unusually distant dayside bow shock crossings reported by Mars 2 and 3 also appear in the Phobos 3 observations, suggesting that the dayside obstacle can on rare occasions reach altitudes over 1000 km. The Martian bow shock differs from that of Venus in that its mean altitude is greater, it lacks a strong solar cycle variation, and its location is far more variable, including the occurrence of strong bow shocks over the dayside hemisphere at distances at least as great as the orbit of Phobos 2, i.e., 2.8 Mars radii.