First polar and 1995-034 observations of the midaltitude cusp during a persistent northward IMF condition

We present the first observations by Polar and 1995-034 of the mid-altitude cusp. On May 29, 1996, the Polar and 1995-034 spacecraft crossed into an extended cusp region. The region was characterized by intense fluxes of solar wind like ions in the energy range 1-10 keV that had angular distributions that showed evidence of flows and trapping. The ion composition data are combined with energetic proton observations from Polar and plasma observations from 1995-034 and DMSP satellites to examine the spatial and temporal extent and plasma characteristics of the cusp during a persistent northward IMF condition. The composition data is consistent with expected solar wind composition with a source temperature of ∼1.25 × 10⁶ K. The combined spacecraft observations show an extended cusp-like region, probably produced by northward IMF.