A Comparison of IMP 8 Observed Bow Shock Positions with Model Predictions

During almost three decades of operation, the IMP 8 satellite collected an extensive amount of both plasma and magnetic field measurements. Approximately one quarter of this dataset has been searched for all bow shock crossings observed by IMP 8. For all these crossings complete upstream interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind parameters, measured by the same spacecraft, were recorded in order to test empirical models predicting the bow shock position as a function of upstream parameters. Comparison of predicted bow shock crossing locations from various models will be presented, and the models' accuracy and their validity under extreme IMF and/or solar wind conditions will be discussed.