Measurements from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft have allowed scientists to revise one of the key estimates of the interstellar medium - its
New results have shown that the density of atomshydrogen in interstellar space is approximately 120 atoms per cubic decimeter of space. Scientists have previously assumed that their density is 85 atoms per cubic decimeter. NASA also draws attention to the measurements made by the Voyager spacecraft in 2001 - its value was about 120 atoms per cubic decimeter of space.
"We cannot directly observe atomsneutral gases of interstellar space using the New Horizons apparatus, but we can detect secondary ions. These ions, produced by knocking an electron out of a neutral atom, move much faster than ions from the solar wind, and we can easily detect them.”
Pavel Svacina, postdoc researcher at Princeton University, USA
NASA added that for such measurements it is betterNASA's equipment for New Horizons is all right. Earlier, the device took the first pictures of Pluto, which made it possible to study in detail its structure and atmosphere.
Scientists associate this discovery with the phenomenonrecently discovered by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission. The device found a mysterious band of high-energy particles at the leading edge of the heliosphere. Researchers have not been able to explain its excessive brightness, but new data suggests that the density of atoms is 40% higher, making it more visible.
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