The heliosphere is the region of near-solar space in which solar wind plasma moves
This boundary has previously been described theoretically using physical models. However, for the first time we have measured and mapped it in three dimensions.
Dan Reisenfeld, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and lead author of the paper
The authors of the work used data from the NASA satelliteIBEX, which observes particles coming from the heliosphere, the boundary layer between the solar system and interstellar space. The team was able to map the edge of this zone - an area called the heliopause. Here the solar wind, which is directed into interstellar space and collides with the interstellar wind, which blows towards the Sun.
To study this movement, the teamused the principle of operation of the sonar in bats. Sonar is a means of sound detection of underwater objects using acoustic radiation.
Bats send sonar pulses to allsides and use the feedback signal to create a mental map of their surroundings, and the authors took as a basis the solar wind, which spreads in all directions, to create a map of the heliosphere
The authors then built a 3D map using data collected over the entire solar cycle from 2009 to 2019.
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