In a new study, scientists analyzed data from the Voyager 1 spacecraft
Previous studies have shown that itThere is a point on the outskirts where the solar wind slows down to the speed at which sound travels – the termination shock. Scientists have also discovered that there is a point where the movement of charged particles from our star stops resisting the pressure exerted by interstellar space – the heliopause. Both Voyager space probes crossed this boundary and entered interstellar space. When this happened, they sent sensor data to Earth.
By analyzing data from all three sources,The researchers noted a sudden change in the pressure exerted by the solar wind in 2014 and used the relatively short time scale of the event to study two phenomena. They measured charged neutral atoms that were created when the solar wind collided with the interstellar wind.
Because some atoms managed to escapeinto interstellar space, while others returned to the solar system, scientists used the data as a form of cosmic echolocation. Modeling showed that huge ripples or unusual ridged structures formed in the boundary regions. Astrophysicists also found shifts in the distance to the heliopause. Experts suggested that its shape was non-uniform and constantly changing for unknown reasons.
In the future, researchers hope to learn moreabout the boundaries of the solar system using data sent back to Earth by a new probe, due to launch in 2025, that will be able to send back more accurate measurements of neutral atom emissions.
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Cover: An artist's concept shows how NASA's two Voyager spacecraft explore the outer shell of a bubble of charged particles around the Sun.