spacetoday.net: IBEX spots high-energy ribbon on solar system's edge

IBEX spots high-energy ribbon on solar system's edge

Posted: Fri, Oct 16, 2009, 7:33 AM ET (1133 GMT)
High-energy particle ribbon detected by IBEX (NASA)

A NASA spacecraft designed to map the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space has detected a mysterious ribbon of high-energy particles on that boundary. Data from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft, launched one year ago, revealed the ribbon of high-energy particles that had previously gone undetected as well as unpredicted by models of the heliopause. Scientists noted that the ribbon appears to be shaped by magnetic fields beyond the solar system, but don't yet understand what is creating the ribbon. The twin Voyager spacecraft, launched over 30 years ago and now in that boundary region, are on either side of the ribbon and did not detect its presence.