Voyager on outskirts of the solar system
Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 2012, 6:42 AM ET (1142 GMT)
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has yet to exit the solar system but has instead a previously unknown zone near its boundary, project scientists said Monday. The spacecraft, launched in 1977 and now about 18 billion kilometers from the Sun, has been nearing the heliopause, the boundary between the Sun's magnetic field and interstellar space. Instruments on the spacecraft have detected particles form interstellar space, but the magnetic field lines have not changed direction. Scientists believe that the spacecraft has entered a region they call the "magnetic highway" near the heliopause where magnetic field lines from the Sun connect with those from interstellar space, allowing for the transfer of particles observed by Voyager. Mission scientists speculate that Voyager 1 could finally pass the heliopause within the next couple of years, and perhaps within several months.
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has yet to exit the solar system but has instead a previously unknown zone near its boundary, project scientists said Monday. The spacecraft, launched in 1977 and now about 18 billion kilometers from the Sun, has been nearing the heliopause, the boundary between the Sun's magnetic field and interstellar space. Instruments on the spacecraft have detected particles form interstellar space, but the magnetic field lines have not changed direction. Scientists believe that the spacecraft has entered a region they call the "magnetic highway" near the heliopause where magnetic field lines from the Sun connect with those from interstellar space, allowing for the transfer of particles observed by Voyager. Mission scientists speculate that Voyager 1 could finally pass the heliopause within the next couple of years, and perhaps within several months.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, June 4
Europe advances Pu-238 supply chain for deep space
ESA — 5:43 am ET (0943 GMT) SpaceX Launches 24 Starlink Satellites from Vandenberg SFB Wednesday Morning
Santa Barbara (CA) Edhat — 5:42 am ET (0942 GMT) U.S. Space Force to build new facility, move acquisition unit and expand officer training course in Colorado, lawmaker says
Aerospace America — 5:39 am ET (0939 GMT) Hatcher takes command at Space Forces Korea
US Space Force — 5:38 am ET (0938 GMT) France opens Space Command to Japanese officer as ties deepen under new road map
Japan Times — 5:38 am ET (0938 GMT) |
