Satellite reveals solar system's tail
Posted: Sat, Jul 13, 2013, 10:57 AM ET (1457 GMT)
A NASA satellite has revealed the tail of solar wind from the Sun for the first time, showing that it has a structure like a four-leaf clover. NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) satellite detected the tail by measuring neutral particles created by collisions of other particles the the heliopause, where the solar wind meets the interstellar medium. The IBEX data shows that the solar wind has a tail of particles with four lobes, two of faster particles from the Sun's poles and two of slower particles from near the Sun's equator, extending into interstellar space. Astronomers said they don't yet know the length of this tail.
A NASA satellite has revealed the tail of solar wind from the Sun for the first time, showing that it has a structure like a four-leaf clover. NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) satellite detected the tail by measuring neutral particles created by collisions of other particles the the heliopause, where the solar wind meets the interstellar medium. The IBEX data shows that the solar wind has a tail of particles with four lobes, two of faster particles from the Sun's poles and two of slower particles from near the Sun's equator, extending into interstellar space. Astronomers said they don't yet know the length of this tail.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, September 9
Space Command Maneuvers Satellites Across Multiple Orbits in New Exercise
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 12:30 am ET (0430 GMT) Space Force Identifies Lake Kickapoo, Texas, As Third DARC Site
Aviation Week — 12:26 am ET (0426 GMT) U.S. Space Force Again Prepares For Upgraded GPS Ground Segment
Aviation Week — 12:26 am ET (0426 GMT) Rocket Lab Intros Solar Cells Without Germanium Substrates
Aviation Week — 12:26 am ET (0426 GMT) "I love the thrill of the chase": Sir Peter Beck on turning his love of rockets into a multibillion dollar space company
Newstalk ZB (New Zealand) — 12:24 am ET (0424 GMT) |
