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Heliosphere

All articles tagged with #heliosphere

New Horizons Wakes to Edge of Solar System
space1 day ago

New Horizons Wakes to Edge of Solar System

NASA’s New Horizons has awakened from a 321‑day hibernation about 64 astronomical units from Earth (roughly 10 billion km) and will begin sending back a year’s worth of stored data while studying the outer heliosphere’s termination shock—the boundary where the solar wind slows and blends with interstellar material. Having passed Pluto and Arrokoth, the probe is now venturing farther into the Kuiper Belt region and beyond, with no new target identified; its path could see it leaving the Kuiper Belt around 2028–2029 as it continues toward interstellar space, with an approximate nine‑hour one‑way radio link and a current “green” status from mission control.

via ZME Science|
#heliosphere#interstellar-space#kuiper-belt
New Horizons Edges Toward the Sun’s Outer Boundary
science2 days ago

New Horizons Edges Toward the Sun’s Outer Boundary

NASA’s New Horizons, waking from a year‑long hibernation 5.9 billion miles from Earth, continues its Kuiper Belt voyage and is aimed at the solar system’s outer boundary. Scientists estimate it will encounter the termination shock—the point where the solar wind slows on its way to interstellar space—between 2029 and 2040, with the heliosphere expanding and contracting over the solar cycle and potentially causing multiple crossings before the craft leaves the solar system.

via Gizmodo|
#heliosphere#interstellar-space#nasa
Predicting the Solar Wind to Map New Horizons' Path to the Heliosphere's Edge
space6 days ago

Predicting the Solar Wind to Map New Horizons' Path to the Heliosphere's Edge

SwRI researchers merged a solar wind forecasting method with heliosphere models to predict where New Horizons will encounter the termination shock, the outer boundary of the heliosphere. They estimate the crossing could occur between 2029 and 2040, with the possibility of multiple crossings as the heliosphere expands and contracts, helping plan future measurements at the solar system's edge.

via Universe Today|
#heliosphere#interstellar-medium#new-horizons
Solar Wind Faces a Hidden Interstellar Drag at the Solar System’s Edge
space11 days ago

Solar Wind Faces a Hidden Interstellar Drag at the Solar System’s Edge

New Horizons observations indicate interstellar material slows the solar wind as it moves outward, adding a gradual drag beyond the termination shock. Simulations align with Voyager 2 data, showing the wind is about 5–10% slower between 30–43 AU and 13–15% slower at ~58 AU, due to ionized interstellar matter shaping the heliosphere’s boundaries and affecting cosmic-ray exposure—insights that could inform future interstellar exploration.

via Gizmodo|
#heliosphere#interstellar#newhorizons
Voyager 1 Endures on 22 Watts as NASA Plans a New 'Big Bang' Power Strategy
space1 month ago

Voyager 1 Endures on 22 Watts as NASA Plans a New 'Big Bang' Power Strategy

Voyager 1, about 172.6 AU from Earth, continues to transmit from beyond the heliosphere on roughly 22 watts; seven of its ten original instruments are shut down to conserve power, with only the Plasma Wave Subsystem and magnetometer remaining and a small 0.5-watt motor kept spinning to preserve revival chances. The RTGs now deliver around 220 watts total, and NASA plans a long-term 'Big Bang' power-swap strategy—starting with Voyager 2 in mid-2026—to extend telemetry into the 2030s, though one-way signals already take about 23 hours to reach Earth.

via Space Daily|
#heliosphere#jpl#nasa
First alien astrosphere detected around a sun-like star, offering glimpse into young planetary systems
science4 months ago

First alien astrosphere detected around a sun-like star, offering glimpse into young planetary systems

Astronomers used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory data, combined with infrared and optical observations, to image HD 61005 (the 117‑light-year‑away star nicknamed the Moth) and confirm it has its own astrosphere—a protective bubble similar to the Sun’s heliosphere. The star’s winds are faster and denser than the Sun’s, and if HD 61005 replaced the Sun, its heliosphere could be up to about 10 times wider. The finding provides a rare view of what the early solar system might have looked like and how young planetary systems interact with interstellar space.

via Yahoo|
#astrosphere#chandra#exoplanets
Deflated Crescent: Scientists Redraw the Shape of the Sun’s Protective Bubble
science4 months ago

Deflated Crescent: Scientists Redraw the Shape of the Sun’s Protective Bubble

Researchers using ENA data from IBEX and a 3D mapping approach from Los Alamos reveal the heliosphere—our solar wind–generated shield—has a deflated crescent shape, not a sphere or oval, with the sun–heliopause distance around 120 AU in one direction and at least 350 AU in the opposite, indicating an asymmetric boundary shaped by solar and interstellar winds.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#3d-mapping#heliosphere#ibex
Chandra Spots Sun-like Star’s Astrosphere, Echoing Early Solar Wind
space4 months ago

Chandra Spots Sun-like Star’s Astrosphere, Echoing Early Solar Wind

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory detected an astrosphere around HD 61005, the first image of a Sun-like star’s wind-blown bubble. Located about 120 light-years away and ~100 million years old, HD 61005’s wind is ~3× faster and ~25× denser than the young Sun’s, creating a bubble roughly 200 AU across as it moves through surrounding interstellar gas. The star, nicknamed the “Moth” for its dusty infrared wings, offers a glimpse into the Sun’s past and how its heliosphere may have looked billions of years ago.

via NASA (.gov)|
#astrosphere#chandra#hd-61005
Voyager Encounters Unexpected 50,000 Kelvin Boundary at Solar System's Edge
science6 months ago

Voyager Encounters Unexpected 50,000 Kelvin Boundary at Solar System's Edge

NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft have detected a hot, energetic boundary at the edge of our solar system called the heliopause, where temperatures spike to 30,000-50,000 Kelvin, marking the transition from solar to interstellar space. The findings challenge previous assumptions about the magnetic field and permeability of this boundary, providing new insights into how our solar system interacts with the galaxy.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#heliopause#heliosphere#interstellar-space