Just in time for Halloween, scientists have discovered something eerie and strange at the edge of the Solar System: the heliopause, the boundary between the heliosphere (the solar wind bubble that surrounds the Solar System) and the interstellar medium (the material between it). stars), creating ripples and oblique angles in unexpected ways.

The general concept that the heliopause changes shape is not new; Over the past decade, researchers have determined that it is not static. They made this discovery using the data “Traveler-1” and “Traveler-2“, two spacecraft and a NASA satellite that just left the heliosphere Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) probes the emission of created energetically neutral atoms (ENAs). during the interaction of the solar winds and the interstellar medium.

“The Voyager spacecraft provides the only direct measurement of the position of these boundaries in situ. But only at one point in space and time,” wrote space physicist Eric Zirnstein of Princeton University. assistant IBEX helps clarify this data.

The scientists used the data to create models that predict how the heliopause changes. In short, solar winds and the interstellar medium repel and attract each other, forming a constantly moving boundary.

But recent research on heliopause has revealed data that contradicts previous findings. Vice noted that for several months in 2014, IBEX recorded ENA luminosity, indicating an asymmetry in sun stance, and the team later realized that these asymmetries did not match the models.

Also, looking at data from Voyager 1 and Voyager 2’s expeditions, scientists found that the solar eclipse changed dramatically in a very short time. This helps explain why there is such a large gap between the two probes as they enter interstellar space. 2012 and 2018 year respectively. However, this movement of the daystop also contradicts the models.

In an article published Oct. Nature Astronomy(opens in new tab), researchers called these discrepancies “interesting and potentially controversial.” They plan to continue studying heliopause, hoping to get more information from NASA. Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration ProbeZirnstein told Vice that there is a new and improved satellite capable of detecting ENA and scheduled for launch in 2025. Until then, we can only speculate about this eerie phenomenon occurring in the ghostly depths. solar system. Source