Strange Data from a NASA Spacecraft Reveals the Wave-like, Wrinkled Structure of the Cosmic “Bubble” Surrounding the Solar System.
According to Science Alert, both of NASA’s Voyager spacecraft, which have now flown beyond the Sun’s control, have provided strange data about the boundary between Earth’s nurturing environment and what is known as “interstellar space.”
They have revealed to Earthlings that we are enveloped by a colossal, invisible, and perplexing bubble-like structure, within which the so-called “heliosphere” is contained.
A chaotic region with a continuous clash between solar wind and high-energy interstellar wind – (Graphic from NASA)
However, another spacecraft called IBEX from NASA, which orbits Earth but has the ability to measure across space, has provided us with the first glimpse of the surface of this mysterious bubble.
IBEX measures neutral atoms energized when solar wind collides with interstellar wind at the boundary of the Solar System. Some atoms are propelled further into space while others are thrown back toward Earth.
The atoms that are thrown back have revealed a view of the strange bubble – which is the eternal boundary where solar winds and interstellar winds clash: The surface of this colossal bubble exhibits complex, unusual wave-like wrinkling, represented in a 3D model created by a team of scientists led by astrophysicist Eric Zinstein from Princeton University.
The strange, wrinkled, wave-like surface fragments of the bubble surrounding the heliosphere – (Photo: NASA)
These “wrinkles” actually span dozens of astronomical units. An astronomical unit (AU) is the distance from the Sun to Earth.
The research team also modeled the data to simulate how high-pressure winds from interstellar space affect the heliosphere. These are intense impacts, but fortunately, due to their great distance, they have almost no effect on us.
