Voyager 2 Detects Odd Shape of Solar System's Edge

[Ryan Ruck]

Voyager 2 Detects Odd Shape of Solar System's Edge

Voyager 2 could pass beyond the outermost layer of our solar system, called the "termination shock," sometime within the next year, NASA scientists announced at a media teleconference today.

The milestone, which comes about a year after Voyager 1's crossing, comes earlier than expected and suggests to scientists that the edge of the shock is about one billion miles closer to the Sun in the southern region of the solar system than in the north.

This implies that the heliosphere, a spherical bubble of charged low-energy particles created by our Sun's solar wind, is irregularly shaped, bulging in the northern hemisphere and pressed inward in the south.

Scientists determined that Voyager 1 was approaching the termination shock when it began detecting charged particles that were being pushed back toward the Sun by charged particles coming from outside our solar system. This occurred when Voyager 1 was about 85 AU from the Sun.

One AU is the distance between the Earth and the Sun, or 93 million miles.

In contrast, Voyager 2 began detecting returning particles while only 76 AU from the Sun.

"This tells us that the shock down where Voyager 2 is must be closer the sun than where Voyager 1 is," said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The researchers think that the heliosphere's asymmetry might be due to a weak interstellar magnetic field pressing inward on the southern hemisphere.

"The [magnetic] field is only 1/100,000 of the field on the Earth's surface, but it's over such a large area and pushing on such a faint gas that it can actually push the shock about a billion miles in," Stone explained.

Both Voyager spacecrafts were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida: Voyager 2 headed out on Aug. 20, 1977, Voyager 1 on Sept. 5, 1977.

Currently, Voyager 1 is about 9.1 billion miles from the Sun and traveling at a speed of 3.6 A U per year while Voyager 2 is about 7.3 billion miles away and moving at about 3.3 AU per year.

[American Patriot]

I keep seeing interesting images....

The discovery of Sha Ka Ree, the place where "God" is. The place lies beyond the Great Barrier in the center of the Galaxy.

LOL.

[wallis]

"Why does God need a spaceship?"

[American Patriot]

I think that was one of the best lines of that particular show.

[Neue Regel]

I keep seeing interesting images....

The discovery of Sha Ka Ree, the place where "God" is. The place lies beyond the Great Barrier in the center of the Galaxy.

LOL.

I'm sure if "AscentionBegins" or "Sparkie-One" were here from the old Anomalies.net they'd have some interesting comments. I have no idea what Ascention was smokin, but he could always make me smile.

[American Patriot]

Sparkie-One. hehehehe


Sorry, those guys usually had me frustrated because they wouldn't listen.

[American Patriot]

Science NASA Voyager 2 Space Mission Turns 35
Tiffany Kaiser - August 21, 2012 4:08 PM

(Source: scienceclass.ning.com)




NASA scientists hope Voyager 1 or 2 will soon enter interstellar space

NASA is celebrating 35 years of success with its Voyager 2 spacecraft, which is the longest-operating NASA space probe in history.
The Voyager 2 launched on August 20, 1977. It's main purpose is to study the outer solar system and eventually interstellar space, which NASA is still waiting on.

The Voyager 2 mission turned 35 years old yesterday, but the spacecraft actually became the longest-operating NASA probe on August 13 when it surpassed Pioneer 6. Pioneer 6 was the first in a series of solar-orbiting, battery-powered satellites that continually took measurements of interplanetary phenomena throughout different points in space. It launched December 16, 1965 and transmitted its last signal on December 8, 2000.

Voyager 2 has made a lot of progress in its 35 years in space, particularly in the way of Neptune, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus exploration. It discovered the hexagonal jet stream in Saturn's north polar region, the geyser's on Neptune's moon Triton and the magnetic poles of Neptune and Uranus.

"Even 35 years on, our rugged Voyager spacecraft are poised to make new discoveries as we eagerly await the signs that we've entered interstellar space," said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist at the California Institute of Technology. "Voyager results turned Jupiter and Saturn into full, tumultuous worlds, their moons from faint dots into distinctive places, and gave us our first glimpses of Uranus and Neptune up-close. We can't wait for Voyager to turn our models of the space beyond our sun into the first observations from interstellar space."

Voyager 1's anniversary is also quickly approaching. Voyager 1, which launched 16 days after Voyager 2, has also been exploring the outskirts of the solar system with intentions of entering interstellar space. In fact, Voyager 1 captured the fastest rate of changes on the edge of the solar system earlier this month, which are helpful indicators of whether Voyager 1 will soon cross out of the heliosheath and into interstellar space. Changes in charged particles around the sun and the direction of the magnetic field help to assess these changes.