Voyager 2 Detects Peculiar Solar System Edge 272
ClickOnThis writes "CNN reports that Voyager 2 has detected evidence of the magnetic edge of the solar system (aka the heliopause) at 76 AU (1 AU = 93 million miles), much closer to the Sun than the location of 85 AU found by Voyager 1. From the article: '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. [...] The researchers think that the heliosphere's asymmetry might be due to a weak interstellar magnetic field pressing inward on the southern hemisphere.'"
Variable size? (Score:5, Insightful)
Er. Wait. (Score:5, Insightful)
Wouldn't it be equally as logical to say that it's just expanding/contracting? How can they know with only two points?
Variable Heliosphere (Score:1, Insightful)
Er, couldn't it also imply that the heliosphere is changing size?
garbage! (Score:2, Insightful)
Let's sample a sphere at two pinpoint locations, and make all sorts of conclusions on the shape of an entire hemisphere of it...??? It rained today, and it was sunny yesterday, so that means that there's a 50% chance of it raining? Insufficient data...
Re:Variable size? (Score:3, Insightful)
What I'm trying to say here: If it's moving, it's doing so with some gusto, at least in planetary terms.
Re:Variable size? (Score:4, Insightful)
I hope someone programmed that thing with.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Variable size? (Score:5, Insightful)
Good Engineering (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Variable size? (Score:3, Insightful)
Excellent point. Whether something changes spatially or temporally is a difficult thing to determine when you're measuring things from just a few spacecraft. My guess is the feature is spatial, because the two Voyagers encountered it within such a relatively short time period. However, if it is temporal (i.e., the heliosphere expands and contracts) then perhaps we may see it expand so that Voyager 2 is inside it once again, and re-exits the heliosphere some time in the future. So, perhaps it looks spatial for now, but stay tuned?
Re:Variable size? (Score:3, Insightful)
Symmetrical? (Score:4, Insightful)
If you look at many structures in the universe, there are quite a few that are not spherically symmetrical. So either, we're in an asymmetrical blob, or there's just a more complex symmetry present. This should come as no surprise to the astronomy community, IMHO.
It is interesting, I think. It may give insight into our local neighbourhood.
Mike.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Variable size? (Score:4, Insightful)
"...based on all the variable energy in the solar system."
What about the energy outside the solar system? Although the distance is much greater between the sun and neighboring stars, those stars do have a gravitational effect on the movement of the sun, the planets, and all other objects in the solar system. They probably have an electro-magnetic effect as well.
Re:Variable size? (Score:3, Insightful)
And the width of planets are insignificant compared to the radius of orbit, so unless the spacecraft happened to hit a one in a million chance of wandering through right on the orbital plane of one of the planets, just in sync with the orbit of that planet, this isn't a very likely explanation either.
Re:Good Engineering (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:garbage! (Score:5, Insightful)