The Heliosphere: NASA's Voyagers beyond the solar system
- 7 years ago
SPACE — Forty years after their 1977 launch, NASA's Voyager-1 and Voyager-2 probes are still providing unique insights about space.
NASA's Voyager-2 is currently in a region of space known as the Heliosheath. This forms part of the Heliosphere, a giant multi-tiered magnetic bubble originating from the sun in which our solar system resides.
The Heliosheath is a turbulent region of space is wrought with 700 kilometer per hour solarwinds. It's past the termination shock, an outer limit of our solar system where these winds are impacted by interstellar winds.
Outside the Heliosheath is the Heliopause, an area that balances both winds, sending them back down to the tail of the Heliosphere.
Beyond the Heliopause is interstellar space, the space between stars. This is where Voyager-1 is currently located.
Both probes are expected to run out of power by 2020.
NASA's Voyager-2 is currently in a region of space known as the Heliosheath. This forms part of the Heliosphere, a giant multi-tiered magnetic bubble originating from the sun in which our solar system resides.
The Heliosheath is a turbulent region of space is wrought with 700 kilometer per hour solarwinds. It's past the termination shock, an outer limit of our solar system where these winds are impacted by interstellar winds.
Outside the Heliosheath is the Heliopause, an area that balances both winds, sending them back down to the tail of the Heliosphere.
Beyond the Heliopause is interstellar space, the space between stars. This is where Voyager-1 is currently located.
Both probes are expected to run out of power by 2020.