Scientists Finally Reveal the Shape of the Solar System's Protective Bubble
The Daily Galaxy • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have determined that the heliosphere, the magnetic bubble protecting our Solar System from galactic radiation, has a unique "deflated crescent" shape rather than being spherical or oval as previously thought.
- The heliosphere is formed by the solar wind and acts as a crucial shield against cosmic radiation and energetic particles from interstellar space, extending far beyond the outer planets.
- Using data from the IBEX satellite and an echolocation-like technique analyzing energetic neutral atoms, the team created a 3D map revealing that the heliosphere's boundary ranges from about 120 to 350 astronomical units from the Sun.
- This discovery marks the first time scientists have been able to directly measure and map the heli
