In a groundbreaking discovery, NASA’s Voyager spacecraft have crossed the boundaries of the Solar System to uncover an astonishing phenomenon: a fiery, high-temperature “wall” beyond the outer reaches of our cosmic neighborhood.
The “Wall of Fire” and the Edge of the Solar System Launched in 1977, NASA’s Voyager probes were designed to explore the edge of the Solar System and the interstellar medium.
NASA continues, “The boundary between solar wind and interstellar wind is the heliopause, where the pressure of the two winds are in balance.
Magnetic Field Surprises Beyond the Solar System Both Voyager probes have not only provided crucial data on the temperature of the outer regions but have also uncovered surprising findings about the magnetic field.
In a fascinating observation, Voyager 2’s magnetic field instrument confirmed a result first observed by Voyager 1: the magnetic field just beyond the heliopause is aligned with the field inside the heliosphere.
In a historic finding, NASA’s Voyager spacecraft have ventured beyond the Solar System’s boundaries and discovered an incredible phenomenon: a hot, flaming “wall” that extends beyond the boundary of our cosmic neighborhood. In the boundary region called the heliopause, this “wall of fire” signifies the change from the Sun’s influence to interstellar space. According to the NASA Heliophysics program, the heliosphere, a bubble created by the Sun’s solar wind, stretches well beyond Pluto’s orbit. The heliopause serves as the boundary between the solar and interstellar winds. The only spacecraft that have crossed this barrier to date are Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, providing humanity with a unique opportunity to see unexplored space.
The Solar System’s edge and the “Wall of Fire.”.
NASA’s Voyager probes, which were launched in 1977, were intended to investigate the interstellar medium and the Solar System’s edge. In 2012 and 2018, respectively, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to cross the heliosphere’s boundary after decades of travel. When these spacecraft arrived at the edge of our solar neighborhood, they came across what is now known as the “wall of fire,” a region with temperatures ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 Kelvin (54,000 to 90,000 °F). “.”.
As the spacecraft crossed the heliopause—the line separating the Sun’s solar wind from other stars’ interstellar winds—this extremely high temperature was captured. The heated environment here, despite the fact that it is not a solid wall, is suggestive of a dramatic interaction between the interstellar medium and the solar wind that produces a zone of high-energy particles. The great emptiness of space, where the likelihood of particle collisions is extremely low and heat transfer to the probes is less likely, allowed these spacecraft to withstand the extreme conditions.
Recognizing the Heliosphere’s Limitations.
The solar wind, which is the Sun’s outflow of charged particles, creates the heliosphere, a huge bubble. This outflow is three times as far away from Pluto’s orbit as it is from the furthest planets. The solar wind is a continuous stream of charged particles that the Sun emits, and according to NASA, it eventually passes all of the planets and travels about three times as far as Pluto before being obstructed by the interstellar medium. As a result, the heliosphere—a protective bubble—is formed around the Sun and the planets.
The heliopause, where the influence of the solar wind ends and is offset by interstellar winds, is located at the outermost edge of this bubble. “The heliopause, where the pressure of the two winds is in balance, is the boundary between the solar wind and the interstellar wind,” NASA adds. The solar wind reverses course and moves down the heliosphere’s tail as a result of this pressure balance. The boundary is shaped by this balance of forces, and as the heliosphere travels through interstellar space, it produces a bow shock, which is a region of turbulence that forms when an object or spacecraft passes through a fluid medium, much like a boat makes waves when it passes through water.
Surprises from Magnetic Fields Outside the Solar System.
Both Voyager probes have discovered unexpected information about the magnetic field in addition to providing vital data on the temperature of the outer regions. In an intriguing finding, the magnetic field instrument on Voyager 2 verified a finding that was initially noted by Voyager 1: the magnetic field inside the heliosphere is aligned with the field just beyond the heliopause.
A startling finding from Voyager 1 is confirmed by an observation made by the magnetic field instrument on Voyager 2: The magnetic field in the area immediately beyond the heliopause is parallel to the magnetic field inside the heliosphere, according to NASA. At the beginning, scientists couldn’t tell if this alignment was a regional phenomenon or a local one. However, NASA added, “We only had one sample of these magnetic fields with Voyager 1, so we couldn’t be certain if the apparent alignment was typical of the entire exterior region or just a coincidence.”. The magnetometer observations from Voyager 2 show that the two fields line up and support the findings from Voyager 1. “.”.
Additional information about the dynamic character of the interstellar space outside of our Solar System can be gained from this magnetic alignment. It disproves earlier theories and creates fresh perspectives on the intricate relationships that exist between the Sun and the interstellar environment.
