IBEX Finds No Bow ‘Shock’ Outside our Solar System

For many years, scientists thought, when the entire solar system through interstellar space, which moves in front of the circle of the sun, like jet breaking the sound barrier, a sonic boom, most front-end by a layer of bow type shock wave banner head array. Unexpectedly the NASA IBEX No. detection satellites latest discovery turned out to be the moving speed of the solar circle in interstellar space is probably too slow, not form a bow wave, instead it would be better to say - more like amplitude and force more gentle many to wake (wake).
The chair relevant research researcher said, many observations in the past we have seen stellar travels, most front-end has a bow-type shock wave, the team's latest discovery, however, is placed under the entire interaction seems, did not reach the speed of the sun the formation of the bow shock wave threshold required threshold, sculptors, such as boats glide in the water in bow position will wake, but it seems more vividly depicted in the scene in front of the sun circle!

Help researchers find more solar system near the strength of the interplanetary magnetic field data from the IBEX return information. IBEX data show, the sun circle is actually about 83,000 kilometers per hour moving through the local interstellar cloud, more than originally estimated hour slower, about 11,000 km are insufficient because such speed and force called the "bow shock" So, in other words, the bow wave disappeared.

On the other hand, the magnetic pressure of the interstellar medium have some effect. Whether spacecraft the IBEX data or the early explorers, both observations need more speed to the strength of the magnetic field of the interstellar medium near term, in order to produce a bow shock wave. Under the combination of the two factors, the conclusion is: the bow wave in the extremely unlikely form.

Conclusion consistent with the results of this observation, and previous ESA CLUSTER plan obtained that the bow-type shock wave should be "quite superficial" (see related news http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index . cfm? fobjectid = 49637). IBEX research team in addition to analysis calculated according to the observations of the return, and these data combined with the model and numerical simulation to infer that draw the necessary conditions for a bow-type shock wave which, currently, two independent teams of ball type model analysis results coincide with each other.

These new findings make us bring significantly improved understanding of the circle of the sun? The IBEX staff now What is the significance of that latest information for the solar system circle the sun still too early to say, as long as several decades, scientists have been a the various assumptions scene with bow-type shock wave conditions, including research, must new data sets into study redo the job. So far, we already know how cosmic rays surrounds the solar system, the solar system, how to move forward in the interstellar universe, and how the interaction between human space travel are crucial knowledge message.