Heliosheath

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The heliosheath is the zone between the termination shock and the heliopause at the outer border of the solar system. It lies along the edge of the heliosphere, a "bubble" caused by solar winds.

The heliosheath's distance from the Sun is approximately 80 to 100 astronomical units (AU). The current mission of the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 space probes includes studying the heliosheath.

In May 2005, NASA announced that Voyager 1 had crossed the termination shock and entered the heliosheath in December 2004, at a distance of 94 AU. An earlier report that this had occurred in August 2002 (at 85 AU) is now generally believed to have been premature.

[edit] External links

• Observing objectives of NASA's Interstellar Probe.
• CNN: NASA: Voyager I enters solar system's final frontier - May 25, 2005
• New Scientist: Voyager 1 reaches the edge of the solar system - May 25, 2005
• Surprises from the Edge of the Solar System - Voyager 1 Newest Findings as of September 2006

[edit] See also

• Bow shock
• Heliopause
• Fermi glow
• Interstellar medium
• Termination shock

The Sun v • d • e
Structure: Solar Core - Radiation Zone - Convection Zone
Atmosphere - Photosphere - Chromosphere - Transition region - Corona
Extended Structure: Termination Shock - Heliosphere - Heliopause - Heliosheath - Bow Shock
Solar Phenomena: Sunspots - Faculae - Granules - Supergranulation - Solar Wind - Spicules
Solar flares - Solar Prominences - Coronal Mass Ejections - Moreton waves
Other: Solar System - Solar Variation - Solar Dynamo - Heliospheric Current Sheet - Solar Radiation - Solar Eclipse
The Sun is also occasionally referred to by its Latin name: Sol.