New Delhi, Jun 22: Astronomers have developed the first 3D map of heliosphere (bubble created by the solar wind that extend from sun into interstellar space) using data from Interstellar Boundaries Explorer (IBEX). IBEX is an earth orbiting satellite that records interactions between our solar system and interstellar space.
According to Dr Dan Reisenfed from the Los Alamos National Laboratory and his colleagues, the physics
model of the boundaries of heliosphere has been made for years, but for the first time a 3D map has been made. This study was published in Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. It uses data collected between 2009-2019.
The team was able to map the edge of this zone, a region called the heliopause. Here, the solar wind, which pushes out towards interstellar space, collides with the interstellar wind, which pushes in towards the Sun. Scientists performed measurements similar to how bats use sonar technique. They used solar wind which goes in all directions to create a map of the heliosphere. They did this by using IBEX satellite measurement for energetic neutral atoms (ENA i.e. particles with no charge) that result from collision between solar wind particles, and those from interstellar wind. Based on this, the map shows that the minimum distance from sun to heliopause is about 120 AU (astronomical unit) towards interstellar wind, and 350 AU in the opposite direction.
