The solar system is passing through an interstellar cloud that physics says should not exist

[steven johnson]

There is an interstellar cloud around the solar system is much more strongly magnetized than anyone had previously suspected—between 4 and 5 microgauss, providing enough pressure required to prevent it's destruction.

The solar system is passing through an interstellar cloud that physics says should not exist. In the Dec. 24th issue of Nature, a team of scientists reveal how NASA's Voyager spacecraft have solved the mystery.

"Using data from Voyager, we have discovered a strong magnetic field just outside the solar system," explains lead author Merav Opher, a NASA Heliophysics Guest Investigator from George Mason University. "This magnetic field holds the interstellar cloud together and solves the long-standing puzzle of how it can exist at all."

The discovery has implications for the future when the solar system will eventually bump into other, similar clouds in our arm of the Milky Way galaxy.

Astronomers call the cloud we're running into now the Local Interstellar Cloud or "Local Fluff" for short. It's about 30 light years wide and contains a wispy mixture of hydrogen and helium atoms at a temperature of 6000 C. The existential mystery of the Fluff has to do with its surroundings. About 10 million years ago, a cluster of supernovas exploded nearby, creating a giant bubble of million-degree gas. The Fluff is completely surrounded by this high-pressure supernova exhaust and should be crushed or dispersed by it.

Voyager makes an interstellar discovery

[niyad]

1. k and r and thanks for posting this. VERY interesting.

[Wilms]

2. This story has me wondering if this magnetic field might explain the Pioneer anomaly.

Pioneer anomaly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Pioneer anomaly or Pioneer effect is the observed deviation from predicted trajectories and velocities of various unmanned spacecraft visiting the outer solar system, most notably Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11.

Both Pioneer spacecraft are escaping from the solar system, and are slowing down under the influence of the Sun's gravity. Upon very close examination, however, they are slowing down slightly more than expected. The effect can be modeled as a slight additional acceleration towards the Sun.

The anomaly has no universally accepted explanation. The explanation may be mundane, such as measurement error, thrust from gas leakage or uneven radiation of heat. However, it is also possible that current physical theory does not correctly explain the behaviour of the craft relative to the sun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_anomaly

[eppur_se_muova]

7. That was my first thought too. Keeping an eye peeled for further reports. nt

[Wilms]

8. The only relevant Google return on the possibility is this thread.

I hope we're not alone. :(

[caraher]

9. Interesting speculation

What are the overall magnetic properties of Pioneer (and other probes)?

I'm teaching advanced undergraduate E&M next semester... I wonder if I can squeeze a homework problem out of this?

[Wilms]

10. Never wondered that before. So I poked around.

One spoke is the Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacecraft_Magnetic_Test_Facility

And here's an interesting pdf: http://www.spaceflightnews.net/special/sp8000/archive/00000014/01/sp8018.pdf

[caraher]

11. Thanks!

Interesting links... there's probably some test data out there somewhere

[xchrom]

3. That's interesting -- must be angel down. Nt

[tridim]

4. Space kicks ass.

Could this confine future space travellers to our solar system? What does it do to radio signals both in and out?

[BadGimp]

5. oh yeah

[comtec]

6. well since we are still in contact with voyager and them

i'd say minimal. but perhaps extra-solar transmissions are being blocked.
looks like we may need to set up an antenna LOL