New Horizons May Reach Heliosphere Boundary by 2029, Earlier Models Extend Window to 2040
Updated
Updated · newswav.com · Jul 6
New Horizons May Reach Heliosphere Boundary by 2029, Earlier Models Extend Window to 2040
1 articles · Updated · newswav.com · Jul 6
Summary
New studies put New Horizons’ encounter with the termination shock between 2029 and 2040, giving NASA a nearer-than-expected window to prepare measurements at the Sun’s outer boundary.
At about 66 AU from the Sun, the spacecraft is approaching a region whose position shifts as solar activity rises and falls and as interstellar ions slow the outward solar wind.
Researchers say that moving boundary could let New Horizons cross more than once, offering repeated observations of where the solar wind drops below the local speed of sound.
Only Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have reached this region before; Voyager 2 recorded a 46% solar-wind slowdown, and New Horizons’ different instruments could reveal how the heliosphere changes over time.
Three new papers underpin the forecast and could sharpen models of the solar system’s edge, data scientists see as important for future interstellar mission planning.
Why is the solar wind mysteriously slowing down as New Horizons nears the edge of our solar system?
How will mapping our sun's shifting border help protect future astronauts traveling to Mars and beyond?
What secrets of interstellar space will New Horizons' modern sensors uncover that the Voyager probes missed?
Approaching the Heliopause: New Horizons’ Mission to Map the Solar System’s Boundary and Beyond
Overview
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is making history as it approaches the outermost edge of our solar system. Scientists are closely tracking its journey, as New Horizons is on the verge of crossing the heliosphere's boundary—a vast bubble of plasma created by the solar wind from the Sun. This heliosphere acts as a protective shield, guarding our solar system from most cosmic radiation. The spacecraft is expected to reach the critical termination shock, where the solar wind slows down dramatically, sometime between 2029 and 2040. This milestone will offer new insights into the limits of the Sun's influence and the nature of interstellar space.