Voyager 1 recently made a groundbreaking discovery just beyond the edge of our solar system, detecting a wall of a fire-zone of incredibly hot, energetic particles that was completely unexpected.
Voyager 1 has been exploring the vastness of space for nearly five decades and this significant finding is reshaping how scientists understand Earth’s cosmic neighborhood.
It was an unexpected discovery. Voyager 1 has detected a wall of fire where temperatures soar to nearly 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It seems like something out of science fiction, but these scorching temperatures are very real and hidden away in the depths of Space.
Voyager’s instruments have detected a surprising rise in both temperatures and density of particles as it crossed the boundary of the solar system.
Scientists have aptly named this region the “wall of fire” because it is a massive zone of energetic particles that creates an intense heatwave at the solar system’s edge.
The recent findings from Voyager 1 are that magnetic fields inside the heliopause, and subsequently in interstellar space are surprisingly similar.
Scientists expected dramatically distinct magnetic environments between our solar bubble and the vast galaxy after the heliopause.
What is the heliopause?
It is the outermost boundary where the sun’s magnetic influence and solar wind pressure meet the cold and desolation of interstellar space.
For many years, researchers theorized that this edge could be cold and scattered, but Voyager’s first findings have turned that notion.
Voyager 1, an interstellar pioneer
Voyager 1 will continue its journey beyond the “wall of fire” and keep measuring the density of charged particles and the intricate behavior of magnetic fields as it travels deeper into interstellar space.
Voyage 1 sends back is a new piece in the puzzle of our place in the galaxy, marking a key moment in humanity’s quest of knowledge beyond the familiar planets.