AI Insight
A new study using data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has revealed why the solar wind decelerates as it travels toward the outer edges of the solar system. Researchers from the Southwest Research Institute found that interstellar atoms entering the heliosphere create drag that gradually slows the solar wind's velocity. The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal and provide new understanding of the dynamics at the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space.
Why it matters
This research improves our understanding of the heliosphere's structure and how our solar system interacts with interstellar space. Better knowledge of solar wind behavior has implications for understanding space weather effects on spacecraft and future deep space missions.
Understand the Science
A new Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) study based on data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has uncovered insights into why the solar wind gradually slows as it moves toward the edge of the solar system and the boundary with interstellar space. The study “The Gradual Slowing of the Solar Wind in the Outer Heliosphere” is published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Source: New Horizons tracks solar wind slowdown as interstellar atoms add drag