Has Voyager 1 already left our solar system?
As noted before, Voyager 1 is at the edge of our solar system. Science enthusiasts around the world are eyeing Voyager 1′s progress as such an incident will mark another giant leap for humanity. New data suggests it has already happened. There were three things expected to occur at the verge of heliosphere. The first is increase in high-energy cosmic rays originating from outside of our solar system which has already been noticed. Second, drop in charged particles coming from the Sun was expected to happen, which happened during September. Third is direction of magnetic field, on which NASA has not provided any comment yet. However scientists are scrutinizing data in order to find out whether there has been a change in direction or not.
Graph showing drop in rate of particles reaching Voyager 1 emanated by sun. Source - NASA
Houston Chronicle science blogger Eric Berger first observed that there was a dramatic and sustained drop in the number of low-energy particles, probably emanated by sun, colliding with the spacecraft.
Voyager 1, after completing its 35 years in space, is at an approximate distance of 18 billion kilometers. It is the farthest spacecraft, rather a man-made object from earth. Its companion, Voyager 2 is 3 billion kilometers behind. Communication link is up with both. As the spacecrafts flew across the solar system, remote-control reprogramming was used to endow the Voyagers with greater capabilities than they possessed when they left the Earth. Their two-planet mission became four. Their five-year lifetimes stretched to 12 and more. Eventually, Voyager 1 and 2 explored all the giant outer planets of our solar system, 48 of their moons, and the unique systems of rings and magnetic fields those planets possess.
Source: Voyager mission,Houston chronicle
Featured image: JPL/Voyager
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Has Voyager 1 already left our solar system?
2012-10-12 15:01:13
Source: http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2012/10/12/has-voyager-1-already-left-solar-system/
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