Interstellar boundary probes to the solar wind and the Earth's magnetic field collision scene

(World scientific reports hearing), NASA officials said in a statement: the institution is a member of interstellar boundary probes (IBEX) first recorded solar wind and violent collision with Earth's magnetic field. The solar wind is Sun's speed of millions of kilometres of high energy particles. If the Earth's magnetic field has failed to make these high-energy particle's path deflection, so these particles will burst into the Earth's atmosphere.

Detector of display in the Earth's magnetosphere, the Earth's magnetic field and the boundaries of the outer space, a solar wind particles of depositions, largely located in the direction where the Sun 5.6 million kilometres. This phenomenon for the human eye cannot see, however the detection instrument can IBEX clearly observed.

Researchers said that this observation results will help scientists better understand the functioning of the Earth's magnetosphere and reveal the mechanisms of the Earth's atmosphere the outermost layer of the escape of the number of actual thickness. "In the solar wind interacts with the Earth's magnetic field in the strongest terms, place and matter density only per cubic centimeter eight hydrogen atoms," Stephen · Fu selles (Stephen A. Fuselier) said. He comes from Lockheed Martin space systems company, is the Chief Scientist. The results published on 8 July the geophysical research letters.

Such research is not part of the IBEX satellite observation of General, its main task is to "look out". The detector in October 2008, launched its designed to portray the planets and interstellar space boundary is located. IBEX around the Earth orbit cycle of about 8 days. Last year, researchers claim that IBEX detect a bar located on the border regions of the solar system mystery stripes, now the scientists are generally considered this a stripe is the solar wind in its borders, the other star systems influence gravitational effect rebound phenomenon that occurs.

IBEX also made many other ground-breaking discoveries. For example, the IBEX first interstellar medium hydrogen and oxygen atoms to probe; it also for the first time observed the Moon's high-speed atoms of hydrogen, and scientists for decades has been speculated that this behavior should be there. Many hydrogen atoms embedded in the surface of the Moon captured by the Moon, IBEX detector this discovery for revealing the particles in the solar loop mechanism is of great significance.

IBEX has so far carried into space the most sensitive of neutral atoms probes are constantly enrich the 1970s two travelers spacecraft probe data. United States in 1977 launched traveler 1 number and Traveler 2 probes the boundaries currently has arrived in the solar system, but their perspectives more narrow, and therefore are more limited.

"For the detection of IBEX spacecraft data, public consensus before you experience a long period of time," David · Mike comas (David McComas) said that he is located in San Antonio's Assistant Deputy Director of the Southwest Research Institute of NASA. "But for us in the position of the solar system, we now have much more to know. ”