Voyager: Solar System Edge is Bubbly and 'Frothy'

THE GIST

• According to measurements made by the veteran NASA probes, the outer edge of the solar system contains curious magnetic bubbles.
• The bubbles are 100 million miles wide and the spacecraft take weeks to cross them.
• These features are caused by the sun's magnetic field becoming twisted and wrinkled.

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Artist's rendering of Voyager 2 in the outer regions of the heliosphere, the magnetic bubble around the solar system generated by the solar wind. Click to enlarge this image.
NASA

A pair of NASA probes wandering in deep space discovered that the outer edge of the solar system contains curious magnetic bubbles and is not smooth as previously thought, astronomers said Thursday.
The NASA Voyager twin spacecraft, which launched in 1977, are currently exploring the furthest outlays of the heliosphere, where solar wind is slowed and warped by pressure from other forces in the galaxy, the US space agency said.
ANALYSIS: Voyager Discovers Magnetized Fluff

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