Something’s thickening here
Due to a different route, which was determined for both probes, the later launched Voyager-1 significantly overtook the older brother and in 2012 it crossed the heliopause and left our solar system. Voyager-2 did it only 6 years later, but thanks to this switch, the test measurements of both devices are more verifiable.
One of the most interesting measurements Voyager 1 made in interstellar space was the surprising discovery that the material filling the region beyond the heliopause, contrary to scientists’ expectations, began to thicken. Recent studies by Voyager 2 not only confirmed this fact, but also showed an even greater jump in density than in the “brother”. It should be remembered here that both ships left space in other regions of the heliosphere.
Vacuum Density?
In outer space it is said that there is a vacuum, but it is not a total vacuum. As I mentioned, for example, in the article on the smell of space, outer space remains filled with matter, albeit with a very low degree of density. In our system, this is about 3 to 10 particles per cubic cm, and it decreases with increasing distance from the sun. In the heliosphere, the density of the plasma filling it is on average only 0.002 particles / cm3. In contrast, in the interstellar space, where the plasma is cooler, it is about 0.037 particles / cm3.
Meanwhile, both probes, after crossing the heliopause, first measured values close to the expected ones, to record an almost threefold increase in density after the next 20 astronomical units, with Voyager-2 recording this phenomenon much closer than 1.
Will the Voyagers make it?
Scientists have several theories to explain this phenomenon. One talks about the role of the interstellar magnetic field, which would be specifically broken down in relation to heliopause and induce particle motion to do so. The discovery by Voyager 2 of a stronger field after crossing the heliopause would give credibility to it. Other scientists say this may be because the heliopause slows interstellar wind, which would cause particles to thicken in the foreground.
Still others claim that both phenomena can occur simultaneously. More data is needed to verify these theories. The question is whether the Voyagers, whose power sources will cease to produce electricity around 2025, will be able to travel by that time sufficient space for the data collected from them to give scientists a clue to solving this puzzle.
Hopefully, even if they fail, it must be made clear that they have done more than anyone expected. Voyager 1 has traveled 151 AU so far, or more than 22.5 billion kilometers, for Voyager 2 these values are 125 AU and 18.7 billion kilometers, respectively. Impressive, especially when we realize that when they were launched into space, they entered the market the first primitive home computers, currently occupying museum shelves. And the Voyagers still broadcast…
Source: [1]
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