Heliosphere - Timeline

Timeline

• Between late August and early September 2012, Voyager I has witnessed a sharp drop in protons from the sun, from 25 particles per sec in late August, to about 2 particles per second by early October.
• As of June 2012 at 119 AU Voyager 1 detected an increase in cosmic rays.
• As of May 2012, there is no bow shock, based on IBEX and Voyager data.
• As of June 2011, the heliosheath area is thought to be filled with magnetic bubbles (each about 1 AU wide), creating a "foamy zone". The theory helps explain in situ heliosphere measurements by the two Voyager probes.
• As of October 2010, significant changes were detected in the ribbon after 6 months, based on the second set of IBEX observations.
• As of October 2009, the heliosphere may be bubble, not comet shaped.
• As of 2008, there is a previously unpredicted narrow ribbon of ENAs.
• As of March 2005, it was reported that measurements by the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) instrument onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) have shown that the heliosphere, the solar wind-filled volume which prevents the Solar System from becoming embedded in the local (ambient) interstellar medium, is not axisymmetrical, but is distorted, very likely under the effect of the local galactic magnetic field.