Voyager 1 Finds Unexpected Wrinkles At the Edge Of the Solar System 164
Voyager 1 has been close to the boundary of the solar system for quite a while; we've mentioned that the edge is near a few times before, including an evidently premature report in 2010 that Voyager had reached a distance so far from the sun that it could no longer detect solar winds and another in 2011 that it had reached an "outer shell" of solar influence. It turns out that the boundaries of the solar system are fuzzier than once anticipated; the L.A. Times is reporting that "Toward the end of July 2012, Voyager 1's instruments reported that solar winds had suddenly dropped by half, while the strength of the magnetic field almost doubled, according to the studies. Those values then switched back and forth five times before they became fixed on Aug. 25. Since then, solar winds have all but disappeared, but the direction of the magnetic field has barely budged." Also at Wired, which notes "That's hard to explain because the galaxy's magnetic field is thought to be inclined 60 degrees from the sun's field. No one is entirely sure what's going on. ... [It's] almost as if Voyager thought it was going outside but instead found itself standing in the foyer of the sun's home with an open door that allows wind to blow in from the galaxy."
XKCD (Score:5, Funny)
It makes perfect sense. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:It makes perfect sense. (Score:5, Funny)
Not when it's continually expanding - that's like an always-on facelift.
Re:It makes perfect sense. (Score:5, Funny)
Our Solar System lies about it's age, like a Hollywood starlet . . . it uses the Biblical estimate and claims that it is under 10,000 years old.
So it is a relative hipster on the Universe block.
Re:Maybe its the HARDWARE (Score:3, Funny)
everyone knows how much the glans resembles an apple
Dude, get that checked out by a Doctor, seriously, that sounds problematic.
Re:It makes perfect sense. (Score:4, Funny)
You didn't think something 4.5 billion years old would have a few wrinkles?
Dude, the universe is only 6,000 years old and all the stuff about evolution and stars millions of light years away are nothing but lies straight from the pit of hell. Voyager is going to be destroyed any day now as it crashes head-on into the firmament. Hopefully in the last few seconds it can send back the sound of the flood waters being held back by the firmament.
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Re:It makes perfect sense. (Score:4, Funny)
Okay, stretchmarks?
Re:XKCD (Score:4, Funny)