Voyager Probes Detect New Kind of 'Electron Burst' in Interstellar Space (space.com) 24
"NASA's twin Voyager probes keep making discoveries in interstellar space," reports Space.com
The Voyager mission has detected a new type of "electron burst," which will provide insights into the mechanisms of flaring stars, a new study reports. The bursts occur when cosmic ray electrons — fast-moving particles from far beyond the solar system — are pushed by shock waves generated by solar eruptions. The electrons then accelerate further along cosmic magnetic field lines to incredible speed, study team members said.
"The idea that shock waves accelerate particles is not new," corresponding author Don Gurnett, professor emeritus in physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa, said in a statement. "[But] we detected it in a new realm: the interstellar medium, which is much different than in the solar wind, where similar processes have been observed...."
Eventually, the magnetic field lines propel the cosmic rays to almost the speed of light — nearly 670 times faster than the solar shock waves that first pushed them. (The shock waves move at roughly 1 million mph, or 1.6 million kph, study team members said.)
The article marvels at the fact that the spacecraft are still sending back data regularly from 14 billion miles away, beyond the edge of our solar system, more than 43 years after they left earth. They even detected the original solar shock wave which caused the electron burst "up to a year after the event occurred.
"The wait time happened because the spacecraft are so far from the sun."
"The idea that shock waves accelerate particles is not new," corresponding author Don Gurnett, professor emeritus in physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa, said in a statement. "[But] we detected it in a new realm: the interstellar medium, which is much different than in the solar wind, where similar processes have been observed...."
Eventually, the magnetic field lines propel the cosmic rays to almost the speed of light — nearly 670 times faster than the solar shock waves that first pushed them. (The shock waves move at roughly 1 million mph, or 1.6 million kph, study team members said.)
The article marvels at the fact that the spacecraft are still sending back data regularly from 14 billion miles away, beyond the edge of our solar system, more than 43 years after they left earth. They even detected the original solar shock wave which caused the electron burst "up to a year after the event occurred.
"The wait time happened because the spacecraft are so far from the sun."
We should all be proud (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:We should all be proud (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: We should all be proud (Score:2)
You mean New Horizons?
Re: We should all be proud (Score:5, Interesting)
No. New Horizons isn't expected to last much more than a year longer than the Voyagers.
The Voyager program was much more of a flagship class program. It was over-designed to avoid failure, and very expensive as a result.
New Horizons is part of the more low cost, high volume method a NASA.
That's actually been a good thing, because a lot more different missions have been approved that would never have been approved before.
However, we don't have anything out there launched this century that compares to the Voyager program.
Re: (Score:3)
I wonder what lessons we would take from that if we were to build a new probe for a similar mission.
Things tend to go off line on Patch Tuesdays.
Re: (Score:2)
Over 40 years out there, not in the friendliest of environments,
The environment is actually pretty friendly if the hardware is designed for it. There is no temperature variation, no vibration, and no corrosion due to out-gassing. The radiation hazards are solar, which is not a problem so far from a star, and charged particles collected in a magnetosphere, which is not a problem so far from any planetary body.
Re: We should all be proud (Score:2)
Send more Chuck Berry (remember that joke)?
"Johnny B. Goode," written and performed by Chuck Berry. 2:38
I kid, but I think I know the reason why the craft deviates somewhat from the intended trajectory. They say the reactor is leaking....I say they forgot to turn off the vinyl, sorry the golden plated copper, player. And it loops.
So every time it reaches this number:
Bulgaria, "Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin," sung by Valya Balkanska. 4:59
the voice of Valya distorts space-time hence the deviation.
Listen to it; the
Re: We should all be proud (Score:2)
Re: We should all be proud (Score:1)
Well, when we say "we", we don't mean those who prefer to choose a spiteful skydaddy hallucination over being curious about reality. :)
Re: (Score:1)
What do you mean "we", Kemosabe? - Tonto
Klingon missed (Score:2)
Stupid klingon blaster set to low power.
Re: (Score:2)
Stupid klingon blaster set to low power.
Klingon military hardware is also built by the lowest bidder.
Not new? (Score:2)
"The idea that shock waves accelerate particles is not new,"
We remember the Concorde quite well, the sonic boom is exactly that.
Wow, 43 years in space! That's amazing. (Score:1)
Best bang for th60'e buck (Score:1)
Saved data? (Score:1)
I wonder if it saved any of the data during that time. It's my understanding the tape recorders have long since failed, so it only has RAM left. If the data is summarized and/or compressed, perhaps it kept some during that gap.
Bleh! That's nothing. (Score:2)
Accelerated to incredible speeds? Amateurs.
Contact me when they reach ludicrous speeds.
Old stuff lasts a long time (Score:2)