Scientists have reported a significant change in the direction of the stellar wind.
Special spacecraft (IBEX probe and Ulysses) that study the stellar wind particles that fly into our solar system. Have recorded a significant change in direction over the past forty years, astronomers say in a Sience magazine article. These particles come to us from interstellar space. This information could mean that interstellar space is not uniform.
Scientists have taken advantage of the fact that these devices have the ability to measure the fraction of neutral atoms and molecules of the stellar wind, which passes the magnetic field of the Sun.
After analyzing the data from IBEX and Ulysses and comparing them with information obtained over the past 40 years on the distribution of neutral atoms in the heliosphere, astronomers concluded that the vector of motion of the stellar wind has changed significantly. As a result, over the past twelve years, it has moved by five degrees, and in twenty-eight years by two degrees.
This conclusion suggests that the stellar wind, as well as its composition, changes significantly over time.
