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Mysterious Energy Ribbon at Solar System's Edge a 'Cosmic Roadmap'
Space.com ^ | February 13, 2014 | Elizabeth Howell

Posted on 02/13/2014 9:00:18 PM PST by 12th_Monkey

A strange ribbon of energy and particles at the edge of the solar system first spotted by a NASA spacecraft appears to serve as a sort of "roadmap in the sky" for the interstellar magnetic field, scientists say.

By comparing ground-based studies and in-space observations of solar system's mysterious energy ribbon, which was first discovered by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) in 2009, scientists are learning more details about the conditions at the solar system's edge. The study also sheds light into the sun's environment protects the solar system from high-energy cosmic rays.

The ribbon is roughly perpendicular to the interstellar magnetic field while cosmic rays stream, on average, along the interstellar magnetic field. (The particles themselves are created from interactions between the solar wind and interstellar matter.)

In the longer term, Schwadron said work like this will help scientists better understand more about the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space. This is a region that only one mission — NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft — has reached so far, and scientists know little about what that environment is like.

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Miscellaneous; Science
KEYWORDS: interstellar; solarsystem; space; startrekvi; thenexus
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To: KC_Lion

Wham!


21 posted on 02/13/2014 9:28:26 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: Army Air Corps

No disagreement ... Have always been fascinated by space.


22 posted on 02/13/2014 9:29:39 PM PST by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: no-to-illegals

Just teasing you, FRiend.

I, too, have been fascinated by what is “Out There.” There is so much cool stuff be it in deep space or in our own little neighbourhood.


23 posted on 02/13/2014 9:32:09 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: Talisker

yet we still don’t know what is the natural law and order of the universe ... we have only theories and a few isolated instances where we think we may have a natural law.


24 posted on 02/13/2014 9:32:12 PM PST by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: INVAR

I said to myself as I clicked on this thread, “Someone will have already posted an image of the energy ribbon from Star Trek”


25 posted on 02/13/2014 9:32:19 PM PST by Bobalu (Happiness is a fast ISR)
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To: INVAR

When you get right down to it, they were hard core storm chasers. Basically, it was Twsiter in space.


26 posted on 02/13/2014 9:36:21 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: Army Air Corps

Thought you might be teasing but I know I know nothing ... I came to that conclusion long ago ... that I knew nothing about the universe. Too much is theory only to form a rational conclusion based on accuracy.


27 posted on 02/13/2014 9:36:21 PM PST by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: no-to-illegals

Indeed. We are still learning about what is, basically, our own front porch. In the last few years we have learned more about our own Moon and that is a mere quarter of a million miles a way.


28 posted on 02/13/2014 9:42:41 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: Army Air Corps

This place (the universe) is fascinating. Time can be based on the place or not the place occupied. Time may overlap with another time in another place or it may not. Our questions are presently be entertained by probes for we cannot go there based on time or no time. I become lost when looking in my own backyard ... LOL.


29 posted on 02/13/2014 9:46:30 PM PST by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: KC_Lion

My distillation of Star Trek: Generations

When you get right down to it, they were hard core storm chasers. Basically, it was Twsiter in space.


30 posted on 02/13/2014 9:51:18 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: no-to-illegals

“I’ve wondered for years ... Do we live on the third electron of a fluoride atom?”

If such is the question, what is the valence of the third electron? If you do not know the answer, do not reply.

However I did enjoy your post.


31 posted on 02/13/2014 10:59:02 PM PST by cpdiii (Deckhand, Roughneck, Mud Man, Geologist, Pilot, Pharmacist. THE CONSTITUTION IS WORTH DYING FOR!!!!)
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To: Army Air Corps


32 posted on 02/13/2014 11:13:44 PM PST by INVAR ("Fart for liberty, fart for freedom and fart proudly!" - Benjamin Franklin)
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To: no-to-illegals
yet we still don’t know what is the natural law and order of the universe ... we have only theories and a few isolated instances where we think we may have a natural law.

Dude, I thought you knew... it's 42.

33 posted on 02/13/2014 11:46:16 PM PST by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Talisker

Does anybody really know what time it is?


34 posted on 02/14/2014 2:14:45 AM PST by ArtDodger
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To: no-to-illegals
In most equations, our known knowledge says, time is not important.

When my boss once questioned me as to why I was late for work I used that very same explanation......It didn't work.

35 posted on 02/14/2014 2:25:29 AM PST by Hot Tabasco (I think I've lost my mojo.....)
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To: no-to-illegals

anything is possible


36 posted on 02/14/2014 3:25:35 AM PST by 12th_Monkey (One man one vote is a big fail, when the "one" man is an idiot.)
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To: Fungi

Nope time to turn the TV off, your mom “needs” me.


37 posted on 02/14/2014 3:27:40 AM PST by 12th_Monkey (One man one vote is a big fail, when the "one" man is an idiot.)
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To: bigheadfred
No, the Star Trek episode dealt with the energy barrier at the edge of the galaxy, not the solar system.
38 posted on 02/14/2014 3:38:04 AM PST by FroggyTheGremlim ("It is not the color of his skin, ... it is the blackness that fills his soul")
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To: 12th_Monkey

Bookmark for later reading.


39 posted on 02/14/2014 4:13:35 AM PST by SunTzuWu
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To: cpdiii

I find your thought interesting and although I do not know the answer to your thought ... I’ll explain why I do not know with this link ... http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/444/can-an-atom-have-more-than-8-valence-electrons-if-not-why-is-8-the-limit ... Great question btw!


40 posted on 02/14/2014 5:18:40 AM PST by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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