Space
NASA Voyager 1 Spacecraft is Still Traveling Through a 'Tsunami Wave' (VIDEO)
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Dec 16, 2014 08:48 AM EST
It turns out that NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is still experiencing the "tsunami wave" that it began earlier this year. The findings mean that this is the longest-lasting shock wave that researchers have seen in interstellar space to date.
This type of "tsunami wave" occurs when the sun emits a coronal mass ejection. This CME throws out a magnetic cloud of plasma from the surface of the sun, generating a wave of pressure. When this cloud runs into the interstellar plasma, a shock wave results.
"Most people would have thought the interstellar medium would have been smooth and quiet," said Don Gurnett, one of the researchers, in a news release. "But these shock waves seem to be more common than we thought."
In fact, this is the third shock wave that Voyager 1 has experienced since it began its journey. The first event occurred in October to November of 2012 while the second wave occurred in April to May of 2013. The most recent event, though, started in February, and it's still going on as of November data.
"This remarkable event raises questions that will stimulate new studies of the nature of shocks in the interstellar medium," said Leonard Burlaga, one of the researchers.
Currently, scientists aren't sure why this particular shock wave has lasted so long and what it may mean. They're also unsure as to how fast this wave is moving, or how broad a region it covers. Yet as Voyager 1 continues its journey, scientists hope to accumulate more data. These findings, in turn, will help tell researchers a bit more about interstellar space.
For more information on the Voyager mission, you can visit NASA's website.
Want to learn more? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now:
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First Posted: Dec 16, 2014 08:48 AM EST
It turns out that NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is still experiencing the "tsunami wave" that it began earlier this year. The findings mean that this is the longest-lasting shock wave that researchers have seen in interstellar space to date.
This type of "tsunami wave" occurs when the sun emits a coronal mass ejection. This CME throws out a magnetic cloud of plasma from the surface of the sun, generating a wave of pressure. When this cloud runs into the interstellar plasma, a shock wave results.
"Most people would have thought the interstellar medium would have been smooth and quiet," said Don Gurnett, one of the researchers, in a news release. "But these shock waves seem to be more common than we thought."
In fact, this is the third shock wave that Voyager 1 has experienced since it began its journey. The first event occurred in October to November of 2012 while the second wave occurred in April to May of 2013. The most recent event, though, started in February, and it's still going on as of November data.
"This remarkable event raises questions that will stimulate new studies of the nature of shocks in the interstellar medium," said Leonard Burlaga, one of the researchers.
Currently, scientists aren't sure why this particular shock wave has lasted so long and what it may mean. They're also unsure as to how fast this wave is moving, or how broad a region it covers. Yet as Voyager 1 continues its journey, scientists hope to accumulate more data. These findings, in turn, will help tell researchers a bit more about interstellar space.
For more information on the Voyager mission, you can visit NASA's website.
Want to learn more? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone