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In space physics, the termination shock is the boundary marking one of the outer limits of the sun's influence. It is where the bubble of solar wind particles slows down to subsonic speed (with respect to the star) due to interactions with the local interstellar medium. This causes compression, heating, and a change in the magnetic field. The termination shock is believed to be 75-90 astronomical units[1] from the Sun. The termination shock boundary fluctuates in its distance from the sun as a result of fluctuations in solar flare activity, i.e. changes in the ejections of gas and dust from the sun. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2500x1687, 1789 KB) original description: This still shows the locations of Voyagers 1 and 2. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2500x1687, 1789 KB) original description: This still shows the locations of Voyagers 1 and 2. ...
2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Space Physics is a branch of astrophysics that primarily studies the space between planets in the solar system. ...
The plasma in the solar wind meeting the heliopause For the British comic, see Solar Wind (comic). ...
Subsonic has two possible meanings: A speed lower than the speed of sound is called subsonic. ...
The distribution of ionized hydrogen (known by astronomers as H II (aitch two) from old spectroscopic terminology) in the parts of the Galactic interstellar medium visible from the Earths northern hemisphere (from the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper Survey) In astronomy, the interstellar medium (or ISM) is the matter (interstellar...
Compression in material science, physics or structural engineering, is the stress state of materials where the volume tends to decrease (compaction). ...
HVAC may also stand for High-voltage alternating current HVAC is an initialism that stands for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. This is sometimes referred to as climate control. ...
Current flowing through a wire produces a magnetic field (B, labeled M here) around the wire. ...
The astronomical unit (AU or au or a. ...
A Solar Flare, courtesy NASA A solar flare is a violent explosion in the Suns atmosphere with an energy equivalent to tens of millions of hydrogen bombs. ...
The shock arises because solar wind particles are emitted from stars at about 400 km/s, while the speed of sound (in air) is about 0.33km/s. (The exact speed depends on the density, which fluctuates considerably.) The interstellar medium, although very low in density, nonetheless has a constant pressure associated with it; the pressure from the solar wind decreases with the square of the distance from the star. As one moves far enough away from the star, the pressure from the interstellar medium becomes sufficient to slow the solar wind down to below its speed of sound; this causes a shock wave. Introduction The shock wave is one of several different ways in which a gas in a supersonic flow can be compressed. ...
 A terrestrial termination shock in a familiar hydrodynamic system Other termination shocks can be seen in terrestrial systems; perhaps the easiest may be seen by simply running a water tap into a sink. Upon hitting the floor of the sink, the flowing water spreads out at a speed that is higher than the local wave speed, forming a disk of shallow, rapidly diverging flow (analogous to the tenuous, supersonic solar wind). Around the periphery of the disk, a shock front or wall of water forms; outside the shock front, the water moves slower than the local wave speed (analogous to the subsonic interstellar medium). Image File history File links Termination_shock_in_sink. ...
Image File history File links Termination_shock_in_sink. ...
This article focuses on water as it is experienced in everyday life. ...
TAP may stand for: TAP Portugal (formerly TAP Air Portugal), an airline based in Portugal. ...
Many modern sinks are made of stainless steel In plumbing, a sink is a bowl-shaped fixture, usually made of porcelain (or, especially in the kitchen, stainless steel), that is used for washing hands or small objects such as dishes, nylons, socks or underwear. ...
Going outward from the sun, the termination shock is followed by the Heliopause where solar wind particles are stopped by the interstellar medium, then the Bow Shock past which particles from the interstellar medium are no longer excited. The heliopause is the boundary between the heliosphere and the interstellar medium outside the solar system. ...
In a planetary magnetosphere, the bow shock is the boundary at which the solar wind abruptly drops as a result of its approach to the magnetopause. ...
Evidence presented at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in May 2005 by Dr. Ed Stone suggests that the Voyager 1 spacecraft passed termination shock in December 2004, when it was about 85 AU from the sun, by virtue of the change in magnetic readings taken from the craft. In contrast, Voyager II began detecting returning particles when it was only 76 AU from the sun, in May 2006. This implies that the heliosphere may be irregularly shaped, bulging outwards in the sun's northern hemisphere and pushed inward in the south.[2]. The American Geophysical Union (or AGU) is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting (as of 2004) of over 41,000 members from 130 countries. ...
Dr. Ed Stone is a Caltech professor who is the project scientist of the Voyager spacecraft. ...
Voyager 1 lifted off with a Titan 3E Centaur The Voyager 1 spacecraft is an 815-kilogram unmanned probe of the outer solar system and beyond, launched September 5, 1977, and currently operational. ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Categories: Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | NASA probes | Astronomy stubs ...
The term "Termination Shock," also provided the namesake for the independent percussion solo demo The Termination Shock (pts. 1-2-3) by percussionist Andrew Denis. The release of the official recording itself, entitled The Termination Shock: Self Portrait, is slated for August 8, 2006. With a proposed running time of 11:52, the writing and performance is speculated to be the artist's musical equivalent of himself. The Termination Shock: Self Portrait will be released by Double Radio Records on Google Video, a link will follow upon this occurance.
See also
In a planetary magnetosphere, the bow shock is the boundary at which the solar wind abruptly drops as a result of its approach to the magnetopause. ...
The heliopause is the boundary between the heliosphere and the interstellar medium outside the solar system. ...
A Solar Flare, courtesy NASA A solar flare is a violent explosion in the Suns atmosphere with an energy equivalent to tens of millions of hydrogen bombs. ...
The locations of Voyagers 1 and 2 as of 2005 The heliosheath is the zone between the termination shock and the heliopause at the outer border of the solar system. ...
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