Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Eugene

(61,807 posts)
Fri May 11, 2012, 09:59 AM May 2012

Sun Is Moving Slower Than Thought

Source: National Geographic

Sun Is Moving Slower Than Thought

Andrew Fazekas

for National Geographic News

Published May 10, 2012

The sun is moving through the Milky Way slower than previously thought, according to new data from a NASA spacecraft.

From its orbit around Earth, the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) satellite measured the speeds of interstellar particles entering at the fringes of our solar system, 9 billion miles (14.5 billion kilometers) from the sun.

Plugging the new data into computer models, the IBEX team calculates that the sun is moving at about 52,000 miles (83,700 kilometers) an hour—about 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers) slower than thought.

The discovery suggests that the protective boundary separating our solar system from the rest of the galaxy is missing a bow shock, a major structural component thought to control the influx of high-energy cosmic rays.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120510-sun-slower-bow-shock-heliosphere-nasa-ibex-space-science/

2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Sun Is Moving Slower Than Thought (Original Post) Eugene May 2012 OP
Only one reason for this Botany May 2012 #1
I think it's part of the growing obesity problem LiberalEsto May 2012 #2
Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Science»Sun Is Moving Slower Than...