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NASA announced today (10) that Voyager 2 had pbaded the heliopause, the last frontier where our solar winds still have a significant effect on space. It is the second time in human history that an object manufactured by our species crosses this border. "For me, this is an absolutely incredible time in the history of space exploration," said Georgia Denolfo, NASA astrophysicist working on the Voyager missions. [1] 19659002] At the press conference of the American Space Agency, Denolfo pointed out that it was a unique moment. "We have been able to observe the galaxy only through the fuzzy lens of the heliosphere and we can now step out with Voyager," he commented.
Inside the heliosphere, the solar winds of our star are virtually ubiquitous and prevent much of the outer particles from entering our system. Further from the Sun, the influence of these winds diminishes and the subatomic particles known as cosmic rays begin to dominate the space.
The barrier between the influence of solar winds and cosmic rays, the heliopause, was surpbaded by Voyager 2 on the fifth day of November.
Last step
The Voyager probes have played an important role in the observation of several planets farther from Earth, and now, because of their distance, at the boundary of the solar system. Although they have crossed the barrier of the heliopause, the last frontier should be reached only around 300 years.
This barrier is the place where objects in orbit such as comets and other cosmic elements, called "Oort cloud". To fully overcome this cloud, it would take another 30,000 years for Voyager 1 and 2. However, it is estimated that the devices will only work for another 10 years
. The probes also carry gold discs, created by NASA as messages of humanity so that other extraterrestrial reflections can be deciphered.
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