New 'retention model' explains enigmatic ribbon at edge of solar system
Tuesday, February 5, 2013 - 13:00
in Astronomy & Space
Since its Oct. 2008 launch, NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer has provided images of the invisible interactions between our home in the galaxy and interstellar space. Particles emanating from this boundary produce a striking, narrow ribbon, which had yet to be explained despite more than a dozen possible theories. In a new "retention model," researchers suggest that charged particles trapped in this region create the ribbon as they escape as neutral atoms.