Initial data from Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), launched in October 2008, revealed a previously unpredicted "very narrow ribbon that is two to three times brighter than anything else in the sky."
Initial interpretations suggest that "the interstellar environment has far more influence on structuring the heliosphere than anyone previously believed"
"No one knows what is creating the ENA (energetic neutral atoms) ribbon, ..."
"The IBEX results are truly remarkable!
What we are seeing in these maps does not match with any of the previous theoretical models of this region.
It will be exciting for scientists to review these (ENA) maps and revise the way we understand our heliosphere and how it interacts with the galaxy."
In October 2010, significant changes were detected in the ribbon after 6 months, based on the second set of IBEX observations.
IBEX data did not support the existence of a bow shock, but there might be a 'bow wave' according to one study.
Initial data from Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), launched in October 2008, revealed a previously unpredicted "very narrow ribbon that is two to three times brighter than anything else in the sky." Initial interpretations suggest that "the interstellar environment has far more influence on structuring the heliosphere than anyone previously believed"
"No one knows what is creating the ENA (energetic neutral atoms) ribbon, ..."
"The IBEX results are truly remarkable! What we are seeing in these maps does not match with any of the previous theoretical models of this region. It will be exciting for scientists to review these (ENA) maps and revise the way we understand our heliosphere and how it interacts with the galaxy." In October 2010, significant changes were detected in the ribbon after 6 months, based on the second set of IBEX observations. IBEX data did not support the existence of a bow shock, but there might be a 'bow wave' according to one study.
Heliosphere