By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON - When viewed from the rest of the galaxy, the edge of our solar system appears slightly dented as if a giant hand is pushing one edge of it inward, far-traveling NASA probes reveal.

Information from Earth's first space probes to hit the thick edge of the solar system — called the heliosheath where the solar wind slows abruptly — paint a picture that is not the simple circle that astronomers long thought, according to several studies published Thursday in the journal Nature. Surprised astronomers said they will have to change their models for what the solar system looks like.

In 1977, NASA launched two space probes on missions beyond the solar system. Voyager 1 went north and Voyager 2 went south. What startled astronomers is that when the two of them hit the heliosheath they did so at different distances from the sun.

Voyager 2 hit the southern edge of the solar system nearly 1 billion miles closer to the sun than Voyager 1 did to the north. Voyager 2 hit the edge at 7.8 billion miles from the sun.

"We used to assume that it's all symmetric and simple," said Leonard Burlaga, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "It's literally like a hand pushing."

That push is from the magnetic field that lies between star systems in the Milky Way. The magnetic field hits the solar system at a different angle on the south than on the north, probably because of interstellar turbulence from star explosions, said Voyager project scientist Ed Stone.

Both spacecraft still have several more years before they completely exit the solar system and continue deeper into the space between stars, said Stone, former director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.

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History shows again and again how nature points up the folly of man

Voyagers are SO cool. I love them. What a fantastic couple of machines. Anyone that doubts mans ability to go to Mars or beyond only need to look to them for assurance.

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"Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars"

MY solar system is DENTED!
Timelord! Have you been taking the solar system on joyrides without permission AGAIN!

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"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."
--PKD

hehehe...Um, yeah. Hey, a little "bondo" and some touch up stars and you won't even notice!

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"Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars"

Just wait until one of them meets up with a hyper-intelligent machine civilization, then it'll be freakin' awesome!

Phrase that more precisely. Cybermonk may think you are referring to him.

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"Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars"

Hmmm, 11.36% in a 8.8 billion mile radius... I'm not sure if I would call that a dent or just natures typical way.


(Go find the roundest rock you can and see if it doesn't vary by at least that much...)

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Fantom Thrust - SHW Battlebot
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