Solar System

[Allister]

This is the classical view of our solar system. A Central star with planets orbiting along the same plane and in the same direction. If you left the Earth in a spaceship and flew away from the sun you would need to go past Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune (sorry Pluto) and keep going until you pass through the Oort Cloud. Only then have you left our solar system behind.

But what if instead of flying out past the Gas Giants we flew "up" or "down"? Where would our system end?

 

[pgp_protector]

This is the classical view of our solar system. A Central star with planets orbiting along the same plane and in the same direction. If you left the Earth in a spaceship and flew away from the sun you would need to go past Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune (sorry Pluto) and keep going until you pass through the Oort Cloud. Only then have you left our solar system behind.

But what if instead of flying out past the Gas Giants we flew "up" or "down"? Where would our system end?

IIRC at about the same distance.
Where the solar wind is equal with the incoming radiation

 

[pgp_protector]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEPdI7zLGsc

 

[pgp_protector]

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/21sep_voyager.htm

 

[ArnautDaniel]

Basically the solar system ends where the effects of the "solar wind" become weaker than a comparable "galactic" wind (i.e. things of non-solar origin dominate things of solar origin).

 

[Allister]

Meur ras

 

[sbvera13]

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/21sep_voyager.htm

[neo] Whoa. [/neo]

I never knew. Cool.

 

[corvus_corax]

Meur ras

I didn't realize that V'ger* had moved beyond the heliosphere.
Much coolness


*Yeah, ignore the continuity flaws

 

[Naraoia]

...V'ger*...

That looks like it was plucked from a sci-fi

 

[Morcova]

That's awesome!

Wasn't the voyagers predicted to be of zero worth scientifically at this point? I remember hearing as a kid that they thought the batteries would have run out by now or that it would have been destroyed.

 

[Chalnoth]

That's awesome!

Wasn't the voyagers predicted to be of zero worth scientifically at this point? I remember hearing as a kid that they thought the batteries would have run out by now or that it would have been destroyed.

Well, they use nuclear batteries, so those aren't going to run out for a while. Glancing at Wikipedia, it looks like they should chug along until 2025.

Basically the batteries are just piles of radioactive material that keep warm from their radioactivity, heat which is then used to generate electricity. I guess by 2025 enough of the radioactive material will have decayed that they just won't put out enough heat to power the satellites any longer.

 

[AV1611VET]

...

 

[juvenissun]

Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

 

[TheBear]

Meur ras

Awesome!

Here's an image of earth from Voyager 1 .... some 4 billion miles away.

 

[TheBear]

 

[Chalnoth]

Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

What the...!? What does this have to do with anything?

 

[juvenissun]

What the...!? What does this have to do with anything?

.... bound ..... loose ...

2Pe 3:5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

What the...!? What does this have to do with anything?

My thoughts exactly.

Ah, good thing his follow-up post is less cryptic...

 

[Chalnoth]

.... bound ..... loose ...

2Pe 3:5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

Except the Earth wasn't formed out of water, or by water.