It was then the space physicists anticipated the long-sought discovery of the source of anomalous cosmic rays, when Voyager 1 finally crossed the “termination shock” at the edge of interstellar space in December 2004.



Cosmic rays are among the most energetic particle radiation in the solar system. They are thought to be produced at the termination shock where the million-mile-per-hour solar wind abruptly slows. Termination shock is the boundary at the edge of the solar system. It is then Voyager data showed 20 years of predictions to be wrong, as the mystery unfolded by the phenomenon.



Why is energization of anomalous cosmic rays almost entirely absent where Voyager passed through the blunt nose of the termination shock? This is explained by a new theory published in the February 17 issue of the Geophysical Research Letters by Dr. David McComas of Southwest Research Institute and Dr. Nathan Schwadron of Boston University.



Via: eurekalert