Page 40 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

 In this diagram of the heliosphere the white lines represent the flow of particles, mostly hydrogen ions, in the interstellar wind. They are deflected around the edge of the heliosphere to make the heliopause. The red arrow shows how neutral particles penetrate the heliopause. They are primarily hydrogen and helium atoms, which mostly are not affected by magnetic fields. There are also heavier dust grains. These interstellar neutral particles make up a substantial part of the material found within the heliosphere.
The edge of the green area shows where the solar wind slows down to less than the speed of sound.
Temperature (K)
1.9x106 6.4x105 2.1x105 7.2x104 2.4x104 8.0x103
400 300
200
100
0
-100
-200
-300
-400
-500
-400 -300
-200 -100 0
100 200
300 400
Termination shock Heliotail
Heliosphere
Bow shock
Heliopause
Sun Interstellar neutral atoms
Pristine interstellar medium
Astronomical units
40
Astronomical units
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