NASA’s Voyager 1 Spacecraft Encounters Superheated “Wall of Fire” at Solar System Edge.
Science and Technology
NASA’s Voyager 1 probe, nearly 24 billion kilometers from Earth, has detected a thin plasma shell at the heliopause reaching temperatures of 30,000–50,000 K, nicknamed the “Wall of Fire.”
- Voyager’s Historic Crossing: Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 became the first human-made object to cross the heliopause on 25 August 2012, entering interstellar space and later discovering the “Wall of Fire” with its instruments. Its twin, Voyager 2, followed in 2018 and recorded the same phenomenon.
- What is the “Wall of Fire”? This term describes a narrow region—about 1 AU thick—of superheated plasma where the outward-flowing solar wind collides with the slower interstellar medium. Although electrically charged, it remains extremely low-density, insufficient to damage Voyager’s thermal shielding.
- Voyager 1’s plasma, cosmic ray, and magnetic sensors recorded the wall’s temperature spike between 30,000 and 50,000 K (54,000–90,000 °F), making it hotter than many stellar surfaces—prompting NASA to dub it a cosmic blast furnace.
Main Point :- (i) Both Voyagers found that the magnetic field outside the heliopause aligns closely with the solar magnetic field inside, contradicting previous models and indicating a stronger magnetic linkage between the heliosphere and interstellar space.
(ii) Despite the heat, Voyager 1 is unharmed due to the low particle density. It transmits critical science data over a 22‑hour delay at just 160 bits per second, while its onboard plutonium-powered instruments continue functioning with minimal energy.
(iii) Building on Voyager’s findings, NASA’s upcoming Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) is scheduled for launch in 2026 to study heliopause plasma dynamics. A future Interstellar Probe mission is also under development to reach 400 AU and map the “Wall of Fire” in greater detail.
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