What is the heliotail and how was it discovered by IBEX spacecraft?

[Dotini]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhAzMdoOe5E&feature=player_embedded
Here is a short video of NASA announcing discovery of a heliotail. It seems our solar system travels around the Milky Way sporting a tail much like a comet.

http://phys.org/news/2013-07-ibex- spacecraft -images-heliotail-revealing.html
Article with journal reference.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Thanks for the report! Nice images!

 

[cenzi]

interesting, can those scientists tell what the trajectory of the solar system is?

 

[Rangertab1]

cenzi, the link below may answer your question. I hope it does. We are moving roughly 60ish degrees to the left of the Galactic Centers direction and a bit left of Altair.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020210.html

 

[cenzi]

cenzi, the link below may answer your question. I hope it does. We are moving roughly 60ish degrees to the left of the Galactic Centers direction and a bit left of Altair.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020210.html

got it, thank you, Ranger.