"Local Fluff" question

[Talitha]

Voyager Makes an Interstellar Discovery

I understand most of the article, but there's something i just don't get.

The bow shock at the leading edge of Earth's magnetosphere is caused by the solar wind...

So what's causing the bow shock in the heliosphere anatomy graphic (3rd illustration) in the article?

Can't be solar wind, because our Sun is inside of the bubble.

:D

[themos]

The general flow of the interstellar medium in our vicinity?

[brantuk]

I'm not really qualified to answer empirically, but the way I read it is that the solar wind causes both the magnetoshere and the helioshere.

The difference being that the heliosphere slows down the solar wind due to the pressure of interstellar gas. Effectively the solar wind travels through two different mediums (or densitys). Net effect being the heliosheath formed by the pressure difference between the two on one side, and compression of the interstellar gas by the "fluff" on the other side. The bow shock being the pressure diff between the "fluff" and the heliosphere.

But then - I'm probably totally mad even trying to understand it.

[mint_mark]

I've just read the article and I would say that the bow shock depicted in picture 3 is the result of the sun's movement through the fluff (shown in picture 2).

Picture 2 also seems to show the fluff moving away from the galactic centre and across the sun's direction of movement. Does that mean that the sun will eventually leave the fluff or will the sun change direction and get dragged along with the fluff?

[hunterknox]

I'd go with the bow shock being the solar wind meeting the interstellar medium. Bad labelling, perhaps?

[Talitha]

Thanks everyone, i found it. My confusion wasn't caused by 'bad labelling' perse, but it could have been avoided had they included this caption in the article.

Interstellar Medium....

hmmm... sounds like a good name for a psychic sci-fi series.

[Eyeball]

Voyager Makes an Interstellar Discovery

I understand most of the article, but there's something i just don't get.

The bow shock at the leading edge of Earth's magnetosphere is caused by the solar wind...

So what's causing the bow shock in the heliosphere anatomy graphic (3rd illustration) in the article?

Can't be solar wind, because our Sun is inside of the bubble.

:D

I'll get my coat!