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.]] and the Interstellar Medium outside the Solar System . As the solar wind approaches the heliopause, it slows suddenly, forming a Shock Wave .]] ]] CONTENTS AND STRUCTURE The main contents of the outer solar system are probably very numerous small bodies akin to comets from one or another population, and the place where the Solar Wind meets the Interstellar Medium . Of the bodies that orbit The Sun , major constituents include the Kuiper Belt , or Scattered Disk objects, Trans-Neptunian Objects (aka TNOs) and the unconfirmed Oort Cloud . Work by Michael E. Brown 's team has brought many recent discoveries in this area. From whichever population source, Comets frequently originate within the area, their potential orbits being disturbed by either Nemesis or system-wide oscillations across the Galactic Plane , according to two competing theories. Each population has some quality to distinguish them. Specific to Comets are some comet families (comets that originated in the breakup of a parent body) like the Kreutz Sungrazers among others which will also have some relationship with the Outer Solar System. The Solar Wind , having passed though the inner regions of the Solar System undergoes its most radical transformation as it encounters the Interstellar Medium . A complex structure no doubt exists. Among the implications of the Heliosphere is the 22 yr Sunspot Cycle of the Sun which represents high and low flow periods (in addition to the smaller oscillations caused by Coronal Mass Ejection s which would continue to propagate out as part of the Solar Wind). Another strong factor is the condition, movement and density of the Interstellar Medium which could radically change the extent and functions of the Heliosphere. Among the functions of the heliopause is to generally deflect cosmic rays, possibly originate some cosmic rays, and generally divert the charged, and to a lesser extent the neutral, components of the interstellar medium. The orbiting objects, the diffuse environment they move through, and temporary influences from beyond, do interact. The Voyager and Pioneer space probes are traveling through this region over these decades. Only one object of the Solar System so far is probable to travel back and forth over the Heliopause - 90377 Sedna . Several objects the size of Pluto are known and it is possible larger bodies exist in this outer region. Other objects may well exist that cross the heliopause as well, and already known objects might be identified to cross it as well once it's structure is more certain (there should be a large asymmetry in the shape of the heliopause - a tail should point down-wind with the flow of the Interstellar Medium for a very long distance but probably still less than 1 LY but the specific geometry hasn't been identified yet.) Neutral components of the interstellar medium are largely unaffected by the encounter with the Solar Wind until they reach the Inner Solar System, roughly equivalent to the Inner Planet s aka Terrestrial Planet s and Sun outward to the Asteroid Belt where the Sun 's light is sufficient to cause Ionization . Thus in a sense there are two kinds of "winds" in the outer solar system - a charged and magnetized particle and EM field emanating from the sun and undergoing changes in flow as it reaches the outer solar system, and a neutral expanse of gas and dust from the interstellar medium blowing across the whole solar system. Other members of this region are micrometeorites and Cosmic Rays . Some Cosmic Rays may originate with the bow shockwave. INFLUENCE AND EVOLUTION It has been proposed that the Gas Giant planets evolved in direct relation to the outer solar system; that the former's orbits significantly changed by interactions with Planetesimal s and Comets from the latter (many of these objects being scattered back into the outer solar system.) Concordantly, the evolution of the outer solar system appears to have been influenced by nearby Supernovae and possibly also passage through Interstellar Dust Cloud s. The surfaces of bodies in the outer solar system, would experience Space Weathering from the Solar Wind , micrometeorites, as well as the neutral components of the Interstellar Medium , and more momentary influences like Supernovae and Magnetar eruptions (also called starquakes). Sarah K. Noble (http://www.planetary.brown.edu/~noble/Myresearch.html) and Beth E. Clark (http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/EISclark.html and http://baritone.tn.cornell.edu/~beth/) are among those doing research in space weathering or space erosion though specific implications for the outer solar system aren't yet quantified. SCALE The outer solar system measures on a scale straddling that of interstellar and sub-interstellar distance. Given this special position, there could exist some adjustments or calibrations to Astrophysical Theory pending its further exploration. For example, Gravity is well known in the sub-interstellar distance scale by practical navigation of Unmanned Space Mission s, Orbital Analysis of low-energy transport, Harmonics in Planetary Rings , and LaGrangian Solutions . Interstellar understandings of gravity, however, depend largely on the Math Of Gravity and observation of distant star systems. For example, there could be structure to both the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. Discrepancies to be resolved include the Pioneer Anomaly , and sub-galactic effects of Dark Matter , and Dark Energy . SEE ALSO |
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