Voyager 1 hasn't reached interstellar space just yet

Mar 21, 2013 10:34 GMT  ·  By

Since last summer, there have been countless reports and suggestions that the Voyager 1 probe has left the solar system. So far though, scientists, while acknowledging the changes in the surrounding space, haven't yet decided that the probe is now in interstellar space.

Still, one recent research paper claimed that the Voyager 1 spacecraft did actually leave the solar system last August, when significant changes in the readings around it were detected.

NASA was quick to deny the claims though, as far as it's concerned, Voyager is still in the solar system, albeit in a strange region at the very edge.

"It is the consensus of the Voyager science team that Voyager 1 has not yet left the solar system or reached interstellar space," Edward Stone, Voyager project scientists at Cal Tech, said.

"In December 2012, the Voyager science team reported that Voyager 1 is within a new region called 'the magnetic highway' where energetic particles changed dramatically," he added.

Scientists are looking for several signs that would indicate the craft is out of the influence of the solar system.

A surge in high-energy particles would be one such sign, as well as a drop in particles originating in the sun. These have been observed already.

However, scientists also expect that the direction of the magnetic field detected by the craft will change once in interstellar space and out of the influence of the sun's magnetic field.

"A change in the direction of the magnetic field is the last critical indicator of reaching interstellar space and that change of direction has not yet been observed," Stone explained.

The region Voyager 1 is going through wasn't predicted, so scientists are very excited about it and studying it as much as they can.

It is only a matter of time before Voyager 1 punches through into interstellar space, but not even NASA can predict when that will be.