New Horizons tracks solar wind slowdown as interstellar atoms add drag

A new study by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), published in The Astrophysical Journal, analyzes data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft to reveal insights into the gradual slowing of the solar wind as it approaches the edge of the solar system and the boundary with interstellar space.

A new Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) study based on data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has uncovered insights into why the solar wind gradually slows as it moves toward the edge of the solar system and the boundary with interstellar space. The study “The Gradual Slowing of the Solar Wind in the Outer Heliosphere” is published in The Astrophysical Journal.