Nasa has denied a claim made in a scientific study that its Voyager 1 spacecraft had left the solar system, describing the report as \"premature\". <\/p>\n
Scientists are eagerly awaiting signs that the craft, which was launched in 1977 on a mission to study planets, has become the first man-made object to leave the boundaries of our solar system. <\/p>\n
A scientific paper that purported to describe this departure appeared on the American Geophysical Union's website. <\/p>\n
It said Voyager 1 \"appears to have travelled beyond the influence of the Sun and exited the heliosphere,\" or the magnetic bubble of charged particles that surround the solar system. <\/p>\n
Researcher Bill Webber, one of the article's authors, acknowledged that the actual location of the spacecraft - whether in interstellar space or just an unknown region beyond the solar system - remained a matter of debate. <\/p>\n
\"It's outside the normal heliosphere, I would say that,\" said Mr Webber, professor emeritus of astronomy at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, according to the AGU's website. <\/p>\n
\"We're in a new region. And everything we're measuring is different and exciting.\" <\/p>\n
However, shortly after the study appeared, Nasa spokesman Dwayne Brown said the report was \"premature and incorrect\". <\/p>\n
The Voyager science team reported in December 2012 the craft was in a new region called the \"magnetic highway,\" but changes in the magnetic field to show a departure from the solar system have not yet been observed, Nasa said. <\/p>\n
\"The Voyager team is aware of reports today that Nasa's Voyager 1 has left the solar system,\" said Edward Stone, Voyager project scientist based at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California. <\/p>\n
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Originally posted here: <\/p>\n
Nasa Denies Voyager 1 Solar System Exit Claim<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nasa has denied a claim made in a scientific study that its Voyager 1 spacecraft had left the solar system, describing the report as \"premature\". Scientists are eagerly awaiting signs that the craft, which was launched in 1977 on a mission to study planets, has become the first man-made object to leave the boundaries of our solar system. A scientific paper that purported to describe this departure appeared on the American Geophysical Union's website. Continue reading