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We observe the collision of winds in astrophysical media
via remote
sensing, such as the bow shocks formed ahead of Epsilon Eridani. The
interaction of the solar system with the interstellar medium is a highly
complex system. This collision of two magnetized winds can teach us how
stars interacts with their surrounding media. Voyager 1 crossed in Dec
2004, the termination shock and is now in the heliosheath. On August 30,
2007 Voyager 2 crossed the termination shock providing us for the
first
time with in-situ measurements of the subsonic solar wind in the
heliosheath. Our recent results indicate that magnetic effects, in
particular the interstellar magnetic field, are very important in the
interaction between the solar system and the interstellar medium.
Recently, combining radio emission and energetic particle streaming
measurements from Voyager 1 and 2 with extensive state-of-the art 3D MHD
modeling, we were able to constrain the direction of the local
interstellar magnetic field. Although might take 7-12 years for Voyager 2
to leave the heliosheath and enter the pristine interstellar medium, the
subsonic flows are immediately sensitive to the shape of the heliopause. I
this talk I also show that the flows measured by Voyager 2 from days
277-320 indicate that the heliopause is being distorted by a local
interstellar magnetic field ~ 60-90 degrees from the galactic plane. This
confirms our earlier prediction that the
field orientation in the Local Interstellar Cloud differs that of a larger
scale interstellar magnetic field, thought to parallel the galactic plane.
As a result of the interstellar magnetic field the solar system is
asymmetric being pushed in the southern direction. I will comment on these
results and present preliminary results of the effect of H neutrals on our
previous MHD results.
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