heliosphere

[ hee-lee-uh-sfeer ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. the region around the sun over which the effect of the solar wind extends.

heliosphere

/ ˈhiːlɪəʊˌsfɪə /

noun

1. the region around the sun outside of which the sun's influence is negligible and interstellar space begins

heliosphere

/ hē′lē-ə-sfîr′ /

1. The large, roughly elliptical region of space around the Sun through which the solar wind extends and through which the Sun exerts a magnetic influence. The heliosphere extends well beyond the orbits of the planets, and its shape and extent fluctuate with changes to the solar wind and other influences.
2. ◆ The boundary between the heliosphere and interstellar space is known as the heliopause .

Word History and Origins

Origin of heliosphere¹

First recorded in 1970–75; helio- + -sphere

Example Sentences

Voyager 1 exited the heliosphere in 2012, the first earthly object to reach interstellar space.

From Science Magazine

Astrospheres, stellar analogues of the heliosphere that surrounds our solar system, are very hot plasma bubbles blown by stellar winds into the interstellar medium, a space filled with gas and dust.

From Science Daily

"We never anticipated that KHI structures could develop to large enough scales to be imaged in visible light CME images in the heliosphere when we designed the instrument," said Angelos Vourlidas, Ph.D.,

From Science Daily

After cosmic explosions at a distance of more than ten but less than 150 parsecs, according to theory, the solar wind and the magnetic field of the heliosphere prevent individual atoms from reaching the Earth.

From Science Daily

The heliosphere extends out to about 100 to 120 times further than Earth's distance to the sun.

From Reuters