Spacecraft that flew outside the solar system find ‘unique physics’

The Voyager probes have detected an entirely new kind of electron burst outside the solar system.

It is the first time this "unique physics" have been detected by a spacecraft, and could allow for new breakthroughs in our understanding of the "interstellar medium", or the space between the stars.

The two Voyager spacecraft were launched by Nasa more than 40 years ago, with the aim of flying to the far reaches of our solar system. They have now gone even further than that, reaching interstellar space, and exploring the gaps between the stars, giving us the first glimpses of what it might be like in that mysterious zone.

The latest discovery from the spacecraft – using data taken from both Voyager 1 and 2 – saw them pick up bursts of electrons like none ever detected before. They found that cosmic ray electrons are being accelerated by shock waves that originate in major eruptions on the sun, and are then flung out into space.