---
title: "Bow Shock or Bow Wave?"
description: "[caption id=\"attachment_4512\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"750\"] Bow shocks exist around other astrospheres, as seen in these images taken by multiple telescopes. New IBEX data shows that our heliosphere moves through interstellar space too slowly to produce a bow shock, creating more of a “wake” as it travels through space.Image Credit: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech/Goddard/SwRI[/caption] There are several regions that exist..."
date: "2012-11-30"
modified: "2012-11-30"
authors:
  - name: "Joshua Filmer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/joshuafqtq.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/bow-shock-or-bow-wave-2"
categories:
  - "From Quarks to Quasars"
---

# Bow Shock or Bow Wave?

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Bow-Shocks1.jpg>)

[![Image Credit: Hubble/R. Casalegno/GALEX](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Bow-Shocks.jpg>)](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Bow-Shocks.jpg>)
*Bow shocks exist around other astrospheres, as seen in these images taken by multiple telescopes. New IBEX data shows that our heliosphere moves through interstellar space too slowly to produce a bow shock, creating more of a “wake” as it travels through space.*
*Image Credit: [NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech/Goddard/SwRI](<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ibex/news/nobowshock.html#.UwqQ4fldUkM>)*

There are several regions that exist around our sun; the heliosphere, termination shock, heliopause, and the bow shock. For a while, scientists thought we had a bow shock, but new data has thrown some doubt into that. Allow me to give you the 30-second refresher tour of these definitions.

- The *[helioshere](<https://futurism.com/what-is-the-heliosphere.md>)* is a bubble of charged particles surrounding the solar system.
- The *[termination shock](<https://futurism.com/what-is-the-heliosphere.md>)* is the point in the heliosphere where those charged particles slow down to subsonic speeds due to interactions with the interstellar medium.
- The *[heliosheath](<https://futurism.com/what-is-the-heliosphere.md>)* is the region of the heliosphere beyond the termination shock where solar wind is slowed, compressed, and made turbulent by interactions with the interstellar medium.
- Lastly, the *[bow shock](<https://futurism.com/what-is-the-heliosphere.md>)*, which is best visualized as a sonic boom from a jet (see the bow shocks from other stars pictured here). As the sun rams into the interstellar medium, you would expect to see that shock wave, right? Well, not really.

[![Artist's impression of IBEX Image: NASA](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/10223_201008114841.jpg>)](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/10223_201008114841.jpg>)
*Artist's impression of IBEX.*
*Image credit: [NASA GSFC](<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ibex/IBEXDidYouKnow.html#.UwqO7fldUkM>)*

The [Interstellar Boundary Explorer](<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ibex/index.html>) (IBEX) is a NASA space observatory studying the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space. With data from IBEX and the [Voyager](<http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/>) spacecrafts, in 2012 scientists had enough data to safely proclaim that our sun doesn't produce a turbulent shockwave as we hurtle through space. Instead, the sun makes more of a gentle wave as we collide with interstellar space, much in the same way a boat makes a wave as it sails.

Therefore, I’m sorry to inform you that we don’t go flying through space on a supersonic jet. Though, we can take solace in the fact that we sail through space on a rather expensive yacht.

## Author
Joshua specializes in Mathematics and Physics at Portland State University.

## More

- [Does the sun have a bow shock? Maybe.](<https://futurism.com/does-the-sun-have-a-bow-shock-maybe.md>)
- [What is the Heliosphere?](<https://futurism.com/what-is-the-heliosphere.md>)
- [Voyager 1 Takes Our First Steps To the Stars. Or Has It?](<https://futurism.com/voyager-1-takes-first-steps-stars.md>)
- [The Heliosphere & Our Solar System’s ‘Tail’](<https://futurism.com/heliosphere-solar-systems-tail.md>)
- [NASA Imaged the Bubble Around the Solar System and… Yikes](<https://futurism.com/nasa-heliosphere-shape.md>)
- [NASA Detects “Hum” Coming From Beyond Solar System](<https://futurism.com/nasa-detects-hum-coming-from-beyond-solar-system.md>)
- [Astronomy  Picture of the Day: 11/30/13 – The Dolphin Nebula](<https://futurism.com/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-112913-the-dolphin-nebula.md>)
- [Voyager 2 Just Entered Interstellar Space](<https://futurism.com/voyager-2-just-entered-interstellar-space.md>)