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heliosphere

American  
[hee-lee-uh-sfeer] / ˈhi li əˌsfɪər /

noun

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


heliosphere British  
/ ˈhiːlɪəʊˌsfɪə /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

heliosphere Scientific  
/ 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.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of heliosphere

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


Vocabulary lists containing heliosphere

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Among the areas studied was the outer heliosphere, the enormous region of particles and magnetic fields produced by the Sun.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

If the heliosphere contracted as the simulations suggest, Earth's atmosphere would have been directly exposed to a very different interstellar environment during those periods.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

During these encounters, enormous interstellar "cold clouds" may have pressed against the heliosphere with enough force to dramatically compress it.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

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

From Science Magazine ● May 23, 2024

Others think these observations help show that Voyager 1 still hasn’t completely left the heliosphere.

From Science Magazine ● May 23, 2024

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