Voyager 1 finds layer of strong magnetic fields

Los Angeles Times : Voyager 1 has traveled farther away from the Sun than any other human-built craft. At 11 billion miles away it is still providing data to NASA scientists, and that data has revealed something unexpected. In December 2004, the craft entered the outer layer of the solar system, the heliosheathe. The data it collected about the layer were consistent with expectations until early in 2012 when the outward speed of particles driven by the solar wind dropped to zero. This led some scientists to believe that Voyager 1 had crossed into interstellar space. However, the detection of a significant increase in magnetic field strength led them to conclude that the craft was within a layer of the heliosheathe that NASA scientists are referring to as a magnetic highway. Edward Stone, one of the Voyager project scientists, says that they expect that it will take the craft several more years to pass through the area of high magnetic field strength. NASA expects both of the Voyagers to continue sending data until 2025.