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alien matter in the solar system a

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galactic mismatch presented by science

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at nasa

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this just in

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the solar system is different from the

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space just outside it

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announced the finding at a press

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conference on january 31st 2012

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it's based on data from nasa's ibex

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spacecraft which is able to sample

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material flowing into the solar system

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from interstellar space

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we've detected alien matter that came

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into our solar system from other parts

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of the galaxy and chemically speaking

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it's not exactly like what we find here

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at home says david mccomas the principal

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investigator for ibex at the southwest

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research institute in san antonio texas

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our solar system is surrounded by a

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magnetic bubble called the heliosphere

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that separates us from the rest of the

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milky way

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outside the heliosphere lies the realm

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of the stars or interstellar space

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inside lies the sun and all the planets

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the sun blows this vast magnetic bubble

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using the solar wind to inflate the

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sun's own magnetic field

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it's a good thing

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the heliosphere helps protect us from

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cosmic rays that would otherwise

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penetrate the solar system

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launched in 2008 the ibex spacecraft

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spins in earth's orbit scanning the

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entire sky

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ibex's special trick is detecting

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neutral atoms that slip through the

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heliosphere's magnetic defenses

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without actually exiting the solar

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system ibex is able to sample the galaxy

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outside

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the first two years of counting these

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alien atoms have led to some interesting

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conclusions

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we've directly measured four separate

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types of atoms from interstellar space

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and the composition just doesn't match

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up with what we see in the solar system

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says eric christian mission scientist

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for ibex at nasa's goddard space flight

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center in greenbelt maryland

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in a series of six science papers

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appearing in the astrophysical journal

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the ibex team reported that for every 20

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neon atoms in the galactic wind there

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are 74 oxygen atoms

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in our own solar system however for

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every 20 neon atoms there are 111 oxygen

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atoms

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that translates to more oxygen in any

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given slice of the solar system than in

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local interstellar space

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where did the extra oxygen come from

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there are at least two possibilities

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sesame commas

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either the solar system evolved in a

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separate more oxygen-rich part of the

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galaxy than where we currently reside or

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a great deal of critical life-giving

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oxygen lies trapped in interstellar dust

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grains or ices unable to move freely

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throughout space and thus undetectable

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by ibex

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either way this affects scientific

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models of how our solar system and life

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formed it's a real puzzle

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while ibex samples alien atoms from

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earth's orbit nasa's voyager spacecraft

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have been traveling to the edge of the

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heliosphere for nearly 40 years and they

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could soon find themselves on the

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outside looking in

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researchers expect voyager 1 to exit the

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solar system within the next few years

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the new data from ibex suggests the

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voyagers are heading for a new frontier

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indeed