Solar system?

Question

Scientist are saying that our solar system does not go straight out, but 'bends'.

Wouldn't that mean, that at some point it will make almost a full circle back to the beginning?

Answer 1

Pretty sure they are talking about the termination shock of the solar wind, prior to meeting the heliopause.  The heliopause is the imaginary boundary where the outward pressure of the solar wind (particles emanating from the Sun) equals the pressure of the neighboring stellar winds.  There's nothing physical at the heliopause--it's just the place where these pressures equalize.  Before the solar wind reaches the heliopause, it reaches a point where the wind slows to subsonic speeds.  This is called the termination shock, and it is the thing that has been determined to be "bent."

The termination shock was expected to be the same in all directions, in the same way that a balloon is (roughly) the same in all directions, because the outward air pressure inside the balloon is balanced by the surface tension of the balloon, and the balloon is basically the same all around.  Granted, that's a physical boundary, unlike the heliopause and termination shock, but the notion of an equilibrium is accurate.  The fact that the termination shock is apparently not round indicates some local variations in the interstellar medium.

Answer 2

No, because as it says, it bends, but does not stretch. But, I do believe that the Solar System will, eventually, "implode" on itself, meaning that eventually, the planets will slow their orbit as gravity takes stronger effect, and get pulled toward the sun, and that's all that there will be left (of our SS): the sun.

Answer 3

i think you are getting the universe mixed up with our solar system

Answer 4

no thats kind of wierd our solar system doesn't bend and as solid proof, the voyager probes are far beyond our solar system already