heliosphere

[ hee-lee-uh-sfeer ]

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

Origin of heliosphere

1
First recorded in 1970–75; helio- + -sphere

Words Nearby heliosphere

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British Dictionary definitions for heliosphere

heliosphere

/ (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

Scientific definitions for heliosphere

heliosphere

[ 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.♦ The boundary between the heliosphere and interstellar space is known as the heliopause.

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