What is the bow shock or bow wave?
A bow shock or wave will form in front of the heliosphere, as the Sun moves through the interstellar medium. A bow wave is similar to what happens at the prow of a boat, while a bow shock is similar to the shockwave that forms in front of a supersonic jet. If the Sun is moving faster than the speed of sound in the interstellar medium, a bow shock will form. Otherwise, if the Sun is not traveling that fast a bow wave will form. What is the heliopause? The heliopause is the boundary between the Sun’s solar wind and the interstellar medium. The solar wind blows a “bubble” known as the heliosphere into the interstellar medium. The outer border of this “bubble” is where the solar wind’s strength is no longer great enough to push back the interstellar medium. This is known as the heliopause, and is often considered to be the outer border of the solar system. The zone between the termination shock and the heliopause is known as the heliosheath. What is the termination shock? The termination s
