About Interstellar Boundary Explorer:
- NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) was launched in October 2008 to study the outer edge of the heliosphere.
- The spacecraft is designed to map the boundary where winds from the Sun interact with winds from other stars.
- The solar system’s boundary is studied by observing energetic neutral atoms or ENAs.
- ENAs are high-energy particles produced at the very edge of our solar system.
- Major discoveries of IBEX
- This spacecraft fully mapped the heliosphere within a year after its launch.
- Its most famous discovery is uncovering a dense region of particles, the ‘IBEX ribbon
What is Heliosphere?
- Heliosphere is the region where the constant flow of particles from our Sun, called the solar wind, collides with material from the rest of the galaxy.
Q1) Who is a Galaxy ?
Galaxies are sprawling systems of dust, gas, dark matter, and anywhere from a million to a trillion stars that are held together by gravity.
Source: NASA’s IBEX spacecraft back to studying edge of solar system after glitch
Last updated on January, 2026
→ Check out the latest UPSC Syllabus 2026 here.
→ Join Vajiram & Ravi’s Interview Guidance Programme for expert help to crack your final UPSC stage.
→ UPSC Mains Result 2025 is now out.
→ UPSC Notification 2026 is scheduled to be released on January 14, 2026.
→ UPSC Calendar 2026 is released on 15th May, 2025.
→ UPSC Prelims 2026 will be conducted on 24th May, 2026 & UPSC Mains 2026 will be conducted on 21st August 2026.
→ The UPSC Selection Process is of 3 stages-Prelims, Mains and Interview.
→ UPSC Result 2024 is released with latest UPSC Marksheet 2024. Check Now!
→ UPSC Toppers List 2024 is released now. Shakti Dubey is UPSC AIR 1 2024 Topper.
→ Also check Best IAS Coaching in Delhi


