Local Interstellar Cloud

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/local-interstellar-cloud

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the designation?Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC), also known as Local Fluff
2. What is the estimated diameter?Approximately 30 light-years
3. Why is it called "Local Fluff"?Because it is a small, nearby cloud of gas and dust that looks like a gentle puff in space.
4. How does the Local Interstellar Cloud affect the Sun’s heliosphere?The cloud pushes against the Sun’s solar wind, shaping the heliopause, the boundary that protects Earth from many space rays.

Interstellar Medium (ISM): The diffuse matter and radiation filling the space between stars, comprising gas, dust, and cosmic rays.
Heliosphere: The vast magnetic bubble surrounding the Sun, created by the solar wind, which extends far beyond the planets.
Heliopause: The boundary where the outward pressure of the solar wind is balanced by the inward pressure of the interstellar medium.
Cosmic Rays: High-energy particles originating from outside the Solar System, traveling at nearly the speed of light.