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We live inside the heliosphere,

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a kind of “house”

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created by the Sun

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that protects our solar system.

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But our house

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is not the only one

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on the block!

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Other stars

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have their own version

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of the heliosphere.

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They’re called astrospheres,

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and we’re

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just starting to learn

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how they compare to ours.

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Take Epsilon Eridani

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for example,

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a star about 10.5

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light-years away.

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Its astrosphere

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is estimated
to be over 15

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times larger than
our heliosphere!

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That’s a much more effective

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shield against dangerous

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particles

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impinging from outside,

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but it comes at a cost.

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To create that

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impressive astrosphere,

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Epsilon Eridani blows out

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a stellar wind

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about 30 times

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stronger than our Sun’s.

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That’s powerful enough

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to blow some planets’

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atmospheres right off!

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To support life on a planet,

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you need a star that is

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protective

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but not overbearing.

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We study our own heliosphere

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to help us figure out

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what it takes

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to get that balance right.

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NASA’s IMAP mission,

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will help us learn

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how our Sun creates

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our home in space —

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knowledge that will guide us

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in the search

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for livable conditions

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elsewhere.