Interstellar Dust Flow through the Solar System

The in‐situ dust detector on board the Ulysses spacecraft has collected the most comprehensive dataset of interstellar dust (ISD) particles penetrating the heliosphere between 1992 and 2007.In 2005 we identified a shift in dust flow direction by 50°, whereas before (from 1992 to 2004) it was aligned within 20° with the direction of the undisturbed dust flow through the interstellar environment. Furthermore, in this time period the dust flux shows a steep rise, which is observed in the small particles 4 months ahead of an increase in the larger particle flux. These variations of the dust flux and angular distribution can only be understood in terms of the grain interaction with the heliospheric plasma environment.