Magnetic field has an important role in the processes of stellar and planetary system formation. The study led by Docent Vilppu Piirola and Docent Andrei Berdyugin is based on high-precision polarisation measurements. Starlight passing through interstellar clouds is polarised by scattering from dust particles aligned by the magnetic field.

— Polarisation means that electromagnetic oscillation is stronger in a specific direction that is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the light. The alignment of small, less than one micrometer in size, elongated dust particles is based on the same phenomenon as a compass needle aligning with the Earth's magnetic field, although it is a more complicated process, explains Vilppu Piirola.

What makes the study particularly significant, is its connection with the results obtained from the Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX) orbiter sent to explore the interaction between the Sun and the magnetic field in the solar neighbourhood. The Sun and its magnetic field interact with the surrounding interstellar matter, and the solar wind creates a so-called local bubble where the matter density is low and only little dust exists. The task of the IBEX is to observe the interface between the Sun’s heliosphere and interstellar space and matter where the solar wind practically stops.