In the motion of the Sun through the ISM, the flow of interstellar H atoms
in the solar system is carved by their destruction during ionization
charge-exchange with solar wind protons .The atoms not yet destroyed are
illuminated by solar Lyman-alpha photons and maps of sky L-alpha emission
recorded with SWAN instrument on SOHO reflect the latitude distibution of
the solar wind. Some results of this remote sensing solar wind mapper will
be presented and compared with Ulysses in-situ measurements. In the region
of maximum emission , located in the upwind hemisphere, a depression
aligned with the solar equatorial plane called the L alpha groove is the
direct imprint on the sky of the enhanced carving by the slow solar wind,
at this time of solar minimum.
The interaction of the heliosphere with the ISM will be discussed, with new results allowing to predict the distance of the heliopause to the sun.In particular, theory predicts the presence of a wall of neutral H at 150 AU in the upwind direction, supported by several observations.The local structure of interstellar clouds around the sun will be described, allowing to make predictions on the future behavior of our heliosphere.Finally, the possibility to detect the astrospheres of other stars will be discussed briefly.