Related topics: magnetic field , solar system
Solar wind
hideThe solar wind is a stream of charged particles—a plasma—ejected from the upper atmosphere of the sun. It consists mostly of electrons and protons with energies of about 1 keV. The stream of particles varies in temperature and speed with the passage of time. These particles are able to escape the sun's gravity, in part because of the high temperature of the corona, but also because of high kinetic energy that particles gain through a process that is not well-understood.
The solar wind creates the Heliosphere, a vast bubble in the interstellar medium surrounding the solar system. Other phenomena include geomagnetic storms that can knock out power grids on Earth, the aurorae such as the Northern Lights, and the plasma tails of comets that always point away from the sun.
For more information about Solar wind, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with solar wind
New spaceship force field makes Mars trip possible
Nov 04, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (108) |
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According to the international space agencies, "Space Weather" is the single greatest obstacle to deep space travel. Radiation from the sun and cosmic rays pose a deadly threat to astronauts in space.
Voyager makes an interstellar discovery
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 26, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (60) |
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The solar system is passing through an interstellar cloud that physics says should not exist. In the Dec. 24th issue of Nature, a team of scientists reveal how NASA's Voyager spacecraft have solved the mystery.
Ulysses spacecraft data indicate Solar System shield lowering
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 23, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (45) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- Data from the joint ESA/NASA Ulysses mission show that the Sun has reduced its output of solar wind to the lowest levels since accurate readings have become available. This current state of ...
First images of solar system's invisible frontier
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 02, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (35) |
5
NASA's sun-focused STEREO spacecraft unexpectedly detected particles from the edge of the solar system last year, allowing University of California, Berkeley, scientists to map for the first time the energized ...
The Stars My Destination
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 10, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (23) |
2
The Voyager spacecraft are now in the outermost layer of the heliosphere, traveling toward interstellar space - the first man-made spacecraft to travel such a vast distance from Earth.
Scientists Explore Galactic Frontier, Release First-Ever All-Sky Map (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 15, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (23) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft has made it possible for scientists to construct the first comprehensive sky map of our solar system and its location in the Milky ...
Scientists discover surprise in Earth's upper atmosphere
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 10, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (23) |
5
(PhysOrg.com) -- UCLA atmospheric scientists have discovered a previously unknown basic mode of energy transfer from the solar wind to the Earth's magnetosphere. The research, federally funded by the National ...
How to deflect asteroids and save the Earth
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 16, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (20) |
19
You may want to thank David French in advance. Because, in the event that a comet or asteroid comes hurtling toward Earth, he may be the guy responsible for saving the entire planet.
Mystery Source of Solar Wind Heating Identified
Jul 17, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (18) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The solar wind is hotter than it should be, and for decades researchers have puzzled over the unknown source of energy that heats it. In a paper published in the June 12 issue of Physical Re ...
Cluster watches Earth's leaky atmosphere
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Aug 28, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (19) |
8
Oxygen is constantly leaking out of Earth’s atmosphere and into space. Now, ESA’s formation-flying quartet of satellites, Cluster, has discovered the physical mechanism that is driving the escape. It turns ...
How Low Can It Go? Sun Plunges into the Quietest Solar Minimum in a Century
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 01, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (18) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The sunspot cycle is behaving a little like the stock market. Just when you think it has hit bottom, it goes even lower.
Cosmic Rays Hit Space Age High
Sep 29, 2009 |
5 / 5 (16) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Planning a trip to Mars? Take plenty of shielding. According to sensors on NASA's ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) spacecraft, galactic cosmic rays have just hit a Space Age high.
Solar Wind Rips Up Martian Atmosphere
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 21, 2008 |
4.9 / 5 (15) |
1
Researchers have found new evidence that the atmosphere of Mars is being stripped away by solar wind. It's not a gently continuous erosion, but rather a ripping process in which chunks of Martian air detach ...
How the Moon produces its own water
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 15, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (15) |
6
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Moon is a big sponge that absorbs electrically charged particles given out by the Sun. These particles interact with the oxygen present in some dust grains on the lunar surface, producing ...
Solar Shield Experiment Aims to Keep the Power On
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 01, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (16) |
1
When you flip a light switch to illuminate the pages of your favorite book or reach into your refrigerator for that last piece of key lime pie, you expect the electric current coursing through the outlets ...
