Solar wind

Quick Facts: Who was Solar wind?

Subject:

Solar wind

Known for:

A continuous stream of charged particles ejected from the Sun's outer atmosphere.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the Sun's outermost atmospheric layer, the corona. This plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy between 0.5 and 10 keV. The composition of the solar wind plasma also includes a mixture of particle species found in the solar plasma: trace amounts of heavy ions and atomic nuclei of elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, magnesium, silicon, sulfur, and iron.

Career & Major Achievements

There are also rarer traces of some other nuclei and isotopes such as phosphorus, titanium, chromium, and nickel's isotopes 58Ni, 60Ni, and 62Ni. Superimposed with the solar-wind plasma is the interplanetary magnetic field. The solar wind varies in density, temperature and speed over time and over solar latitude and longitude.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Its particles can escape the Sun's gravity because of their high energy resulting from the high temperature of the corona, which in turn is a result of the coronal magnetic field. The boundary separating the corona from the solar wind is called the Alfvén surface.

Notable Quotes by Solar wind

“The math needed to discover the solar wind was, per Parker just "four lines of algebra".” (2022)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Solar wind

True or False: “The solar wind plasma is primarily composed of electrons, protons, and alpha particles, which are accelerated by the Sun's magnetic field.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): The high energy of the particles allows them to escape the Sun's gravity, a process driven by the intense magnetic fields within the corona.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Solar wind