Solar wind is a stream of charged particles (mainly electrons and protons) that are ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun, known as the corona. This stream of plasma flows outward through the solar system at speeds ranging from 300 to 800 kilometers per second. Solar wind plays a crucial role in shaping the heliosphere, the vast bubble-like region of space dominated by the solar magnetic field that extends well beyond the orbit of Pluto. The interaction between solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field causes phenomena such as the northern and southern lights (aurora borealis and aurora australis). Variations in solar wind can have significant effects on space weather, influencing satellite operations, communications systems, and power grids on Earth. Understanding solar wind is also important for planning future space missions, particularly those involving human travel to and from Mars, as it affects radiation levels in space.
New astrophysical research highlights a significant cosmic event two million years ago when the solar system passed through a dense interstellar cloud. This possibly altered…
The Solar Orbiter is helping identify the source of the ‘slow’ solar wind, advancing our knowledge of solar processes and their influence on space weather….
IMAP-Ultra captures crucial data on neutral atoms traveling from the edge of our solar system, aiding in the understanding of interstellar and solar wind interactions….
NASA’s MAVEN detected a unique solar event that drastically affected Mars’ atmosphere, offering vital insights into the planet’s interaction with solar phenomena. In December 2022,…
Scientists from the University of Hawai‘i found that Earth’s plasma sheet electrons affect the Moon’s weathering and may help form water. The discovery deepens our…
Images from the Solar Orbiter revealed small “picoflare” jets within a coronal hole on the Sun, which might supply energy to the solar wind, enhancing…
The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered a multitude of tiny jets of material escaping from the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Each jet lasts between 20…
Recently, there has been a lot of focus on the abundance, distribution, and origin of lunar surface water due to its vital role in future…
Models capture how solar wind charge exchange events are observed. Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used numerical methods to model the variations observed in…
Micro-Scale Current Sheets Unleash Macro-Scale Space Weather Scientists discover new physics missing from existing models of magnetic reconnection. While movies show Earth as existing in…
The Sun releases a constant stream of particles and magnetic fields called the solar wind. This solar wind slams worlds across the solar system with…
The Sun has entered its 25th solar cycle and is about to wake up. For the last few years our star has been pretty sleepy,…
Electrically charged particles from the sun strike moons and planets with great force. The consequences of these impacts can now be explained by scientists from…
New research confirms some of our ideas about where cosmic X-rays come from and reveals an entire group of X-rays that don’t come from any…
Using newly processed observations, astronomers spot tell-tale signs that the slow solar wind passing Earth originated from a magnetic phenomenon known as magnetic reconnection. From…
A newly published study uses a new model to demonstrate ion-cyclotron resonant heating in solar wind; representing a major advance in the understanding of how…
Powerful magnetic disturbances in Sol’s corona have hurled a large burst of charged particles into space on March 4th. The solar storm erupted from the…
Researchers at MIT used new data from computer simulations to prove their initially proposed theory explaining the large-scale acceleration of electrons in Earth’s magnetotail. The…