Dec 29, 2009
Solar wind is the outflow of charged particles from the sun's outer atmosphere (corona).The charged particles, or ions, are created under the conditions of extreme heat that exist in the corona—up to 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit (2 million degrees Celsius). Atoms within the gases of the corona heat up, collide, and lose electrons. Solar wind is a state of matter called plasma, which is different from a solid, liquid, or gas.
The solar wind flows away from the sun at a speed of 310 miles (500 kilometers) per second. As solar wind approaches Earth and other planets, it gets caught up in the planetary magnetosphere. The magnetosphere is the region surrounding a planet, occupied by the lines of force of its magnetic field. The magnetosphere protects a planet from the effects of solar wind.
In 1959, the Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 confirmed the existence of solar wind and made the first measurements...
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