What is the composition of solar wind?
Question:
Answer:
The solar wind is a continuous stream of ions (electrically charged particles) that are given off by the sun. Since the particles are emitted from the Sun as the Sun rotates, the solar wind blows in a pinwheel pattern through the solar system. It takes the solar wind about 5 days to reach Earth; it has a velocity of about 500 miles/hour (800 km/sec). The solar wind travels along vibrating magnetic waves which are propagated by the Sun
From Wikipedia:
"The solar wind is responsible for the overall shape of Earth's magnetosphere, and fluctuations in its speed, density, direction, and entrained magnetic field strongly affect Earth's local space environment. For example, the levels of ionizing radiation and radio interference can vary by factors of hundreds to thousands; and the shape and location of the geopause (Earth's bow shock wave in the solar wind) can change by several Earth radii, exposing geosynchronous satellites to the direct solar wind. These phenomena are collectively called space weather."
The solar wind is the radiation stream that the sun ejects from its surface into space.
Initial radiation from a solar flare, including X-rays, travels to Earth at the speed of light.
Gee...and I thought it was passing gas while lying on a beach
solar wind, stream of ionized hydrogen—protons and electrons—with an 8% component of helium ions and trace amounts of heavier ions that radiates outward from the sun at high speeds. The continuous expansion of the solar corona into the surrounding vacuum of space carries away from the sun about 1 million tons of gas per sec; this blows out like a wind through the solar system. During the days of quiet sunspot activity the wind at the sun has an approximate density of 1 billion atoms per cc and a temperature of about 1 million degrees Fahrenheit. During relatively quiet periods, the wind moves outward from the sun at velocities of 220 to 440 mi (350 to 700 km) per sec (averaging about 1 million mph/1.6 million kph). Near the earth it has a density ranging from 3 to 6 atoms per cc, a velocity of 450 mi (700 km) per sec, and a temperature of about 1,300°F (700°C); during periods of greater sunspot activity it shows corresponding increases in density, temperature, and velocity—reaching speeds of 2 million mph (3.2 million kph). The increased velocity is attributed to acceleration caused by magnetic waves spiraling from the sun. The wind is believed to extend out to between 100 and 200 AU (1 AU is the mean distance between the earth and the sun), far beyond Pluto (at 39 AU), where it is dispersed in the interstellar gases.
Many effects result from the solar wind. The characteristic that a comet tail always points away from the sun is explained by the pressure of the wind pushing it out. The intensity of the cosmic rays in the inner part of the solar system is reduced by the magnetic fields carried on the wind, which tend to deflect the rays, thus providing a shield against that radiation. The interaction of the wind with the earth's magnetic field is responsible in part for such phenomena as auroras and geomagnetic storms.
-Particularly strong bursts of particles can penetrate the upper atmosphere and disrupt radio communications on Earth.-
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