What Causes Solar Wind? – IOTW Report

What Causes Solar Wind?

 

Space.com:

The solar wind streams plasma and particles from the sun out into space. Though the wind is constant, its properties aren’t. What causes this stream, and how does it affect the Earth?

 

The corona, the sun’s outer layer, reaches temperatures of up to 2 million degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 million degrees Celsius). At this level, the sun’s gravity can’t hold on to the rapidly moving particles, and they stream away from the star.

The sun’s activity shifts over the course of its 11-year cycle, with sun spot numbers, radiation levels, and ejected material changing over time. These alterations affect the properties of the solar wind, including its magnetic field, velocity, temperature and density. The wind also differs based on where on the sun it comes from and how quickly that portion is rotating.

The velocity of the solar wind is higher over coronal holes, reaching speeds of up to 500 miles (800 kilometers) per second. The temperature and density over coronal holes are low, and the magnetic field is weak, so the field lines are open to space. These holes occur at the poles and low latitudes, reaching their largest when activity on the sun is at its minimum. Temperatures in the fast wind can reach up to 1 million F (800,000 C).

At the coronal streamer belt around the equator, the solar wind travels more slowly, at around 200 miles (300 km) per second. Temperatures in the slow wind reach up to 2.9 million F (1.6 million C).

The sun and its atmosphere are made up of plasma, a mix of positively and negatively charged particles at extremely high temperatures. But as the material leaves the sun, carried by solar wind, it becomes more gas-like.  more

19 Comments on What Causes Solar Wind?

  1. The sun controls radio wave
    propagation world wide.We are coming
    out of the bottom of the 11 year cycle
    and it is going to be fun for us ham & cb
    radio operators in the coming years.

    5
  2. Chimpy McBush, and the Donald J Trump industrial racist, homophobic, xenophobic, sexist Military Complex that gives us global warming is directly responsible.

    4
  3. @Radio, I was a young radiohead, remember skipping around the world.

    .. / …. .- …- . / ..-. — .-. –. — – – . -. / – …. . / -.-. — -.. . –..– / –. .-.. .- -.. / – …. . -.– / …. .- …- . / – …. . / – .-. .- -. … .-.. .- – — .-. … .-.-.- / -.. — / -.– — ..- / . …- . -. / -. . . -.. / -.-. — -.. . / ..-. — .-. / .- / .-.. .. -.-. . -. … . / -. — .– ..–..

    2
  4. @otd Morse code coverter gave me ?a?e?f?r????en???e?c?de???lad???e???a?e???e??ran?la??r???d????u?e?en?need?c?de?f?r?a?licen?e?n???
    is that solar speak?

    3
  5. Ain’t no sloar wind … thas jus silly!
    Ya tellin me that sun-burn is actally wind-burn but with a sunny face?
    Sound s slike bullshirts to me.

    Than I gess you could make a slowar sailboat and go sailin cross the doubter spaces? Sorta like free shit space travail?

    Yea, rite …………….

    2
  6. OTD’s doing something else with his time now, nobody could understand him:
    I/ HAVE/ FMR–EM– – EN/ – HE/ CMDE–I– / –ELAD/ – HEN– / HAVE/ – HE/ – RANSLA– MRS./ DM/ N– MU/ EVEN/ NEED/ CMDE/ FMR/ A/ LICENSE/ NME– I–I

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