The Solar Wind

The Sun is not a quiet place.

Disturbances in the Sun’s magnetic field create Sunspots

The magnetic fields near sunspots produce active regions on the Sun, which can produce Solar Flares, Prominences and Coronal Mass Ejections.

Solar Flares are brief but bright eruptions of hot gas on the sun

Prominences are huge plumes of glowing gas that jut out from the Sun.

Coronal mass ejections are explosions on the surface of the Sun that shoots particles out into the solar system.

The Sun also sends out a continuous flow of particles known as the Solar Wind

The outer-most layer of the Sun (the Corona) gets so hot that gases can escape the Sun’s gravity

The Sun also sends out a continuous flow of particles known as the Solar Wind The outer-most layer of the Sun (the Corona) gets so hot that gases can escape the Sun’s gravity The atoms in the gas become Ionized (break up into protons and electrons)

The Sun also sends out a continuous flow of particles known as the Solar Wind The outer-most layer of the Sun (the Corona) gets so hot that gases can escape the Sun’s gravity The atoms in the gas become Ionized (break up into protons and electrons) The Solar Wind streams out into space at speeds of about 400 km/s (890,000 mph)

The Solar Wind varies considerably

What happens to the Solar Wind when it hits the Earth’s magnetic field? The most of the charged particles in the solar wind are diverted by the Earth’s Magnetic Field.

Life could not exist on Earth without the Magnetic Field to block the dangerous particles in the Solar Wind.

Some particles may enter the atmosphere near the poles or at the magneto tail

The charged particles that enter the atmosphere cause the Aurora Borealis (or the northern lights)

Other radiation particles that enter Earth are trapped in two large donut-shaped regions called the Van Allen Radiation Belts

Variations in the Solar Wind have been known to affect: Communications Communications Satellites Satellites Power Transmission Power Transmission Air Travel Safety Air Travel Safety Space Travel Space Travel

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