The Solar Wind Emerges
Explanation:
Winds of fast
particles blow out from the
Sun, but
why?
Astronomers came a
step closer to answering this question
recently by making detailed observations of the
high-speed wind source with the space-borne
Solar
and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).
Images like those shown above isolate regions of
inflowing gas, shown in red, and outflowing gas, shown in blue.
Particles such as
electrons and
protons flow out at speeds near 3 million kilometers per hour.
This wind will typically enter one of the Sun's
coronal holes
before flowing out into the
Solar System.
Analysis indicates that the
high-speed wind escapes at the edges of large
convection cells, drawn in black.
SOHO has recently been revived to run without
the use of any orienting
gyroscopes.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
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NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.