A Wind From The Sun
Explanation:
A wind from the Sun blows through
our Solar System.
The behaviour
of comet tails
as they flapped and waved in this
interplanetary breeze gave astronomers
the first hint of its existence.
Streaming outward at 250-400 miles/second, electrons and ions boiling
off the Sun's incredibly hot but tenuous corona account for
the Solar Wind - now
known to
affect the Earth and other planets
along with voyaging spacecraft.
Rooted in
the Solar Magnetic Field, the
structure of the corona is visible
extending a million
miles
above the Sun's surface
in this composite image from the EIT and
UVCS instruments onboard the
SOHO spacecraft.
The dark areas, known as coronal holes, represent the regions
where the highest speed
Solar Wind originates.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
