Solar wind

:Ion storm redirects here. For information about the games software company, see Ion Storm Inc. For the British comic, see Solar Wind (comic).

Related Topics:
Ion Storm Inc. - Solar Wind (comic)

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A solar wind is a stream of charged particles (i.e., a plasma) which are ejected from the upper atmosphere of a star. When originating from stars other than the Earth's Sun, it is sometimes called a stellar wind.

Related Topics:
Particle - Plasma - Upper atmosphere - Star - Earth's - Sun

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It consists mostly of high-energy electrons and protons (about 500 keV) that are able to escape the star's gravity because of their high thermal energy. Many phenomena can be explained by the solar wind, such as geomagnetic storms that knock out power grids on Earth, auroras, the tail of a comet always pointing away from the Sun, and the formation of distant stars.

Related Topics:
Electrons - Proton - KeV - Geomagnetic storm - Aurora - Comet

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