Solar wind is a continuous, supersonic outflow of ionized plasma from the solar corona into interplanetary space, consisting primarily of electrons, protons, and alpha particles embedded in the interplanetary magnetic field. It arises from coronal heating and open magnetic field structures, with typical speeds of ~300–800 km/s and densities of a few particles per cubic centimeter at 1 AU. Solar wind exhibits distinct regimes, notably fast and slow wind with differing composition and turbulence properties, and drives key heliophysical phenomena including the formation of the heliosphere, bow shocks, and magnetospheric dynamics such as geomagnetic storms and auroral activity.
In recent years, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has given us a close-up look at the sun. Among the probe's revelations was the presence of numerous kinks, or "switchbacks," in magnetic field lines in the sun's outer atmosphere. ...
Planetary Sciences
Oct 8, 2025
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Spirals of solar wind can spin off larger solar eruptions and disrupt Earth's magnetic field, yet they are too difficult to detect with our current single-location warning system, according to a new study from the University ...
Astronomy
Oct 6, 2025
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73
Scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that can forecast solar wind speeds up to four days in advance, significantly more accurately than current methods. The study is published ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 16, 2025
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86
A new study led by Southwest Research Institute's Dr. Michael Starkey has provided observational evidence from the SwRI-led Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission of pickup ions (PUIs) and associated wave activity in the ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 10, 2025
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68
The moon's thin atmosphere, called an exosphere, has been a puzzle to science for some time. Two main processes were thought to create this wispy gas envelope; tiny meteoroids hitting the surface and solar wind particles ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 22, 2025
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48
The magnetosphere, formed by Earth's magnetic field, acts as a protective shield that deflects solar wind—the flow of charged particles constantly streaming from the sun toward our planet. This magnetic barrier protects our ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 22, 2025
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56
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists conducted lab experiments to address a mystery about the origins of frozen hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on Jupiter's icy moon Europa. Their results, published in the July 2025 issue ...
Astrobiology
Jul 21, 2025
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New research utilizing data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe has provided the first direct evidence of a phenomenon known as the "helicity barrier" in the solar wind. This discovery, published in Physical Review X by Queen ...
Plasma Physics
Jul 8, 2025
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77
The impacts of space weather such as extreme solar winds and magnetic waves are not limited to outer space. Bursts of plasma emanating from the sun, for instance, can temporarily intensify electric and magnetic fields on ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 23, 2025
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32
Solar sails represent one of the most elegant concepts in space exploration: using sunlight itself to propel spacecraft through the cosmos without any fuel. But these thin, light giants face a stubborn engineering challenge ...
Space Exploration
Jun 16, 2025
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