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.
When two probes orbiting the sun aligned with one another, researchers harnessed the opportunity to track the sun's magnetic field as it traveled into the solar system. They found that the sharply oscillating magnetic field ...
General Physics
Dec 19, 2024
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At night, charged particles from the sun caught by Earth's magnetosphere rain down into the atmosphere. The impacting particles rip electrons from atoms in the atmosphere, creating both beauty and chaos. These high-energy ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 18, 2024
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NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission has detected magnetic distortions in solar wind, known as switchbacks. To better understand these phenomena, whose origins remain uncertain, a study was conducted by a network of collaborators. ...
Astronomy
Dec 6, 2024
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The Northern Lights were visible much farther south than usual this year, and pictures of the colorful hues filled social media. Now, imagine an aurora hundreds of times brighter—except no one would be able to snap a photo ...
Planetary Sciences
Nov 21, 2024
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Uranus's upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades—and now scientists have shown why. Observations from Earth have shown Uranus' upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades, with no clear explanation.
Planetary Sciences
Nov 15, 2024
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NASA's Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX) is ready to launch to the International Space Station to reveal new details about the solar wind including its origin and its evolution.
Astronomy
Oct 30, 2024
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The source of Earth's water is an enduring mystery that extends to exoplanets and the notion of habitability. In broad terms, Earth's water was either part of the planet from the beginning of its formation in the solar nebula ...
Planetary Sciences
Oct 25, 2024
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On 4 August 1972, a burst of solar plasma rocked Earth's magnetic field after hurtling through space for about 14.6 hours—the fastest sun-to-Earth plasma journey ever recorded. The resulting space storm, one of several ...
Astronomy
Oct 24, 2024
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Another in a series of unusually strong solar storms hitting Earth produced stunning skies full of pinks, purples, greens and blues farther south than normal, including into parts of Germany, the United Kingdom, New England ...
Space Exploration
Oct 11, 2024
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32
The Southwest Research Institute-developed Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) has been delivered and integrated into a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite dedicated to tracking space weather. SWiPS ...
Space Exploration
Oct 2, 2024
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