Solar Wind

sun · space plasma · particles

Stream from the Sun. Solar wind is made of charged particles that escape from the Sun's outermost layer, called the corona. These particles include electrons, protons, and other tiny pieces of atoms.

Charged particle mix. The solar wind carries not just simple particles but also heavier atoms like carbon, oxygen, iron, and magnesium. These elements come from the same material that makes up the Sun itself.

Energy from heat. Particles can escape the Sun's gravity and zoom into space because the corona is incredibly hot. This extreme heat gives the particles so much energy that they overcome the Sun's pull.

Invisible magnetic field. Mixed in with the solar wind particles is the interplanetary magnetic field, an invisible force that travels through space along with them. This field shapes how the solar wind behaves around planets.

Always changing. Solar wind doesn't stay the same everywhere or all the time. Its density, temperature, and speed shift depending on where it is and when it arrives, making space weather constantly different.