What are solar winds?
By virtue of your high temperature, in order of millions of degrees Celsius, the outermost part of the solar atmosphere is called the corona and it is responsible for emitting a constant flow of very energetic particles throughout space. Among these particles, there are mostly electrons, protons and alpha particles. The ejection speed of these particles is variable, reaching values of up to 800 km/s.
All this energy comes from the reactions of Nuclear fusion that occur in the core of our sun.
solar wind effects
The solar wind is believed to have been responsible for sweeping the atmosphere of planets close to the Sun, such as Mercury. Due to the intensity of your magnetic field, the Earth is capable of lessen this effect: when particles from the Sun reach us, they are deflected for the magnetic force, making a spiral movement in the sky and losing part of its kinetic energy because of friction with the Earth's atmosphere. This interaction generates a true natural spectacle known as the polar aurora.
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In addition to the solar wind, there are coronal mass ejections: violent eruptions from the solar corona. When they reach Earth, they can cause geomagnetic storms and damage to electrical appliances, interference in telecommunications, changes in satellite orbits due to heating and change of altitude from the upper layers of the atmosphere, among others.
There are also risks biological: some ions from the solar wind are endowed with high energy and therefore are capable of damage tissue and the delicate structure of DNA molecules, leading to serious complications such as cancer.
Monitoring of solar activity is done through terrestrial observatories and satellites and is able to provide predictions of solar events or variations in solar wind emissions.
By Rafael Hellerbrock
Graduated in Physics
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
HELERBROCK, Rafael. "What are solar winds?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/fisica/o-que-sao-os-ventos-solares.htm. Accessed on July 27, 2021.
