Sun and wind going hand in hand sounds a bit weird, right? Well, we are talking about solar wind here, which is not exactly the wind as you know it. Solar winds are continuous streams of charged subatomic particles emitted by the sun. Let’s explore some amazing solar wind facts.
The upper atmosphere of the sun, known as the corona consists mostly of protons, electrons, alpha particles, and traces of heavy ions and atomic nuclei such as Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Neon, Magnesium, and Iron. These particles can escape sun’s gravity because of their high energy resulting from the high temperature of the corona. This causes the solar wind or the solar flare.
Solar Wind Facts | Speed of Solar Winds
The solar wind speed can be broadly classified into two: fast solar winds that travel at an average velocity of 750 km/s and the slow ones that travel at speeds in the range 300-500 km/s. This means that the ‘slow’ solar winds travel at a speed approximately equal to 5000 times the speed of the fastest bullet train in the world! But, even at these speeds these winds can take 2-4 days to reach the Earth.
The difference in speed depends on the point of origin of the particles that constitute the wind. The fast solar wind originates from ‘coronal holes’, which are funnel-like regions of open field lines on the sun’s magnetic field. The slow solar wind appears to originate from a region around the sun’s equatorial belt known as the ‘streamer belt’.
Effects on Earth
The Earth’s magnetic field largely acts as a shield against the solar wind, protecting life on Earth. It traps some of the high energy particles in the solar wind and drags them towards the poles. These high-energy particles collide with the atmospheric molecules at the poles, and excite them. These excited molecules return to their normal state after a while, by losing their energy in the form of light emission. This leads to one of the most beautiful natural phenomena on our planet – the auroras that visible in the north and south poles.
Leaving aside auroras, the larger solar winds can cause a great deal of damage on Earth and its satellites. The magnetic fields from their charged streams can distort the functioning of communication satellites. They can also cause power outages. In the year 1989, these solar bursts caused a massive power outage in Eastern Canada that lasted for 9 hours. Astronauts and cosmonauts could suffer serious radiation related health hazards if they are exposed to solar winds.
Solar Wind Frequency
The frequency of solar winds varies from several occurrences in a day to less than one in a week, during the quieter periods of the sun. The number of larger solar flares are less compared to the smaller ones. Solar activity is seen to follow a 11-year cyclic pattern with peaks and lows at nearly regular intervals. The peaks are generally associated with more sunspots and therefore more solar flares.
Did you find our solar wind facts interesting? Read more such interesting topics in our Fascinating Facts section.
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