The Solar Wind

The Solar Wind

The sun emits material at a rate of about 1 million tons of gas per second as seen in this shot of a solar eclipse. This material blows out like a wind through the solar system. Because of the solar winds, a comet tail always points away from the sun, since the pressure from the wind is pushing it out. Also, the intensity of the cosmic rays in the inner part of the solar system is reduced by the magnetic fields carried on the wind, which tend to deflect the rays, thus providing a shield against that radiation. The interaction of the wind with the earth's magnetic field is responsible in part for such phenomena as auroras and geomagnetic storms. [VH] {EP}