A Wind From The Sun

Astronomy Picture of the Day · 1997-02-17 · NASA (public domain)

A Wind From The Sun — APOD for 1997-02-17

Explanation : A wind from the Sun blows through our Solar System . The behaviour of comet tails as they flapped and waved in this interplanetary breeze gave astronomers the first hint of its existence . Streaming outward at 250-400 miles/second, electrons and ions boiling off the Sun's incredibly hot but tenuous corona account for the Solar Wind - now known to affect the Earth and other planets along with voyaging spacecraft . Rooted in the Solar Magnetic Field , the structure of the corona is visible in this composite image from the EIT and UVCS instruments onboard the SOHO spacecraft , extending a million miles above the Sun's surface . The dark areas, known as coronal holes, represent the regions where the highest speed Solar Wind originates.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for 1997-02-17 — image & explanation courtesy of NASA (public domain), mirrored at Tukuk-OS for reading and search convenience.