This week, a coronal hole in the Sun opened up, which then began spewing solar winds towards the Earth. As a result, a minor solar storm was triggered on December 13, and another one was triggered a few hours ago today, December 14. Such patchy solar storms are expected to continue for the next few days till the coronal hole is closed and solar winds are stopped. Making our planet vulnerable to solar storms, solar winds are dangerous. But what exactly are they and how are they contributing to the solar storm problem on Earth? NASA explains. (Pixabay)
1/5 This week, a coronal hole in the Sun opened up, which then began spewing solar winds towards the Earth. As a result, a minor solar storm was triggered on December 13, and another one was triggered a few hours ago today, December 14. Such patchy solar storms are expected to continue for the next few days till the coronal hole is closed and solar winds are stopped. Making our planet vulnerable to solar storms, solar winds are dangerous. But what exactly are they and how are they contributing to the solar storm problem on Earth? NASA explains. (Pixabay)
According to a NASA post, solar winds are the outward expansion of plasma from the Sun’s corona (outermost atmosphere). You can imagine them to be a semi-gaseous object that has a strong magnetic field of itself. As it heats up due to the constant nuclear fusion on the Sun, the gravity of the star fails to hold it to its ground. Now where does it go then? We all know that the Sun completes one rotation around its axis in 27 days, which is a very high speed compared to its size. As it rotates, the plasma gets accumulated towards the polar region of the Sun. (Pixabay)
2/5 According to a NASA post, solar winds are the outward expansion of plasma from the Sun’s corona (outermost atmosphere). You can imagine them to be a semi-gaseous object that has a strong magnetic field of itself. As it heats up due to the constant nuclear fusion on the Sun, the gravity of the star fails to hold it to its ground. Now where does it go then? We all know that the Sun completes one rotation around its axis in 27 days, which is a very high speed compared to its size. As it rotates, the plasma gets accumulated towards the polar region of the Sun. (Pixabay)
The polar region of the Sun is where the outwardly moving magnetic field lines exist and it surrounds the Sun in a sheath of plasma. But as solar wind projects further and further it spreads itself thin and can no longer resist the inward push of interstellar space medium. As it gets pushed too far, it causes a shockwave called the termination shock, gets flung out and because of its speed and moving pattern, it is known as the solar wind. (Pixabay)
3/5 The polar region of the Sun is where the outwardly moving magnetic field lines exist and it surrounds the Sun in a sheath of plasma. But as solar wind projects further and further it spreads itself thin and can no longer resist the inward push of interstellar space medium. As it gets pushed too far, it causes a shockwave called the termination shock, gets flung out and because of its speed and moving pattern, it is known as the solar wind. (Pixabay)
How solar winds cause solar storms: Solar winds do not directly cause solar storms. As explained above, sometimes they weaken the Earth’s magnetic field to make it easier for weaker coronal mass ejections (CME) to enter the lower atmosphere of Earth and cause a storm. One other way these winds help solar storms is by using their own speed to accelerate the CME. And since solar winds contain magnetic charges of their own, it intensifies the CME at the same time, causing more powerful solar storms on Earth. (Pixabay)
4/5 How solar winds cause solar storms: Solar winds do not directly cause solar storms. As explained above, sometimes they weaken the Earth’s magnetic field to make it easier for weaker coronal mass ejections (CME) to enter the lower atmosphere of Earth and cause a storm. One other way these winds help solar storms is by using their own speed to accelerate the CME. And since solar winds contain magnetic charges of their own, it intensifies the CME at the same time, causing more powerful solar storms on Earth. (Pixabay)
It should be noted that solar winds are not dangerous just for causing the CIR effect. Two out of the last three solar storms that occurred on the Earth were all brought on by solar winds and they not only accelerated the timeline for the hit but also made it more intense. They play an important role in bringing solar storms to our planet. (Pixabay)
5/5 It should be noted that solar winds are not dangerous just for causing the CIR effect. Two out of the last three solar storms that occurred on the Earth were all brought on by solar winds and they not only accelerated the timeline for the hit but also made it more intense. They play an important role in bringing solar storms to our planet. (Pixabay)