5 Ways the Solar Wind Will Blow You Away

We all know the sun is a powerful thing. It's the center of our solar system, keeping all the planets in orbit, and it sustains life here on Earth. But the sun affects objects in our solar system in many more ways. One not-so-obvious way is through the solar wind. The solar wind is a continuous flow of charged particles from the sun that are blasted through interplanetary space. Here are five ways the solar wind affects some celestial bodies in our solar system.

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Planets Shake Their Tail Feathers

Thanks to the solar wind, and solar radiation, Mercury can be seen dragging along a comet-esque tail. Solar radiation causes sodium atoms to be removed from Mercury's surface. The solar wind then whips them up and sends them into a tail, trailing the planet. The sun has had a similar effect on Mars.

Venus' Bleeding Atmosphere Venus' atmosphere is bleeding away thanks to the solar wind. Earth's atmosphere is held in place by a magnetic field. Unfortunately for Venus, it doesn’t have the luxury of a magnetic field, and its atmosphere is slowly being blown away into space.

Interplanetary Windsurfing The solar wind and solar radiation generate pressure, and thus can propel objects through space like wind on Earth propels a sailboat across water. So if one were to build a large, strong, yet lightweight sail, this pressure from the sun could actually be harnessed to navigate space. And you'd be able to fly on a low budget because you wouldn't use fuel. In May 2010, Japan launched a solar sail prototype intended to coast through space by harnessing solar radiation pressure.

Wiggling Comets As comets travel the cosmos, their tails can be seen wiggling. They don't do this on their own accord however, or even because they're happy. Changes in the speed of the solar wind causes the comet tails to change positions, giving them a "wiggling" effect.

Messing with Earth The solar wind isn't just a breeze blowing about in space. Carried within it are super-fast energy streams. This energy creates intense magnetic fields, which impact the outskirts of our atmosphere. It can even be so rude as to knock out our communications networks and disrupt our satellites. Related Discovery News content: Incoming! The Sun Unleashes CME at Earth Impact! Coronal Mass Ejection Hits Earth Is the Sun Emitting a Mystery Particle? Why Should YOU Care About the Sun? The Sun's Coronal Rain Puzzle Solved