The flow of moving air is called the wind. This is observed not only on Earth, but also on other planets and even stars. Scientists found out that there is a sunny wind, and also proved his direct impact on the weather and even the well-being of people. On the nature of this phenomenon - in the material 24cm.
What is the sunny wind
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The sunny wind is ionized particles that come from the sun. The luminaire ejects streams in different directions, which consist of hydrogen-helium plasma. The temperature of the star crown is enormous, and therefore, the speed of the electron movement with ions in it is so large that the gravitational forces are not able to keep the substance. The result becomes the fact that some particles fly to outer space.
Do not confuse the phenomenon under consideration and sunlight. The first is the flow of ionized particles. And the second is the flow of photons that are not charged and are in continuous movement, developing speed up to 300,000 km / s and reaching the Earth for 8-16 seconds.
What speed "blows" solar wind
It is worth notifying that the verb "blows" is not too appropriate to the description of this phenomenon, because the sunny wind is not similar to the earth - it is not about air, but about the streams of the star substance. Ionized particles fly 400 kilometers per second, sometimes accelerating to 500-800 km / s.Researchers share two types of solar wind:
- Slow - dense, forming at the temperature expansion of ionized gases in the equator of the shone. Coronal plasma streams under the influence of dynamic process develop speeds up to 400 km / s.
- Fast - nascent in coronal holes. Threads are emitted to Earth for 27 days - during this time the star makes a full turn around the axis.
Also, scientists recorded the perturbed flows, the speed of which is 1000-1200 km / s. A similar phenomenon occurs due to coronal emissions, which cause magnetic storms.
Impact on the ground
Sunny wind is heterogeneous - as the star rotates, fast and slow flows intersect with the ground. Permanent changes in the velocity of the particles are negatively reflected on the planet magnetosphere, causing magnetic storms, polar shine and other phenomena.
Ionized particles transmit the energy atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere and causes a glow - polar shine. And when the energetic charged particles are captured and held around the planet with a magnetic field, a radiation belt is formed.
Also, the phenomenon affects the weather, including the formation of thunder fronts. In the days, when the charged particles reach the Earth, lightning is more often formed in the atmosphere. And since the activity of the sun is tracked by satellites, the results of the study helps to learn about the likelihood of a strong thunderstorm.
Scientists have proven the effect of phenomenon on the human body. Researchers from the Russian Institute named after the SCRF RAS analyzed the number of appeals for medical care for a certain period of time and found out that in the days of magnetic storms, the well-being of people suffering from heart disease and vessels deteriorated more often.
Guarding the boundaries of the solar system
Thus, the solar wind is a phenomenon that represents a certain danger to the Earth. But at the same time necessary for the solar system to protect the last of the more destructive forces of the cosmos. The streams of charged particles are displaced by interstellar gas. At the border of the collision of the solar wind with cosmic rays, helipausea is formed - a hot plasma wall. This area weakens radiation, which comes from other stars and explosions of supernova.NASA released the Voyager 2 probe, which in 2018 passed the heliopause. The object collected information about the temperature of this area, which at the border of the solar system reaches 31,000 ° C. This indicator turned out to be higher than what scientists were calculated. The researchers concluded that the strength of the collision of the solar wind with cosmic rays is much more powerful than he was supposed earlier.
Studying a phenomenon
The first assumptions about the existence of the solar wind appeared in the middle of the XIX century. This thought was voiced in 1859 by astronomer from the UK Richard Carrington. When observing the outbreak of the outbreak in the sun, the researcher noted that the next day the geomagnetic storm began on Earth. The scientist put forward a hypothesis that there is a connection between these phenomena.
After 70 years, astronomers calculated the temperature of the crown of the Sun - over 1 million degrees Celsius. British Geophysician Sydney Chepman noticed that with such temperature indicators, gas dissipates heat for hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the Earth's orbit. The contribution to the study of the nature of this phenomenon in astronomy was made by German scientist Ludwig Birmann, who proved the existence of wind with the help of comets observed in the solar system. The researcher noticed that the tail of these objects is directed in the opposite side from the star. Astronomer believed that the tail appears due to the flow of particles that put pressure on gas.
The definition of "Sunny Wind" introduced in 1958 an American Eugene Parker. The astronomer analyzed the research of Burman and Chepmen and noticed the following: the thermal conductivity of the solar crown is so good that its upper layers remains sufficiently high and at such a removal from the kernel of the shone, where the stars gravity weakens. This allows the component of the "wind" the kernels of helium, protons and electrons fly away to the interstellar space.
The assumptions received an evidence base in 1959. Studies took place on the launched USSR station "Luna-1". And in 2016, the process of the occurrence of ionized particle threads itself was possible in the NASA Stereo Observatory.
Magnetic Millennium Buri.
In the course of the research already mentioned Carrington noted the relationship between outbreaks on the central star of the solar system and changes in the Earth's magnetosphere. In September 1859, astronomer recorded a magnetic storm, which became the most powerful study of this phenomenon and received the name "Carrington Event".The scientist recorded solar spots on the star surface. The flash provoked a coronal emission that reached the surface of the earth for 18 hours instead of 3-4 days. The geomagnetic storm, which began on September 1, 1859, disabled telegraphs in Europe and the United States, and the Northern Lights were observed even over the caribbeans.
In March 1989, another geomagnetic storm had happened, which became the most powerful since the beginning of the space era, which researchers called "Quebec Darkness". In a given name, the event of the province of Canada, electricity generators failed, and 6 million people remained without light. The event has proven a direct connection between the outbreaks in the sun and the work of the equipment.
In July 2012, another powerful coronal emission occurred. According to this geomagnetic storm, this geomagnetic storm could compete with the "Carrington Event". Fortunately, the part of the solar atmosphere, where the flash occurred, was turned in the opposite direction from the ground.
Perspective energy sources
Sunny wind attracts researchers as a source of energy. Washington State University employees believe that 8400-kilometer solar sails will help to collect wind energy - thus it is planned to produce 1 quintillion GW of Energy. Also, scientists plan to explore the turbulence of this phenomenon to learn how to get a starmonium from the star plasma - on the example of the "wind" astronomers want to know under what plasma conditions are stable, which will simplify the task.