What Causes the Solar Wind to Flow From the Sun?

💡 The Answer

• The solar wind is a stream of charged particles escaping the Sun's corona.
• High temperatures in the corona give particles enough energy to overcome gravity.
• Magnetic field lines open up at coronal holes, allowing plasma to flow outward.
• The wind varies in speed, from slow (300 km/s) to fast (800 km/s) streams.
• It shapes the heliosphere and interacts with planetary magnetospheres.