Aurinkotuultea

Aurinkotuultea is the Finnish term for the solar wind, the continuous flow of charged particles released from the Sun's outer atmosphere into interplanetary space. It consists mainly of protons and alpha particles, with electrons and trace heavier ions. In the vicinity of Earth, solar wind speeds typically range from about 300 to 800 kilometers per second, while particle densities are on the order of a few particles per cubic centimeter and decrease with distance from the Sun.

The solar wind originates in the solar corona, where high temperatures and open magnetic field lines allow plasma to escape the Sun's gravity. There are two primary components: a fast solar wind (roughly 600–800 km/s) associated with coronal holes, and a slower wind (about 300–500 km/s) linked to the streamer belt and active regions. The wind carries the Sun's magnetic field into interplanetary space, forming the heliosphere, the vast magnetic bubble that envelops the planets.

Earth and other planets interact with the solar wind through their magnetospheres. Dynamic pressure from the wind compresses the dayside magnetosphere and stretches the nightside into a magnetotail. These interactions can energize particles and produce auroras, and they may drive geomagnetic storms, especially when solar activity enhances the wind or when coronal mass ejections deliver large bursts of plasma and magnetic field.

Solar activity cycles modulate wind properties over roughly 11 years, and transient events like CMEs can cause strong disturbances. The solar wind is studied by spacecraft such as the Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, ACE, WIND, and SOHO, which measure particle fluxes, speeds, and magnetic fields at various locations in the heliosphere.

In Finnish science communication, aurinkotuultea is discussed in contexts such as space weather, satellite safety, and the auroral phenomena visible at high latitudes.