Solarwind

Solarwind commonly refers to solar wind, the continuous flow of charged particles emitted by the Sun and other stars. In space physics it is primarily composed of protons and alpha particles, with minor heavier ions. The bulk of solar wind travels at speeds from about 300 to 800 kilometers per second. As it streams outward, it carries the interplanetary magnetic field into the solar system and forms the heliosphere, the bubble that surrounds the planets. The solar wind interacts with planetary magnetospheres, driving space weather that can affect satellites, communications, and power grids on Earth. Scientists distinguish fast solar wind, typically around 700 km/s emanating from coronal holes, from slow solar wind, around 400 km/s, associated with the solar equatorial region's streamer structures. Its acceleration is linked to processes in the solar corona, including magnetic reconnection and wave-particle interactions, and it follows a spiral pattern around the Sun known as the Parker spiral due to solar rotation.

The term Solarwind is also used informally as a variant spelling of "solar wind" in non-special contexts. In branding or fiction, Solarwind has been adopted as a proper noun for various products, projects, or fictional entities. Because of the similar spelling, it is easy to confuse it with SolarWinds, a separate company that provides network management software; the two terms are distinct in spelling and context.

In research, solar wind is studied via in-situ measurements by spacecraft such as Parker Solar Probe, WIND, ACE, and Ulysses, and remote sensing of its effects on the Earth's magnetosphere and aurora. Understanding solar wind conditions is important for space weather forecasting and for planning human and robotic missions beyond Earth.