The Solar Wind: A Heliophysics Sea Shanty (The Wellerman parody)

  • Released Friday, May 7, 2021
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Parodying the classic sea shanty The Wellerman, "The Solar Wind: A Heliophysics Sea Shanty" illuminates one of the primary connections between the Sun and Earth, the solar wind. The Sun releases a constant outflow of magnetized material, known as the solar wind. The solar wind causes a cascade of effects on space and Earth. The most brilliant of these is the aurora, glowing light shows that provide a stunning example of the Sun-Earth connection. Find the latest NASA heliophysics research at nasa.gov/sunearth.

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]

There once was a star in a galaxy

It was named the Sun and thankfully

It weaves a solar tapestry

Sends particles high and low

[Chorus]

Soon may the solar wind come

To bring us plasma and magnetism

Filled with hydrogen and helium

And the solar wind will blow

[Verse 2]

The solar wind charts a course

Pulling lines of magnetic force

Flowing outwards from the source

Throws particles to and fro

Hyuh!

[Chorus]

Soon may the solar wind come

To bring us plasma and magnetism

Filled with hydrogen and helium

And the solar wind will blow

[Verse 3]

The Earth spun with its iron core

While the solar wind knocks at the door

Magnetosphere screams “no more!”

Until it must let go

[Verse 4]

Once a magnetic line is freed

Buckling under the wind’s stampede

It whips back with tremendous speed

Sends particles to the poles

[Chorus]

Soon may the solar wind come

To bring us plasma and magnetism

Filled with hydrogen and helium

And the solar wind will blow

[Verse 5]

The particles speed back here

And ricochet through the atmosphere

Exciting oxygen and nitrogen there

Making those particles glow

[Verse 6]

On and on the cycle spins

Sun and Earth are celestial kin

Dancing through the solar wind

Connected by its flow

[Chorus]

Soon may the solar wind come

To bring us plasma and magnetism

Filled with hydrogen and helium

And the solar wind will blow

[Chorus]

Soon may the solar wind come

To bring us plasma and magnetism

Filled with hydrogen and helium

And the solar wind will blow

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Friday, May 7, 2021.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:44 PM EDT.