Fast and Slow Solar Wind

This artist’s concept shows a representative state of Earth’s magnetosphere immersed in the so-called “slow” solar wind, which averages between about 180 - 300 miles per second (approx. 300 - 500 kilometers per second). The slow solar wind originates from coronal streamers and other solar features most commonly found around the Sun’s equator, which make the slow solar wind the typical state of the solar wind along the equatorial plane in which the planets orbit.

This artist’s concept shows Earth’s magnetosphere immersed in the so-called “fast” solar wind, which averages between about 300 - 500 miles per second (approx. 500 - 800 kilometers per second). The fast solar wind originates from coronal holes: darker, lower density patches of the Sun’s atmosphere where the Sun’s magnetic field lines connect to interplanetary space, allowing solar material to escape out in a high-speed stream. Coronal holes are more common closer to the Sun’s poles but can occasionally appear on any area of the Sun. When a fast stream of solar wind reaches Earth, it can compress Earth’s magnetosphere like a windsock blowing in the wind.