Book 8, Question 74
Why Does Solar Wind Shape a Huge Bubble Around the Planets?
The Sun blows a stream of charged particles into space called the solar wind. It pushes outward so far that it inflates a huge bubble around the planets, called the heliosphere. It acts like a shield for our solar system.
More fun facts
- The Sun sends out a constant flow of charged particles called the solar wind.
- The solar wind travels past all the planets, to about three times the distance to Pluto, before it is slowed down.
- The bubble it makes is called the heliosphere, and its outer edge is the heliopause.
- The heliosphere protects our solar system from most of the cosmic radiation coming from deep space.
- Near its edge, the solar wind gets slowed and heated, forming a layer called the heliosheath.
- Planets with magnetic fields, like Earth, have their own smaller bubbles that steer the solar wind around them.
Sources: NASA Science, NASA Science, NASA Science, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
What is the heliosphere?
It is the giant bubble the solar wind blows around our solar system.