Science 10 with CSS teacher

The solar wind is made up of charged particles called plasma - mainly electrons and protons - that escape the Sun's powerful gravity and race across the Solar System.

The solar wind is powerful and is believed to have eroded or stripped away the atmospheres of other planets such as Mercury. Earth's relatively strong magnetic and gravitational fields have preserved its atmosphere from the constant onslaught. Observers near the poles sometimes see beautiful lights in the night sky known as auroras, the result of the solar wind interacting with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere.

Solar Wind BBC Science Accessed January 31, 2012