What Is the Solar Wind? - NASA Science Search ## Suggested Searches Explore This Section # What Is the Solar Wind? From the center of the solar system, rages a powerful wind. Sent by the Sun, this wind whips at speeds exceeding one million miles per hour as it traverses to the edge of interstellar space bathing everything in its path. This is the solar wind. ### Through the solar wind, the Sun touches every part of our solar system. The solar wind’s many impacts include creating auroras and stripping planets’ atmospheres. Here’s a look at where it comes from and how it influences everything from our space environment to our lives at home. The solar wind flows constantly from the Sun, as depicted in this animation. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab ### The solar wind starts its journey at the Sun. It emanates from features on the Sun such as dark and cool regions called coronal holes and active regions, which are characterized by strong magnetic fields. These regions release solar wind with different speeds and densities. But all release the same basic components of solar wind — electrically charged particles such as protons and electrons. The solar