The outward flow of solar particles and magnetic fields from the Sun. Typically at 1 AU, solar wind velocities are near 375 km/s and proton and electron densities are near 5 cm-3. The total intensity
of the interplanetary magnetic field is nominally 5 nT.
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles (i.e., a plasma) which are ejected from the upper atmosphere of the sun. It consists mostly of high-energy electrons and protons (about 1 keV) that are
able to escape the sun's gravity in part because of the high temperature of the corona and the high kinetic energy particles gain through a process that is not well understood at this time.
A mass outflow, consisting of protons, electrons, and other subatomic particles, expelled constantly from the solar corona at about 500 km per second. The solar mass-loss rate in this phenomenon amoun
ts to about 2 x 10^-14 solar masses per year, or about 106 tons per second.