The solar wind is a continuous stream of charged particles—primarily electrons and protons—that flows outward from the Sun's corona at incredible speeds of 300-800 kilometers per second, extending throughout the Solar System and beyond. This invisible "stellar breath" carries about one million tons of material away from the Sun every second, yet it's so tenuous that it creates a near-perfect vacuum.</p><p>First theorized by physicist Eugene Parker in 1958 and confirmed by Soviet Luna missions in the early 1960s, the solar wind originates from the Sun's corona, where temperatures exceed one million degrees Celsius. This extreme heat gives particles enough energy to escape the Sun's gravitational pull entirely.</p><p>The solar wind profoundly shapes our Solar System. It sculpts comet tails, always pointing them away from the Sun regardless of the comet's direction of travel. On Earth, when solar wind particles interact with our magnetic field, they create the spectacular auroras—nature's own light show visible near the poles. The solar wind also poses challenges for astronauts and satellites, as intense bursts during solar storms can disrupt electronics and communications.</p><p>Perhaps most remarkably, the solar wind creates a vast bubble called the heliosphere, extending over 100 times Earth's distance from the Sun, effectively shielding our Solar System from harmful cosmic radiation from deep space.