Solar Wind

The solar wind is a continuous outflow of charged particles—primarily protons and electrons—emitted by the Sun’s corona. This stream of plasma propagates through the heliosphere and interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere. Variations in solar wind speed, density, temperature, and magnetic field structure (particularly the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field) are key drivers of geomagnetic activity. Southward Bz (i.e. negative values) orientation enhances coupling with Earth's magnetic field, increasing the likelihood of geomagnetic storms.

The data presented here are sourced from the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) spacecraft, positioned at Lagrange Point L1, 1.5M km from Earth. At the current speed, it will take ... minutes for the solar wind to propagate from DSCOVR to Earth.