What is the solar wind?

The answer

The solar wind is a continuous stream of charged particles (mostly protons and electrons) ejected from the Sun's corona at speeds of 300 to 800 km/s. It carries about one million tons of matter per second into space, extending the Sun's influence into a vast bubble called the heliosphere that stretches far beyond Pluto. The solar wind interacts with planetary magnetic fields, compressing them on the Sun-facing side and stretching them into long tails. It is responsible for shaping comet tails and, when it intensifies during solar storms, can disrupt satellites and power grids on Earth.