Source of the Slow Solar Wind Found (Video)

Source: ESA

The solar wind comes in two modes: fast and slow. Solar astronomers have a good idea as to where the fast solar wind comes from: polar coronal holes of open magnetic field lines, blasting solar particles at speeds of over 3 million km/hr. But what about the slow solar wind which fires particles into space at a pedestrian 1.5 million km/hr? We know it comes from the streamer belt above equatorial regions of the Sun, but we have never been able to look lower. But now, with the help of the Hinode observatory, stunning high-resolution images and video have been captured showing solar dynamics previously overlooked. The point at which the Sun ejects slow wind particles into space can now be studied in unparalleled detail to help us understand the dynamics of space weather and solar storms.
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