Description
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles that is constantly blowing from the sun. It shapes the environment around planets, including the Earth, and has a significant impact on the space environment. This book provides an introduction to the solar wind and its effects, starting from basic principles. It covers topics such as the structure of the sun, the production of solar wind, and the objects in the solar system that are affected by the wind. The book also discusses the astrophysical perspective on the solar wind. This book is suitable for graduate students and researchers in earth and atmospheric sciences, and astrophysics.
The Sun continually ejects matter into space, blowing a huge bubble of supersonic plasma. This solar wind bathes the whole solar system and shapes all planetary environments. The growth of space technology has considerably increased our knowledge of this medium. This 2007 book presents an introduction to the subject, starting with basic principles and including all the latest advances from space exploration and theory. It contains a short introduction to plasma physics and discusses the structure of the solar interior and atmosphere, the production of solar wind and its perturbations. It explains the objects of the Solar System, from dust to comets and planets, and their interaction with the solar wind. The final sections explore the astrophysical point of view. The topics are treated at various levels of difficulty both qualitatively and quantitatively. This book will appeal to graduate students and researchers in earth and atmospheric sciences, and astrophysics. Review: Review of the hardback: 'The author has an easy style and a knack for clarity, picking out questions to answer and summarising key points without dull repetition. There are plenty of illustrations, including some excellent sketches and cartoons, and overviews of the types of images used ... Nicole Meyer-Vernet has done an excellent job of starting at the very beginning of a complex topic and talking the reader through to an understanding of current research questions, with good humour and a sharp eye for inconsistencies.' Geoscientist
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