solar wind

noun

: plasma continuously ejected from the sun's surface into and through interplanetary space

Examples of solar wind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Researchers think that during the most active part of the sun's 11-year cycle, known as solar maximum, fewer cosmic rays reach the planet because its magnetic field is strengthened by the constant whipping of the solar wind. Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2025 Neptune's magnetic field is tilted by 47 degrees off of the planet's axis of rotation—meaning that the field lines along which the solar wind is channeled meet the atmosphere in a different place to those here on Earth. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025 Saturn exhibits bright ultraviolet auroras that, unlike Earth's, maintain consistent intensity regardless of solar wind turbulence, suggesting its magnetic field can absorb and dissipate energy without injecting it into the atmosphere. Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025 This intense magnetism produces spectacular auroras, detectable through radio emissions, even without the help of a parent star's solar wind. Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for solar wind

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of solar wind was in 1958

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Cite this Entry

“Solar wind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solar%20wind. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

solar wind

noun
: the continuous radiation of charged particles from the sun's surface

More from Merriam-Webster on solar wind

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