What are the primary constituents of the plasma making up the continuous solar wind streaming from the Sun’s corona?
Answer
Electrons and protons
The solar wind is characterized as a persistent outflow originating from the Sun’s corona, but it is specifically composed of plasma. Plasma is matter in an ionized state, which in this context means it is a superheated gas where electrons have been stripped from their atoms. The primary constituents that make up this continuous stream flowing throughout the solar system are the fundamental charged particles: electrons and protons (which are the nuclei of hydrogen atoms). This composition dictates the electrical and magnetic properties of the solar wind as it permeates space.
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