Is the "solar wind" an actual wind? ? If it is, why doesn't it blow away our space probes?

1 Answer
Apr 21, 2018

"Wind" is an analogy term used to help us understand the impact of the electromagnetic fields and particles similar to physical wind in the atmosphere.

Explanation:

NOT all definitions used even in science are exactly the same, or necessarily intended to explicitly describe the entire effect of some phenomenon. The solar "wind" is a flow of electromagnetic energy and particles that originates from the sun. It does have a physical interaction with our planet, as seen in the Aurora Borealis.

However, the type of energy and mass transfer is quite different from atmospheric "wind". It DOES affect the other objects in space, including earth satellites, but not enough to seriously affect their orbital mechanics in the short-term.