News > NASA may have solved the mystery of what causes solar wind

NASA may have solved the mystery of what causes solar wind

Scientists from NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission have identified the processes behind the creation of the solar wind, which is composed of charged particles released from the Sun's corona. The team discovered that small-scale jetting in the corona, driven by magnetic reconnection, is responsible for heating and accelerating the solar wind. Observations from Parker Solar Probe, along with other instruments, were used to reach this conclusion.