The Day the Solar Wind Disappeared -- News from
ISTP at the Fall 1999 AGU Meeting
PRESS RELEASE: ON THE DAY THE SOLAR WIND DISAPPEARED, SCIENTISTS SAMPLE PARTICLES DIRECTLY FROM THE SUN (12/13/99)
From May 10-12, 1999, the solar wind that blows constantly from the Sun
virtually disappeared in the most drastic and longest-lasting decrease
ever observed. Dropping to a fraction of its normal density and to half
its normal speed, the solar wind died down enough to allow physicists to
observe particles flowing directly from the Sun's corona to Earth. This
severe change in the solar wind also drastically changed the shape of
Earth's magnetic field and produced a rare auroral display at the North
Pole. MORE...
The Day the Solar Wind Disappeared --