Solar Wind and Solar Flare

Most of  the Sun's family is continually bathed in an outflow of material from the Sun's atmosphere. Streams of electrons and protons continuously  flow out from the Sun's atmosphere and travel across the Solar System. This rapidly moving stream of charged particles is called the solar wind. About one million ton material is removed every second from the Sun in the form of  the solar wind. These charged particles react with the atoms of  the Earth's atmosphere to produce northern  lights, 'aurora borealis' at the North Pole and southern lights, 'aurora australis'  at the South pole: This display of lights in nature, is truly spectacular. The solar flare represents the most dynamic activity associated with the Sun's surface and atmosphere. It  represents a  tremendous release of  energy in  a very  short time. Usually  it occurs in  the neighbourhood of  a sunspot. There is  a sudden brightening accompanied by  a violent outflow of  e'nergy  in  the form of  light, radiowaves, X-rays and solar material like electrons and  protons. The Sun is our nearest star and we have been able to examine  it quite closely. We have just presented2ome salient features of  the Sun's structure and its activity.