Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Physical constants
- Vector calculus identities
- 1 Space physics
- 2 Introduction to kinetic theory
- 3 Single particle motion and geomagnetically trapped particles
- 4 Magnetohydrodynamics
- 5 Solar physics
- 6 The solar wind
- 7 The solar wind interaction with planets and other solar system bodies
- 8 The magnetosphere
- Appendix
- Index
7 - The solar wind interaction with planets and other solar system bodies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 October 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Physical constants
- Vector calculus identities
- 1 Space physics
- 2 Introduction to kinetic theory
- 3 Single particle motion and geomagnetically trapped particles
- 4 Magnetohydrodynamics
- 5 Solar physics
- 6 The solar wind
- 7 The solar wind interaction with planets and other solar system bodies
- 8 The magnetosphere
- Appendix
- Index
Summary
We learned in the previous chapter that the solar wind is an almost collisionless plasma consisting mainly of protons and electrons flowing outward from the Sun supersonically and super-Alfvénically at several hundred kilometers per second. The interplanetary magnetic field is carried out into the solar system by the solar wind. Planets and other solar system bodies act as obstacles to the flow of the solar wind, but the nature of this interaction strongly depends on the characteristics of the planet. Chapter 7 deals with the solar wind flow around planets and other objects. A very brief introduction to this topic was given in Chapter 1. Further reading material on this topic can be found in the bibliography at the end of this chapter. Chapter 8 will deal with the internal dynamics of the terrestrial magnetosphere as well as with the magnetospheres of the outer planets.
Types of solar wind interaction
Nature of the obstacle
The manner in which the solar wind interacts with objects, or bodies, in the solar system depends, naturally, on the characteristics of that object. Relevant characteristics include its heliocentric distance (r), its size, whether or not it has an atmosphere and ionosphere, and the strength of its intrinsic magnetic field. Table 7.1 lists some relevant characteristics for all the planets and for other solar system bodies.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Physics of Solar System Plasmas , pp. 270 - 342Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1997