Questions 5-8 refer to the following passage.

Consider each of the following answer choices separately and select all that apply.

According to the passage, which of the following is true of the effect of solar winds on the Earth?

a. Though the Earth’s magnetic field largely protects it from the full effects of solar winds, the winds have an impact on its magnetosphere and its space environment.

b. Solar winds play a significant role in the development of auroras and geomagnetic storms in the earth’s space environment.

c. Because of the corona’s intense heat, solar wind particles continuously escape the sun’s gravitational attraction, flowing away from the corona at extremely high velocities and surrounding the Earth with hot, super-charged plasma.

Transcribed Image Text:

"Solar wind" is the term scientists use to describe the stream of particles that the sun's corona constantly emits. These solar winds, Line which consist mainly of hydrogen and helium, are intensely hot, fully ionized plasma. Because of the corona's intense heat, these particles con- tinuously escape the sun's gravitational (5) attraction, flowing away from the sun at extreme velocities. Solar winds, though, are not without (10) variation, because they contain faster and slower moving pockets. For instance, solar winds that originate from streamers are slower moving winds at approximately 300 km/second, as opposed to the winds that originate from corona (15) holes and reach speeds of 800 km/second. As they flow away from the sun, tangential discon- tinuities and interplanetary shocks form, produc- ing pressure variations. Moreover, researchers also know that solar winds are directly related (20) to geomagnetic storms, auroras, and comets. It is these winds that cause comet tails to bend away from the sun, as Kepler accurately predicted in the early 1600s.