We can view the solar connection within the solar system as a chain of individual links:
The Sun's influence on the heliosphere and planetary bodies is accomplished through two kinds of radiation:
The solar wind, comprised of hot, high-speed, electrically charged atomic particles, flows from the Sun to fill the heliosphere. This radiation is threaded by the faint magnetic field that originates at the Sun and extends throughout the heliosphere in giant spiral arcs. The solar wind affects the shape and dynamical behavior of the Earth's magnetic field, and determines the dimensions of the heliosphere itself.
Electromagnetic radiation, the second component, spans all wavelengths from radio waves to gamma rays. This radiation heats the planetary bodies and ionizes the upper layers of their atmospheres.
The individual links connecting solar radiation to the heliosphere and planetary bodies start at the nuclear furnace at the center of the Sun and extend through the Sun's convection zone, through the layers of the solar atmosphere (chromosphere and corona), into interplanetary space, and on to the magnetospheres, ionospheres, and atmospheres of the planets. They couple the Sun's energy to each planet in the solar system.
Click here for a larger, JPEG representation of the figure at the top of the page.
Solar Connections: A Science Initiative for NASA Space Physics
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