Is there weather in space?

When you look up at the night sky on a night where it isn't particularly clear, you may be wondering if the cloudy or stormy conditions are still occurring outward there is no atmosphere and space. Conditions for the stars and celestial bodies that are floating out in space do change but not in the same way that we experience weather on earth.

Stars give off particles into space and this is known as a solar wind. Any major star will produce these types of gas and particles that can affect some of the neighboring bodies such as the planets or asteroids that surround the star. Solar winds can carry particles towards various celestial bodies that orbit a star. In some cases solar wind can carry objects in 1,000,000 mi./h or more.

The atmosphere on Earth is also enhanced by it the Earth's magnetic field. The combination of the magnetic field and the atmosphere will work to repel a variety of these objects away from our planet. Traveling in a spaceship however can make the process of protecting yourself a little more difficult. The magnetic field for the sun is a long trailing tail and this means that any satellite or object to get close to the sun will likely be affected by some form of solar weather.

Some of the solar weather can sneak past the atmosphere and this often causes an effect called Aurora. The aurora borealis or Northern lights are one of the most majestic examples of the way that space weather can be viewed on our planet. This weather from the sun can on occasion cause dangerous solar winds and storms. The radiation from these storms can often be particularly dangerous to astronauts but on a planet with an atmosphere we are at a particularly low risk for being affected by space weather.