Discoveries about the unknown source of the energy that heats the solar corona and accelerates the solar wind may help scientists understand the winds that carry mass and momentum away from other stars and why the sun's rotation has slowed. The results may also help them to explain how the Earth's magnetism and, ultimately, its climate and weather are affected by variations in the radiation and particles emitted by the sun.
The results will also benefit the designers of Earth-orbiting spacecraft. The torrent of electrons, protons, and ions streaming from the sun at speeds of almost 1 million miles per hour causes the spectacular Northern and Southern lights, but it also is responsible for degrading the performance and reliability of spacecraft in Earth orbit.
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