Ultraviolet radiation is the familiar radiation that can burn human skin and fade curtains. Fortunately, the gases in Earth's atmosphere shield us from most ultraviolet radiation. It is the interaction of intense radiation, such as extreme ultraviolet radiation, that strips
electrons from (or ionizes) the gases in the upper atmosphere, creating what is called the
ionosphere. One example of how the ionosphere is affected by direct radiation by the Sun and by nighttime shielding by Earth is AM radio. At night, the thickness of the ionosphere shrinks. Radio waves then bounce off the bottom of the ionosphere at a higher altitude, giving these waves longer pathways to follow. This leads to the signals of certain AM stations reaching much larger areas at night than they do during the day.
Particle-type radiation from the Sun, referred to as the solar wind, consists primarily of electrons and protons that are thrust from the Sun's surface at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second. These flowing charged particles constitute and interact with an interplanetary magnetic field.
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