Question R16 Q13 - NSB Middle School 2009

Which of the following best describes what occurs to the solar wind as it approaches close to the planet Earth:

W) it is absorbed by the troposphere and significantly heats the upper atmosphere

X) it forms cosmic rays that create the Van Allen belts

Y) it is largely deflected by the Earth's magnetosphere

Z) it causes a shock wave to form, creating what is called a termination shock in the Earth's ionosphere

Science Bowl Question